Yes, I know that it has been a long time since I've written a blog. To be honest, it takes a lot for me to come up with something intelligent to put down on paper (or screen). Today is Christmas and I have been able to sit in my recliner while I watched all three kids open their gifts. Many Americans will not understand why I feel blessed to be able to be home on Christmas morning, but many of you that read my blog will.
There are numerous verses throughout the bible that deal with public servants, but I will only share two. The first is found in Matthew 5:9 which states, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Peacemakers are found in nearly every part of public service. From the police officer, to the firefighter, the paramedic, the dispatcher, the soldier, the nurse, etc. If you serve the public in some form or fashion, they you are considered a peacemaker.
The last is found in Isaiah 6:8 which reads, "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”" In this day in time, every person who serves does so by their own choice; nobody is drafted anymore which makes serving a free choice. Each of you have made a choice to sacrifice and place others above yourself!
What do these two verses have to do with anything? Well, for the first 13 years of my career, I worked almost every holiday and can only remember one year where I had both Christmas eve and Christmas day off. I was taught very early on (before the kids came along) to either come in early or work late for the guys that did have kids so they could enjoy spending Christmas morning with their children. If you work 12 hours shifts, there are many occasions where you might have worked both Christmas eve and Christmas day. Like every morning, I woke up and checked my phone for messages and pages from during the night to see what major event shave occurred during the night. And like most days, there were a couple of structure fires and a fatal event. Now, for those of you who don't have family that work in public service, imagine if you will, you are the dispatcher that took the frantic 911 call for help, the officer who responded to the violent event, the paramedic that attempted to save the life of your loved one, or the ER nurse or doctor that had to decide there was nothing more that could be done to save your loved one. Now imagine going home to your family on Christmas morning after responding to such a violent call?
Christmas can be very difficult on public servants for a variety of reasons, but the point of it is, that they sacrifice so much, so you can have a "silent night" and "peace on Earth". So as you enjoy time with family and friends today, please take a moment to think about those men and women who serve you every day, as they spend their day away from family to keep you safe.
To all of my brothers and sisters, you guys ROCK! Thank you for your willingness to serve and know that you are holding a special place in my heart for your sacrifice.
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