One One of my best friends in the entire world is a cop.  It’s part of him, his family, his legacy, his life.  He’s a protector of our community and normally a pretty fun guy – unless you really get under his skin.  A funny thing about cops, like military personnel (especially like Adam), is that they’re constantly putting their lives on the line.  So they never get why you worry about them so much.  They are used to it.

Every time that they get up, crawl out of bed, hit the shower and put on that uniform, you run the risk of never seeing them again.  How do I know?  I’m a military wife.  You learn to live with it (Trust me).  But you never are truly okay with it, no matter how proud you are of them, you always pray that nothing happens.

Sure friends and family constantly show our affection and appreciation, but as a society do we really show our men and women in blue how much that we appreciate them?  Often, just because they drive by in their marked or unmarked squad cars, we get an attitude.  We hit our breaks and roll our eyes.  However, we know that we don’t want to be left alone without them, we don’t want to check out the noise in the back without calling them, drive through that neighborhood without seeing them, go to the bank without parking beside them. 

But the funny thing about cops is that they really are people.  They have families, bills, dreams and fears just like the rest of us. They’re not some sub-race of tattletales waiting to point the finger.  If we didn’t have them, we’d all be in big trouble. 

They see so much on the streets, get treated like crap, risk everything, leaving nothing on the table, take nothing for their burdens (Wow, they really are like military personnel!) and most of us don’t ever say thank you. When I’m with Adam, people often stop us and say thanks.  It warms his cold little heart a little.  I can see it melt just a little before it freezes right back up (just kidding, he’s  teddy bear).

I’ve got an experiment for all of you.  The next time that you’re face- to- face with a cop, smile and just say thank you.  He or she might not smile right then and there.  They may say, “excuse me?”, they may just say your welcome, but trust me, it will make their day just a little bit better.  And considering what they do for us each and everyday, it’s a good thing to make them feel good about themselves every once in a while.