Thanksgiving for the Boys (and Girls) in Blue

        It's almost Thanksgiving day and I'm sure that I won't have time to write on my blog over the weekend. With that said I wanted to say thanks to a group that would still be working while I'm feasting with my family. Still be answering calls while I'm watching football. I call many of them friends. I pray for all of them. And a select few, I consider my closest friends like family.
        Every year in the United States, one day is set aside to remember all of those in Law Enforcement that have died in the line of duty. This day is also observed in Blount County. In May of 2010 I had the absolute priviledge of speaking at our service. The following is the transcript of my speech.
         " I am humbled and honored to be speaking here today. There are very few positions in life that I respect as much as I do law enforcement. And speaking today will rank as one of the most difficult messages/talks/speeches whatever it is, that I have ever done. While I have dedicated my life to serving others, the men we honor today have given theirs. To most people not connected to or affected by law enforcement it comes easy to say, almost as a cliché, “these men and women put their life on the line everyday”. To those here today it isn’t a cliché and it isn’t a fancy saying, it is reality! I am thankful that this time has been set aside to honor those who died while keeping me and my loved ones safe. A time to remember them, honor them, and pray for their families.

People today are raised to “hero” status almost flippantly. Not much thought put into effort, sacrifice, or honor; usually just results. And results today are largely measured in money, fame and position. But where I come from, here in Blount County, results have been measured by sacrifice, honor, and integrity. Sacrifice! Giving up something for another. Paying a higher price than expected and a higher price than most are willing to pay! The men we honor today paid the highest price protecting and serving and for that, all of us here today say, “thank you”.

When I think of sacrifice I think of pain, toil, and hard work. Those words remind me of my grandfather. He was a farmer. He was a worker. He didn’t live in the nicest of neighborhoods. And for sure didn’t drive the nicest of cars.  67 Chevrolet homemade duelly truck. Every fender was a different color of bondo, primer and rust. It was a straight shift with a “bulldog” gear that as a kid I loved to drive. All of the grandkids would pile in the back of that truck and ride to the garden. The potato patch to be accurate. Upon arrival, each kid got a 5 gallon bucket and papaw would fire up the John Deere. He would start at one end of the potato field and he would drop the plow. Like magic, potatoes would appear and we would pick them up. It seemed like hours we would pick up potatoes and pour them into the trailer. After all the potatoes were up and all the kids were tired papaw would start the tractor again and drop the plow deeper and turn over just as many potatoes than he had before. I think a lot about those days now that I have two kids growing up in this world. I think about what Papaw taught me through his life and some of the lessons make more sense as I get older. I think about what if I don’t teach them to dig even when things don’t look so good. If they don’t dig in and keep going then they may miss out on what may be the one element in their life that will take them through those tough winter seasons that we sometimes have to endure.

Papaw never made the cover of magazines and was never talked about in the evening news but I still have a framed picture of him in my office. He is kneeling beside one of those dirty white buckets. He has on his Dickey coveralls and his John Deere hat and the bucket looks to be full of potatoes. My aunt made the picture for me and the caption says, “Dig a little deeper”. But while writing this I looked at the picture again and noticed something that I hadn’t noticed before. Half of the field hadn’t been plowed yet. I can see his shadow almost immediately below him so I know it’s hot but there is more work to do and I have no doubt that after the picture was taken he went back to work.

I never knew any of the men that we are honoring today. I didn’t get an opportunity to ride in their car or comfort their immediate families at the time of their loss. But in my time spent with law enforcement for the last several years I have found that they all have certain characteristics that aren’t cheap and aren’t cliché. They are committed… They don’t back down, turn around, or back up. They are fiercely loyal... Like a family they fight for their own.  And they are workers… They always stay till the job is done.

The way we honor them is not through headlines or newscasts. For those of us in the community, the way we honor them is that when you see a marked car or an officer or a deputy, respect them and pray for them. That’s what these men would want for those working the streets today.

             And for those of you in law enforcement. Take pride in yourself, your department, and your community. Be humble for the opportunity to serve. Every day you take your place behind your shield, pick up your weapon, drive your car, and serve our community, thank God for that day. There are those that paved the way for you and by doing your job with integrity and courage you honor their memory. Today and each day forward, may we do justice to the men that have fallen; by remembering their sacrifice through our words and actions."


God bless and have a great Thanksgiving!
Pastor Dad