There Are No Words

I have this thing on my blog that tells me where my readers are from.  Not who you are, just the city & state where the readers are from.  I love it.  I know there are people in Georgia, California, Texas, even the UK & India.  I don't know how you get here, but I love that you do.

If you don't know me, I come from a small town in the mountains.  Blacksburg, Virginia.  Home of Virginia Tech.  I grew up thinking it was a quiet town.  The town revolved around football.  Nothing much exciting happened.

My dad was a deputy for the sheriff's office.  When I was a child, he was shot in the neck, but by the grace of God (and a millimeter) he survived.  It made headlines.  I remember that day.  Even as an 8 year old.  There are images and memories that I will never forget.

I remember when I was a teenager, one of my dad's co-workers was killed in the line of duty.  I can still see him coming in and tearing the shroud off his badge and saying to my mom, "I hope I never have to wear that again!"  And then I watched the man, who I believed was made of steel, cry like a baby. 

Knowing that, I still married a cop.  Despite what they say, most days we police wives don't get up and think about them not coming home.  We just wonder how late they'll be. 

Five years ago, I got my first taste of what it's like to do the "police wife wait."  You know something is going on.  And you wait for a phone call or for a text, and you pray to God your doorbell doesn't ring.  And for the first time, I saw my husband have to put on the shroud.  For the first time, I saw him weep over losing an officer he loved.

Then, on April 16, 2007, the unthinkable happened in my small town.  Virginia Tech made headlines for all the wrong reasons.  But the Hokies are strong.  While we didn't forget, we were able to move on.

Yesterday, tragedy once again struck my little quiet town.  And a policeman's life was senselessly taken far too soon.  All I could think was, "Not again.  Not here.  Not now."

There are no words to express how I feel.  You name the feeling, and I've felt it over the last 24 hours.  There are no words to express my condolences.  We can never repay his service or his family's sacrifice.  All I know is that the only thing stronger than a policeman, is the grace that God gives his family.

To learn more about this brave officer, vist the Officer Down Memorial Page.  Virginia Tech has also set up a memorial fund for the officer or you can donate here.