Behind the Badge
It is Christmas night, and all of the chaos is over. All of the presents have been handed out, and all of the relatives have gone home. Now there is peace. 365 more days and we get to do it all over again.
Christmas is about tradition. We all have our Christmas routines that we follow every year. Having brunch at my grandparent’s house is one of my Christmas traditions. We have been going there since I was in elementary school.
I told my daughter we have been doing brunch since I was her age. She gave me a shocked look and said, “Wow.”
I guess that means I’m getting old in her eyes.
My wife and I started our own Christmas tradition by accident. Many years ago it was dinner time and we were getting hungry. My wife suggested we go to a restaurant.
You don’t have many options on Christmas night, but we were lucky enough to find an El Torito restaurant that was still open. We walked in and were surprised to see that it was packed. I guess everyone else had the same idea too.
Ever since that night we make sure to have our Christmas dinner at El Torito.
I hope one day my kids will tell the story about how mom and dad used to drag them to a Mexican restaurant on Christmas night. Who knows, maybe they’ll keep the tradition alive.
I’m lucky to still have those traditions after all these years, but there are others who were not so lucky.
I’m talking about those killed in the line of duty this year.
There is one important thing to remember at this time of the year. We have to make sure we don’t forget about those law enforcement families who lost loved ones in 2014.
There were more than 100 police families who lost someone to an on-duty death this year. Some were killed in traffic collisions. Some were killed by suspects. Either way, their deaths left broken hearts. The on-duty death of an officer leaves a hole in all of us.
Their deaths left family traditions that will never be the same again.
These officers gave the ultimate sacrifice, and we need to keep their memory alive. More than ever, it’s important to support those who wear the badge and protect us.
Say a prayer for those fallen officers and their families. We owe that to our brothers and sisters who died while on-duty.
As the saying goes, “Blue Lives Matter.”
Be safe
