As I send this message, I am fully aware sadness prevails across our country upon the death of three Servant Heroes gunned-down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana earlier today.
Another Servant Hero who wore a badge also died today in Milwaukee. Heroes each…servants without a doubt. In the days to come many words will be shared about their lives, and about their service to their communities and fellow citizens. These memorials will be filled with words and songs and more words giving honor to those who ran toward gun fire, not away like so many people, but towards the danger and the unknowing. Bag pipes and muffled drums most likely will sound notes that will touch you deep inside and pervade your spirit hopefully so you will never forget the sacrifice they made, and would make again today if they could.
Something else died today…actually has been dying over the past eight or so years; the ability to laugh and joke and laugh some more without malice.
Americans historically have laughed. We seem to be forgetting how to anymore.
So I decided to take a risk, to go against the current, to send a commentary dealing with laughter. Cops laugh. They laugh more than most citizens know, and maybe, in part, because they witness so much that is not funny, not laughable. Cops laugh…and in some squads and stations, they are known to play a joke or two on their fellow officers but in a good-natured sort of way…because cops laugh, they value the sound, they tuck away the smile to draw upon at times when there are no sounds of laughter only the sounds of the bag pipes and muffled drums. The Servant Heroes we honor today would understand, they would encourage you to find again the ability to laugh. We need this quickly fading gift in our country maybe even more at this time then last year.
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