Your Deeds Are Your Monuments

One of my favorite things about doing a ride along is getting to see officers “behind the scenes”. To hear some people talk, it seems they think all officers do is look for ways to harass and ticket people. I LOVE doing ride alongs because when I hear people making “uninformed” (that’s my nice word for ‘stupid’) comments about officers in our town, I can say, “Really? Because that’s not what I have seen. Just last month I saw…”.
   
Sometimes stories of officers serving above and beyond what would be required are captured by the Department’s social media, and I know that the stories are generally told by citizens who observed the officers’ act of kindness. They tell it because you don’t. I hear you brag about outrunning our outsmarting a suspect, but I don’t hear you bragging about the time I saw you carrying an elderly gentleman’s groceries into his house for him or paying $50 for a lady whose car was being held hostage by a shady auto shop. You just serve. It’s what you do.
   
I was thinking about your service to our city during this time of craziness and uncertainty due to the coronavirus. You probably make dark humor ‘cop jokes’ about the dangers you face serving the public in these times and the situations you face, but in public you serve honorably and without fanfare. 
   
I was trying to find the right words to thank you for the personal sacrifice and the additional dangers you face serving us during this time. I watched the movie Wonder for the first time tonight, and in one scene, the teacher Mr. Browne shared a Precept with his class:
Your deeds are your monuments. ~Inscription on an Egyptian tomb. The main character, Auggie had this to say about the quote: “This precept means that we should be remembered for the things we do. The things we do are the most important things of all. They are more important than what we say or what we look like…”
   
I like that...the things we DO are most important...more than the things we SAY. Thank you for what you DO quietly and honorably serving our city during this time. This is a monument to who you are as a person, and there are many of us who appreciate you and are praying for you today.  Pastor Rob