Not Today

Today I added another bracelet to those I wear daily. I'm not a big fan of jewelry of any type, but these bracelets are special because they represent important aspects of my life.

 The first is my blue CURE DIABETES that I wear in honor of Brandi and all the diabetic children of my friends, my father, brothers, and best friend.  Anyone who has ever spoken with me knows I live and breathe diabetes education, advocacy and raising money to fund research that will provide better medications, treatment options and (hopefully) a CURE for our children and the millions of children like them.  I don't ever want another family to go what we've gone through, I don't ever want to read that another person has died due to complications of diabetes.

My second bracelet is a green DONATE LIFE bracelet that the members of our family were given when my father's organs were donated following his death. I have been a registered organ donor for many years, long before it became popular with the general public. I believe so strongly in organ donation that a little over 5 years ago I became a living organ donor and gave one of my kidneys to a wonderful woman who has since became a great friend. It still remains the thing I'm most proud of.

The third bracelet is a black bracelet that reads NOT TODAY and it represents my commitment to the police officers, firefighters, and paramedics who I work with everyday. I take my job very seriously - I must, I've been doing it for 30 years. Of course my goal is to help citizens when they're in a crisis, but my vow is to not have any harm come to those who have live their lives to serve their community, those who risk their lives for strangers, those who face death everyday for people who don't appreciate them. Everybody loves firefighters, and rightfully so. Paramedics are appreciated by every sick person they treat, but cops..well, a large portion of the population hate them and an even larger portion fear them.  Are there "bad" cops? Sure, just as there are "bad" doctors, teachers, and garbage men. EVERY profession has it's rotten apples, and law enforcement is no different. But after three decades in emergency services I can tell you that for every 1 bad cop you hear about there's about 30,000 good ones that never make the news.  You'll never see a news story about how they run from call to call for their entire shift. You'll never read a newspaper article telling you that even though their wages are so low that many qualify for food stamps they still put on the uniform every day and risk their lives for you. I love these men and women as I love my children. They're in my heart even when they drive me crazy and piss me off. My goal every time I step foot through the doors of our 9-1-1 center to make sure these officers go home to their families at the end of their shift. An  officer getting hurt or killed?? NOT TODAY! A firefighter injured as they rush into a burning building? NOT TODAY! A paramedic harmed by a violent patient? NOT TODAY!

So the next time you get pulled over and start muttering something along the lines of, "Don't these damn cops have REAL crimes to solve?" just remember, traveling at speeds above the posted speed limit is a violation of state law, which makes it a REAL crime. Careless and imprudent drivers cause thousands of death each year, so YES, they are doing their job.

When it takes them three hours to get to your house because your mailbox was damaged or your license plates were stolen it's not because they're sitting somewhere eating donuts, it's because they're busting their asses working the rapes, robberies, meth labs, overdoses, child abuses, suicidal people, etc....you know...the "real" crimes.