Last night I had already written my portion of the blog before I went on Facebook. I have to admit that I am not much of a news watcher as it is totally depressing much of the time. It feels as though there is one thing after the other that reflects more bad news. So at the end of my day, I opted to go and do a little creeping and see what was up. Then I saw it, the picture that indicates that an officer has been shot. Because the badge was a NYC Badge, I knew instantly that the tragedy had happened there. Then I searched to try and determine what I had missed through the course of the day. Then I called Rah. She is usually on top of things, and simply put, I wanted to talk.
I knew that she was going to write about the NYC tragedy and we talked about some really deep things as there is so much there are often more questions than answers as families lives are forever changed by the actions of one individual. I laid awake last night for a long time. I could not help thinking about the families of the slain officers, the new bride, the friends, the officers that work together and are like family, and I kept thinking about how to make sense of the brokenness of this world that we live in. How do you prepare for the catastrophic events that forever change a life's path??
This morning I went to church. My mom was going to meet me in St. Hilaire at a cozy little church that I have been doing preaching at and going to off and on. Pastor Frank's message was an awesome one and he talked about the premise of being prepared. He took us back to a scene long ago when Mary was ill prepared as an angel came and in all likelihood terrified as he told her the "good news" that she was going to have a baby while still a virgin, then imagine the scene as she dropped that bomb on her fiancé Joseph. How could you possibly prepare for that? Then the newlyweds have to go to Bethlehem to be counted for the census. Mary was due any day and rode on a donkey with her water about to break at any moment. When they arrive there is mass chaos of others and there is no room for them to stay anywhere. The only place they could find was a stable and that is where Christ was born into this world. An imperfect family, messed up and broken, and yet, amidst the chaos, God literally lands in their laps.
Nobody could have prepared Officer Ramos's wife and two sons for the tragedy that was going to happen yesterday. The morning for them probably went much like the others that had gone before them. Dad gets up, he puts on his vest, then his uniform, his shoes, and he bolts out the door. Maybe he kissed his wife and told them he loved them or maybe they were still sleeping when he left to face his days . . . who knows, but the day started like many others before. None of them were prepared for the officers that no doubt came to their door and spoke the words that make one's worst nightmare a reality. That little boy will not have a father this Christmas, his brother will go back to college after break with a shattered world, and the mother will have to face her world as a widow. Nothing in the world could prepare them for that . . .
Ramos' son Jaden wrote the following words on Facebook: "Today is the worst day of my life." Today I had to say bye to my father." He was there for me everyday of my life, he was the best father I could ask for. It's horrible that someone gets shot dead just for bring a police officer. Everyone says they hate cops but they are the people that they call for help. I will always love you and I will never forget you. RIP Dad."
A newlywed of 2 months. My guess is that they are probably still paying the bills for the wedding that recently happened. They were still basking in the glory of just being a new couple. They prepared for the wedding, probably saved money for it, they invited their family and friends, and they celebrated their union as husband and wife. Two short months . . . 60 days . . .1440 hours . . .86,400 minutes . . . and then, the world that was supposed to be forever crashed. Officer Liu probably got up, put on his vest, donned his uniform, his shoes, and bolted out the door much the same as his partner. Maybe he kissed his bride . . . again, who knows. She would have never been prepared for the officers visit where they would speak the words making her worst nightmare a reality. Nothing in this world could have prepared her for that . . .
Both of these officers dreamt of being police officers. They prepared by getting their education, they interviewed for their positions, and they dreamt of making a difference in this broken messed up world that is full of tragedy. But the truth is, sometimes no matter how much one prepares, the variables happen. Mary and Joseph prepared for a life together, they dreamt of having a family some day, and then the variable happened, and God landed in the center of their lives. Officer Ramos and Officer Liu prepared to be officers of the law, they dreamt of making a difference for their community, their families, and this world they live in, and then the variable happened, and my prayer tonight is that God lands in the center of this tragedy and helps bring peace, strength, healing, and hope in the lives that those officers touched.
Prayers of Hope,
Sheila
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Sarah Day 25
The two officers that were killed yesterday had hopes and dreams of their own. They had their own special loved ones in their lives. They had a family to go home to and they had a career that they loved. I imagine they didn't see death coming even though that's the risk of the job. Just because a person is taught that it's a possibility doesn't mean they are prepared for death. These two officers thought they had time, but their time was cut short. I wonder what their lives would've looked like if they were given another 40 or 50 years. What goals would they have achieved? How many lives would they have saved? Would they be satisfied with how their time was spent? When I think about it, it's hard to even wrap my mind around the fact that yesterday they were alive and today they are not. Death is not an easy concept to grasp.
Regardless of what the officers could have achieved in their future, I truly believe that they did exactly what they set out to do. Working for the NYPD was probably one of their biggest (if not their biggest) dreams in life. They were brought to the world to protect their city from harm and to risk their lives for their community. Their journey was to make the world a safer place for all people. They were given the law enforcement life because God knew they were strong enough and brave enough to live it. Officer Ramos and Officer Liu both took a bullet so that their brothers and sisters in uniforms could live. It could have been any two officers that were shot that day, but God decided that they were ready because they made their mark in the world. They died heroes. And if we could talk to them today and ask them if they would have done anything differently, I bet they would say no. Their dying in that moment, in that way, meant that their brothers and sisters all got to live. That is the ultimate sacrifice, and that is brotherhood.
I want to know that whenever God decides that it's my time to go, that I have made my mark on the world. I want to start doing the things that I have always wanted to do, and I don't mean bungee jumping. I want to help people, teach people, and inspire people to live a more humane lifestyle. I want to save a whole bunch of animals, and make it illegal to declaw a cat. I want to see people grocery shop with reusable bags, and chew biodegradable gum. Or at least spit their gum in a trash can rather than on the sidewalk. I want random acts of kindness to turn into just kindness - kindness that is happening all the time, rather than at random. I want to leave this world knowing I made it a little more peaceful for all beings on Earth. I don't want to leave feeling like I wasted my time. The time is now.
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