To Protect & Serve

I have wanted to post for a few days now but every time I find the time to write I end up sitting down for two minutes and falling asleep.  We are doing wonderfully!  I have not one complaint about the transition since we arrived home.  I still have no complaints and I am trying very hard not to whine but only petition for prayer under our new circumstances.  I know I said I would be writing about our journey to sweet Gabriel and I will soon.  Tonight I just wanted to write this to get it off my heart, then maybe I can go to bed and sleep soundly.

The tragic murder of two women working at a small post office in Henning, TN took place earlier today.  From what can be told for now it looks like it was a robbery gone bad.  Tony got the call and packed and headed that way.  My kids fell apart.  Little Gabriel began clinging to Tony as he packed and when he left he screamed the heart wrenching cries we had not heard since China.  Sweet Grace who loves her Poppa with everything tends to take her Poppa for granted when he is "around all the time" and she came unglued.  After hearing the news report on what "Poppa" would be working on she started to question his safety.  Sweet, sweet Grace.  I would love to tell her with complete confidence that everything her father does is safe and without a doubt I know he will come home every night...... BUT I can not!  This is a fact of life.  A fact I have lived with all my life.  You see I am the daughter of a policeman and I know first hand how the "uneasiness" creeps in to your world as you watch your father pack for an unknown amount of time to serve the public in a way that most people would run from.  Instead I sat down with my little girl, my new sweet son and we prayed.  We prayed for a hedge of protection to surround Tony.  We prayed for courage, wisdom, strength and clarity for every officer working this horrible crime.  For swift capture and justice of the cowardly criminals that felt it their right to take two innocent women's lives this morning.  We prayed for the families left to grieve tonight.  For the bitter hurt that will ache in their hearts for many days to come.  That if they do not have a relationship with the One True God that they will come to know Him through their grief.  That if they do have a relationship with the Lord that they will find complete comfort from His Holy Spirit and not turn from Him.  I dried my babies tears and I silently prayed for the Lord to take the burden of my worry away from me over my husbands safety.  I laid it at His feet and I trust He will once again provide.  I then once more explained to Grace and now for the first time Gabriel that God brings special people here on earth to take care & protect people.  That their Poppa is one of those specially made people.  That it is his job and duty to make sure that he helps in every way possible to get the evil people who killed those ladies off the street before they hurt anyone else.  I told my Grace that no matter what her Poppa was doing what he was born to do.  He would want no other way of life.  I told her we could not worry and then with eyes so much wiser than her seven years she looked up at me and said, "I know Momma, if we worry we take the Lord out of the equation."  I smiled and told her she was absolutely right and we needed the Lord to be all over this situation so we had to get ourselves straight and continue with our day.  We closed our eyes and said one more prayer and little Gabriel enthusiastically ended it with a loud, "Amen!".  Oh, he may not completely understand yet but you could see him relax and sigh with peace as we headed upstairs to get dressed.  As I tucked them both in tonight we again prayed a similar prayer as we did earlier today.  Grace then looked at me very seriously and said, "When I grow up I want to have a job that I have normal hours...I do not want to do anything that is going to keep me from home."  I told her she was very wise in that decision but she could not be a police officer then.  She then proceeded to tell me that she had no desire to protect & serve.  She wanted to do something very normal and felt staying single and owning her own home without a husband or children would make her happy.  Oh, my Grace.  She sees things others do not....no husband or children, so that must equal no worry.  Wouldn't that be nice if it was true?  I have enough single friends that could let her in on the secret that it's far from the truth.

Please join me in praying for safety for all the men and women who wear a badge.  Be it a local, state or federal badge.  No matter the jurisdiction or position, they all put their lives on hold and on the line to make this world a little safer.  They lay down their lives everyday all over this crime covered nation.  My prayer is they solve these two murders and can bring in anyone responsible without another drop of innocent blood being shed....especially not blood of those who protect and serve.  I pray this for all the officers working this case but especially for our Poppa......there is a little girl and boy who miss him terribly tonight.  Godspeed sweet man & may His wings wrap around you and hold you securely tonight and always.  We love you!

Hugs & Prayers,

Jo

John 15:13
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for for his friends."

Psalm 23:4
"....I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."