Sitting here behind this keyboard fighting eyestrain and whatnot has got me to thinking that this job is not too bad if the worst thing that I get is a little eyestrain. For years I fought the good fight of good versus evil 
and for some more years in between and after that, I would wake up around three every morning and spread the icy cold goodness of ice cream all over central and northern Mississippi. There are a lot of parts of each of those past jobs that I miss, but there is really not enough to make me want to go back and start doing them again.
As a lot of you may or may not know, I used to wear the badge and was sworn to protect and serve. I loved my job and enjoyed every minute of it for 15 years. I am proud of every single contact I made while being a law enforcement officer. Trying to keep folks honest and safe was really my only duty and I never felt that I was above anyone…I just had a job to do. I enjoyed interacting with the public and the people within the job and I really enjoyed being pretty much mobile for my 12-hour shifts.
Yes, there are many hair-raising tales that I could write a book about, but there are a lot of stories that would warm your heart as well. Leaving every morning or evening, depending on what shift I was on, never really bothered me. However, I could tell that my wife took an extra moment to breathe that little bit of time in, as I was saying good-bye for the night, and how important it was to her that I interacted with all three of my boys before I left for my shift. I understand a little more now how she felt as I was saying goodbye to my two oldest sons who both have embarked on journeys to protect our great nation. My youngest son says that he will serve as well if he does not play baseball at the next level and that makes me proud and misty-eyed all over again. He is serious and I feel truly blessed that God gave their mother and me the honor of being their parents.
They are obviously not perfect and can make me angrier than swarm of hornets, but for them to feel a since of duty to protect what they love at all costs is something that I am dumbfounded by and very grateful for. Again, I am not being braggadocious, well maybe I am a little, but I get that sense of how my wife felt those many years ago when I would leave to “protect and serve.”
I was looking at the last picture that my middle son sent to my wife right before the jet he was on took off and streaked westward towards San Antonio, which is where he will become an Airman,. Mmy eyes filled up with some watery substance that makes it hard to see, and it did something funny to the back of my throat too. The picture is just my boy leaning back in his seat with sun rays shining through the window and he has this look on his face that clearly states, “I got this.” It warms my heart to know he is that strong on the inside, but gosh, I sure do miss that young man. The fearlessness of being young is something that I wish I could bottle up. I would be a rich man, though I am in many ways already.
It is ok to be proud of our children, whether they join the military or knock in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh. It is what we as parents are supposed to do because this world will try to chew them up and spit them out. Ain’t nobody going to love them like mama does I guarantee it. So please, the next time you see me I will be more than happy to hear about your child, in fact, I would love to hear about them. I am not a betting man, but if a was, I would bet that they have a little bit of, “I got this,” in them too. My job mostly deals with the exploits of our local athletes from little league to college and some pro leagues too, and I wouldn’t have much to write about if they did not have a bunch of, “I got this,” in them. Give them credit folks, these youngsters around here are second to none.
