Some of my online friends at Etsy who are all police officer's wives started a thread that really made me laugh, and cry a little too. It was titled,
"You know your a police officer's wife when..."
I actually found it quite comforting and was even a little amazed at the similar thoughts and experiences we all share...
Here they are...some from them, some from me:
You know your a police officer's wife when:
~You never have a holiday on the actual holiday.
~You count your days in numbers (1 of 5, 2 of 4 etc...)
~Your kids have a huge collection of squad cars.
~You tell the guys sitting down for coffee to take their gun belts off so they don't scratch the chairs.
~You go to social events alone.
~You are never sure when your spouse will show up at family events.
~Your toddler gets a police escort to her first day of school.
~You have to check to make sure what is in the freezer is not evidence, but dinner.
~Everyone uses the patrol vehicle parked out front as the local landmark.
~You wear your 'good' pajamas when they work the graveyard shift in case you get the late-night knock on the door.
~You don't question why all of a sudden he's walking behind you instead of next to you at the mall.
~A five minute conversation turns into a 2 hour long conversation because he keeps saying, "Shooting, gotta go!"
~He starts talking in radio codes when he is telling you about his day.
~You ask him where HE wants to sit in a restaurant because they like to face the door.
~When he says, "I may have to work late tonight." you don't even care anymore. It's routine now!
~You don't find it odd at all that you are in the kitchen painting and talking on the phone to your husband who is hiding in the bushes waiting on a gang member to make a drug transaction.
~Your first reaction when you wake up in the middle of the night is to reach over to see if your husband is home yet. If so, you smile and breathe a breath of relief...if not, good luck getting back to sleep.
~Your only chance of seeing him on a given night will be on the news. But then you aren't really sure if it's him your seeing because all of his co workers are tall and bald too. :)
~And lastly....you know your a police officer's wife when as you are writing this blog post you notice that this has become your coffee mug of choice...
~You never have a holiday on the actual holiday.
~You count your days in numbers (1 of 5, 2 of 4 etc...)
~Your kids have a huge collection of squad cars.
~You tell the guys sitting down for coffee to take their gun belts off so they don't scratch the chairs.
~You go to social events alone.
~You are never sure when your spouse will show up at family events.
~Your toddler gets a police escort to her first day of school.
~You have to check to make sure what is in the freezer is not evidence, but dinner.
~Everyone uses the patrol vehicle parked out front as the local landmark.
~You wear your 'good' pajamas when they work the graveyard shift in case you get the late-night knock on the door.
~You don't question why all of a sudden he's walking behind you instead of next to you at the mall.
~A five minute conversation turns into a 2 hour long conversation because he keeps saying, "Shooting, gotta go!"
~He starts talking in radio codes when he is telling you about his day.
~You ask him where HE wants to sit in a restaurant because they like to face the door.
~When he says, "I may have to work late tonight." you don't even care anymore. It's routine now!
~You don't find it odd at all that you are in the kitchen painting and talking on the phone to your husband who is hiding in the bushes waiting on a gang member to make a drug transaction.
~Your first reaction when you wake up in the middle of the night is to reach over to see if your husband is home yet. If so, you smile and breathe a breath of relief...if not, good luck getting back to sleep.
~Your only chance of seeing him on a given night will be on the news. But then you aren't really sure if it's him your seeing because all of his co workers are tall and bald too. :)
~And lastly....you know your a police officer's wife when as you are writing this blog post you notice that this has become your coffee mug of choice...
People often ask me if it is hard to be a police officer's wife. To be honest, I don't think I really knew what I was getting into when I married Mark and he was fresh out of the Academy. But I am very thankful God knew.
I really can say it is only by the Grace of God, truly, that Mark can leave the house each day and I can have full assurance that his life is in God's hands.
That God guides not just every beat of his heart,
but every car he drives by on his way home,
the hands of the evil he encounters,
and every bullet.
There really is no such thing as a stray bullet if you believe God guides it.
~~~~~~~~~I really can say it is only by the Grace of God, truly, that Mark can leave the house each day and I can have full assurance that his life is in God's hands.
That God guides not just every beat of his heart,
but every car he drives by on his way home,
the hands of the evil he encounters,
and every bullet.
There really is no such thing as a stray bullet if you believe God guides it.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
(Psalm 139:16, NLT)
And just for fun....
Mark and Steve in Beijing, China, at the Forbidden City.
Steve is a cop in Philadelphia.
2 days after this picture was taken a beautiful little girl was placed in Steve's arms
who became his daughter,
and a tiny little boy in Mark's, who is our Ben.
Alison, my Mom and Alicia, in New York with one of New York's finest.
Mark, Alison and Danny at MPD's Award's Ceremony.
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