I apologize in advance for the novel. If you don't want to
read it, you can scroll down to the bottom to access the freebie associated
with this post.
My heart is heavy this week.... here in the state of Utah,
2016 is coming to an end the same way it began: with the death of a police
officer. Both deaths have touched me personally and I've been left wondering
"why?" all week long.
On a cold Sunday morning in January, I awoke to an email
from my mom - telling me a police officer had been shot, and she thought it was
her neighbor. His wife had been at church but was pulled out and never came
back - and the news channels were reporting that two cops had been shot.
Minutes turned to hours while we waited for news... "critical
condition" quickly changed to "he has passed"... I didn't want
to believe it. Here was a man who had beat cancer TWICE, losing his life to a
single bullet in the line of duty. Officer Doug Barney lived two blocks from
me, and only one block from my parents... and though I never met him, I felt an
immense amount of gratitude for his service to our community. Officer Barney
worked in the area where one of my schools is at, so the students made cards
for his family. I was able to deliver these cards to his wife and children, and
I felt like I had done something. Although small, I was able to show my
gratitude.
Fast forward to this Sunday - thanks to daylight savings, I
was up bright and early... I saw a news report online saying a police officer
from the West Valley PD had been killed overnight. I don't know why, but my
mind immediately turned to an officer named Cody, who worked in my
neighborhood. I had the opportunity to meet him this summer, and remembered him
talking about how he preferred working nights, because that was when the
"real" police work happened. Anyway, it was only 7:00, and I knew it
would be a while before anything was announced on the news, so I tried to go
back to sleep - unfortunately, sleep wasn't coming. I turned on my tv to watch
the press conference and burst into tears as the Captain announced the name of
the fallen officer - Officer Cody Brotherson. Officer Brotherson was born and
raised here, and chose to serve his community.
He LOVED his job. He was so excited to become a police officer. The rest
of the day is a blur. I pulled myself together and got ready for church, still
not wanting to believe that this was happening.
Monday morning, the principal suggested to the teachers that
the students make cards for the family and the police department. Times like
this, it's hard for me -- I love my job, but I don't have a class to call my
own. I still wanted to contribute - and knew how I could help. I made
stationary and coloring pages for the students at my school. Having been in the
classroom for 10 years, I know that I would be more inclined to do something
like this if I had access to something that was already made. These pages are
nothing fancy, but I hope others can use them as well. I have uploaded these as
a freebie in my TPT store. All I ask is that you take some time to have your
kids make a thank you card for your local police officers. Don't wait for
another fallen officer - say thank you now! Let the men and women who serve and
protect us know that they are appreciated.
Tonight I am headed to a candlelight vigil for Officer
Brotherson. What I wouldn't give to see him and shake his hand, and thank him
once more, for making our community a better place. Thank you, Cody, for your
service.
Click on the picture below to access the freebie:
