Something happened, not too long ago, that made me appreciate what my husband, Eddie, does for a living. At roughly 2:30 a.m. Eddie and I awoke to the ringing of his cell phone. He picked it up and I could hear a deep voiced man tell him that he needed to head down to the office right away. Without hesitation, he jumped out of bed. In the dark I heard the snaps, zips and clicks as he hurriedly dressed. He walked over to my side of the bed and kissed me on the check and told me he loves me, then he was gone. I knew nothing more. I laid awake with my mind racing until the alarm went off. Then, I got up and got ready for work. I had heard nothing from him yet. I woke the kiddos up and got them ready for school. Still nothing. It had been 4 hours. It was not until I am almost at work when the phone rang and I heard his voice on the other end.
He is on his way back home. Everything is fine.
That night, I realized how dangerous his job is. Not every night is this way, but he never knows what each shift is going to bring. What may seem like a normal "stop" can easily turn into someone pulling a gun on him. A domestic call can easily turn tragic. This is the life of a police officer. I could not imagine my normal dress attire consisting of a lead vest around my chest and strapping a gun to my side before heading to work.
I want to thank all of our police officers for their service. They do not do it for the money, for this is a career that most certainly will not make them rich. They are placed in situations that require split second decisions and, many times, those decisions end up being Monday morning quarterbacked.
It takes a unique person to risk his/her life to protect ours. Again, thank you to all the men and women dressed in blue.
;)
