The alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. and he fought the urge to hit the snooze and roll back
over. A right eyelid opened, followed by his left. The room was dark except for the feint glow of the red digital alarm clock. The dog stretched and began snoring again. One foot hit the floor, followed by the other. The cold floor was the day’s first greeting.
A quick shower and shave was followed by putting on the his clothes. He stumbled out in the kitchen and checked the coffee pot. Nope, not ready yet. His pulse depended on his daily caffeine fix. The pot’s gurgling stopped and he poured a big cup of joe. No cream. No sugar. Just pure, life-giving goodness. On the other side of the house, his children were sleeping.
He strapped on his gun and put on his badge. He’d walk out the door in a few minutes not knowing what the day would throw at him. Each traffic stop. Every domestic violence call. Words on the radio that made his heart chill. The iPad began to glow at his touch and he read the news coverage of the fine Pearl Police Officer who lost his life the day before. He had left the house yesterday morning just like everyone else — expecting to come home and kiss his wife and hug his child. A thug had stolen that from him forever.
The police officer quietly walked into his children’s rooms and kissed their sleeping faces on the cheek. And then he went back into his room and gently woke his wife. “I love you.” She looked at him sleepily and said, “I love you, too. Be safe today.”
He smiled. “I will.” He would never take this moment for granted again.
And then he walked out the door, not knowing what the day would bring.
I love this! This is the life of everyone on the job. Pearl is not just my home, it is my community full of people who know eveybody and cares about what is best for the community. Yesterday we took a hard blow to our hearts! How could this be happening? Not here, not to us! Our hearts are heavy and we’re all praying for Mike’s family and our PD family. But everything changed in an instant and it will be a long time before we fully recover. This morning as I drove my son to school, we came upon an accident that had just occurred. I watched our beloved officers arrive and hurry to help the occupants of each vehicle. My eyes filled with tears and my heart with pride. Each one woke up today and did the exact same things you wrote about. They went to do the job, even though their hearts are heavy. Each one faced a new day, one that could be their last day, put aside that thought and went to work for us! I have never been prouder of them than I am today. Never again will I take them for granted! God bless every officer who willingly puts his life in harm’s way for us all! Please pray for them and never forget their sacrifice given to us all in order to Serve and Protect! They are all heroes!!
Thanks for this. I am neither an officer nor a father but this puts life (their life) into perspective. Tears rolling.
Marshall — this brought tears to my eyes because you described a typical morning at my home. Thanks! — Stacey
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We are all heartsick that something this horrible has happened in our community. As I watched Chief Ben Schuler and Mayor Brad Rogers on the news last night and heard the agony in their voices and saw the pain in their eyes, it brought forth tears again. God bless every man and woman who put their lives on the line for us each and every day and who will never be compensated adequately for their service to the community.
Thank you Marshall. My condalences to that family, and your town. As a firefighter’s wife, I understand the other half’s view. Watching him drive away, never knowing if he would be driving back, is hard. But he loves what he does, and I love him, so I just say, “I love you, see you soon.” And smile and wave as he drives away. God bless.
The drawing that you added is a nice touch. Beautiful story. Beautiful thoughts.
Your words match the hearts and feelings of every person in law enforcement… The law enforcement family and community took a big blow to the stomach Tuesday, and that’s not something we will be able to just get over. It lives with each person who steps out of their own homes to protect and to serve everyday.
Thank you for so eloquently writing words that touch so deeply.