Operation Police Project

“Everyday he sees people on the worst day of their life,” she said.

I let that sink in.

My friend was talking about her husband who is a police officer in Austin. Strangely I had never thought about his job that way. I have always had the upmost respect for police officers; they protect our neighborhoods and keep our families safe. But until recently I never really thought much beyond that. I didn’t think about the deplorable things they must see, the disrespect they endure, the life or death decisions they may have to make, the uncertainty they must feel when pulling someone over, the beloved families they leave each day not knowing if they will see them again.

And the plain and simple fact that they don’t have the luxury of having a bad day.

Everyone they serve is having a bad day. 

I want our officers to have more good in their days and just feel valued by the people they serve. 

The kids and I normally do small acts of kindness together throughout the year like handing out granola bars to the homeless or taking food to the food bank but it just occurred to me that we could serve our police officers. This would be so easy to do with children and a special way to show our appreciation to those who really need it now. Plus, police officers are like super heroes to my boys. So Operation Police Project begins! Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with so far but I’m hoping some of you reading this may have more insight and offer suggestions.  

• Take snacks to our local police department like cookies, fruit or chips.

• Make handmade cards to just say thank you and drop off at a local station. 

• Talk to a police officer and tell them thank you when when see him or her out. 

• Offer to buy an officer coffee or lunch at a restaurant. 

• Tell the police officers you know (and their families) that you appreciate what they do everyday to keep us safe. And keep telling them. 

• This last one is more for my husband and me and it’s to simply be kind in all interactions with law enforcement, even when, especially when, it’s hard (see my post from last week). 

I would love any suggestions friends, especially from those of you close to a police officer. We want to serve them in the best way possible! 

A few notes:

The lovely pictures of our family were taken by the talented Amy Melsa. 

Don’t forget that politics and the media thrive on division. We don’t have to choose friends. #blacklivesmatter #bluelivesmatter #chooseunity