Treadmill perspective of the day: You know, although it feels like not much of anything, I know I have done what I can through my business and my connections and my partnerships with other organizations to help in the aftermath of the devastating tornadoes here in Oklahoma. So last night when my LEO, who was enjoying his first evening off of a few rare days off, told me about a family, living in a tent at a campsite, who lost everything in the tornadoes, well… I knew we wouldn’t be sitting at home. And again, nothing we took that family is going to make a huge impact on their recovery. Paying for their campsite for a few weeks without them knowing, leaving them with a few boxes of clothes and toiletries, supplies and food and blankets will be nice for them, but it’s not going to get them back on their feet, it won’t get them the deposits they need for a new place, it won’t change that they were barely on their feet before the storms, it won’t bring them an insurance check as they had none. But one thing I can guarantee, by just spending those few minutes with them, it brought a momentary smile to their face. And as it usually goes…. It brought us much more. I like to think we’re an appreciative kind of family. We do what we can to instill in our kids how blessed they are, we are honest about the work I do for law enforcement which has opened our kids’ eyes even more so about the need to be grateful for their father and the moments we have together as a family. The older girls are quick to volunteer in times of need and feel compelled to do so on their own. We make sure to involve the little man, as we did last night, having him help put together relief boxes, asking his what he would need if he had no home, no bed, nothing of comfort. But our kids do have so much none will ever know, tornadoes or not. And it is in times like last night, that you are reminded of much more than your material blessings. And it makes you ask yourself if you are truly doing enough to ensure your kids really get it...and more so, that you yourself, really, really get it. A part of the story not told in that picture I posted last night, is that my husband and some other officers came across that family while the man was intoxicated. He wasn’t being mean to his wife or aggressive with the officers, he was clearly trying to escape his overwhelming problems for a moment, and got a little out of hand. Those officers could have easily cuffed him for being unruly, hauled him down to the station to sleep it off, or written him up, leaving him with fines and inconvenience. But those officers didn’t do that. They talked it out with him, they let him get his problems off his chest, they made sure his wife was alright, they let them vent as a couple and they didn’t leave it at that. They continued to go back, they found out what little they had, what they needed, they have kept an eye on that campsite as that man leaves his wife there, alone, each day to go look for work as a handyman, as the sick souls of the world are stealing from these victims at these campsites. They learned they chose a tent over a shelter in order to be able to keep their dog, who is a member of their family. So, to learn all of that left me with an overwhelming awareness of just how blessed we are to have met them. There is so much to be said about contentment. Remembering what’s really important in this life and being reminded by the example of others. You could easily see what was important to them was keeping their family intact. They both said to us “there are so many others worse off than us”. They thanked us and held back tears of appreciation. So, once again, I may have thought I was helping someone out a bit last night, but it was me who walked away gaining something. From those people, I gained a true appreciation for the hearts of those who have literally lost every material possession they own, yet are stronger and more appreciative than ever because they still have what matters most. From my husband and his fellow officers I was reminded once again of the true hearts of our LEOs and their compassion and understanding for those who are in need of protecting and serving, and not policing. And from a little boy, I was reminded of the beauty of innocence, even in a child who is exposed to much truth which no five year old should have to know….a little boy who knows what a mourning band is, a little boy who knows why a flag is folded a certain way, and what it means when his father wears his Honor Guard uniform….. yet still, that little boy, in his innocence, wanted to get those people some snow cones, because he knows how happy a snow cone can make him feel at times, and he wanted them to be able to feel that happy too. I don’t think there’s a single valid complaint I could possibly have today. Life is good. ~Mel. ©TPWL
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:44:20 +0000
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