The Truth About Police the News isn’t Telling You, Part I: The Man Behind the Badge

My husband is a police officer.

As a child, he never dreamed of donning a badge.  Instead, he mirrored the mass of us, a not-so-enamored outsider of the Thin Blue Line Club.  In his progression to adulthood, he swiftly found a place among the outstanding.  Filling boxes with awards and degrees, the opportunities before him were plentiful.

However, as our family gazed out over the horizon of options, reality struck.  Evil struck.  Three unrelated murders occurred on our block within a month.  A teenage boy fell victim to a brutal gang initiation and was gunned down while cleaning his truck at the carwash.  A middle-aged woman was peppered with birdshot while buying a soda at Kroger.  The Mapco in front of our home was robbed, and the cashier left to die a tragic death.

You Know You are Married to a Police Officer if…

You Know You are Married to a Police Officer if…

1. Your husband adamantly refuses to go by the doughnut shop on his way home from work (even if you are having pregnancy cravings).
2. When new acquaintances discover your spouse’s profession, they are either very interested or start to awkwardly try and leave the conversation.
3. You sleep alone…with a shotgun beside your bed.
4. Millions of people hate your spouse without having ever met him.
5. You never sit facing the door when you are out to dinner.
6. You frequently role-play emergency scenarios during casual conversation.
7. You never know when your spouse will be home, and if you don’t hear from him, you wonder if he had to kill someone or if he got killed.
8. You text in 10 codes.
9. You refer to all of your spouse’s friends by their last names.
10. Your spouse frequently gets violently attacked at work.
11. Every time you go out with your husband, you are asked, “Am I showing?”
12. If you ever hear a strange noise at home, your house is promptly “cleared.”
13. Your spouse spends as much time in a courtroom as a lawyer or judge.
14. Holidays are always spent alone.
15. When other businesses close due to weather, your spouse is working overtime.
16. Your husband usually works seven days a week.
17. You have a tub of disinfectant wipes by your front door.
18. You are well-acquainted with starch and shoe polish.
19. Your best friends tend to be cop’s wives.
20. Your family watches cop shows just to point out how ridiculous they are.
21. Your two-year-old has gone through an at-home gun safety course.
22. Your spouse is frequently on the news, and you don’t trust any news story because they have yet to correctly report any incident your spouse was involved in.
23. You always check to make sure you aren’t being followed because you know your family is a target.
24. You are afraid to wake your spouse up when he is sleeping because he is probably dreaming about catching a criminal, and you know he will think you are the criminal.
25. Your spouse wears shirts two sizes too big.
26. Your civilian friends think your husband spends so much time in court because of traffic tickets.
27. Hugs with your spouse are generally obstructed by a gun of some sort.
28. Your bedroom is equipped with blackout curtains, ear plugs, and sleeping meds.
29. You get the impression your friends and family think you and your husband have separated because they never see him.
30. Your husband is late getting home, so you check the news to see where he is.
31. An entire room of your home is dedicated to his work gear.
32. Your bedroom rarely gets cleaned because someone is always sleeping in it.
33. You tell your kids their daddy is a real life superhero (and you mean it).
34. You aren’t surprised by the triple homicide that occurred five houses down the street from you, because crazy, ugly evil has become normal to you.
35. Your husband grows a creeper ‘stache every November.
36. You understand the truth behind the phrase, “Ignorance is bliss.”

The Undefined in a Merriam-Webster World

A wide-eyed young girl is beginning her first day of kindergarten.  She walks into the sparkly new classroom for the first time, all decked out in “A is for Apple” and “B is for Ball” décor.  Excitement and wonder fill her tender soul.  This place is magical.  Wearing fresh new clothes and glittery pink sneakers, she is mesmerized by her surroundings – the kids, the desks, the books, the lockers.  The stage, in all its glamour, has been set for learning.

And she is taught.  Taught to remember.  Taught to uncover.  Taught to regurgitate.  Taught to discover.  Taught to pick problems apart and put them back together.  Taught to take the mystery out of things.

When Miracles Happen: The Union Station Beggar

The sidewalks were their home.  As populous as the burnt-up cigarette butts in the gutter, the beggars lined the filthy, stench-filled pavement.  I passed by them every day.  I learned to walk faster than they could run.  The bearded men would try to chase me down in their dirty rags and worn out shoes, but I left them in the dust as I put on the afraid-of-everyone Chicago persona.

Where Have All the Churches Gone?

How many of us have found ourselves uncomfortable with the churches speckling our communities like a chicken pox outbreak?  The reasons for our discomfort may vary.  Some don’t see the purpose of organized church.  Some have been burnt out by the church’s many failures.  Still others simply don’t believe in God at all.

I have been there.  I never felt such discontentment until I moved away from my life-long home church and began the search for a new place to belong.

Opposing Viewpoints: Introduction

Our world is divided like the Cubs and the Cardinals.  We pick a team, put on the jersey and defend our position.  Once you put on those colors, there’s no turning back.  The guy on the other side is declared the enemy, one to be conquered at any cost.  You don’t cheer for him when he does well, and you don’t boo when you do poorly.

But is life a game?   When this world began, were we pitted against each other to see who would be crowned the victor? 

It may be good versus evil, but is it good people versus evil people?  I believe there’s a difference.

When Miracles Happen: The Clothesline Security System (or How to Survive a Hostel)

Ten years ago, I ventured out on a trip around the world with a group of young women.  Our first destination was the historic city of London, England.  I was a seventeen-year-old farm girl at the time, so it was quite a change of scenery for me.  And while our days were filled to the brim with breathtaking sights and fascinating adventures, I can’t say as much about our evenings.