Guardians
If you have read several of these blog entries you know by now that I spend a great deal of time reading, thinking, and yes, watching television. I shall make no excuses for this particular vice. Watching TV has been a boon to my existence. When I was seven and relegated to the land of counterpane with Polio, I was home schooled by my official second grade teacher. But Counterpane is a place that will either drive you mad or drive you to a hobby or some form of distraction. For me, after the studies were done, it was the television of the 50’s. But I have continued through all the decades since, a loyal follower of what some call “the idiot box.” I shall write more about that later.
Today I want to mention what I was reminded of by a Ron Howard film - - Backdraft. If you know the film it is a revelation of what firefighters go through on the job and often in their personal lives. Being the daughter of a police officer I am most familiar with how “the uniform” affects the wearer and his or her family. I often ate a late dinner, just so my Mom and I could be with my father for that meal. We worried about his safety, though we lived in a small town with a fairly low crime rate. We followed his victories, his promotions and knew from his quiet demeanor that work had revealed some bad thing from the underbelly of the world that he often encountered. He saw people being mistreated, the usual accident or drunk to be dealt with, robberies and jaywalking, mischievousness and murder. The daily interaction with a preponderance of people on the wrong side of the law has to weigh one down and skew one’s outlook.
Firefighters encounter danger and heartbreak as well. They are often the first responders to an arson event, or an explosion or some raging inferno with an unknown genesis. They walk constantly into that danger, with only the thought of saving the people in the house, the building, the ones trying to escape the flames.
I am such a fan of those in these uniforms that I joined a neighbor who represented a local civic group that wished to honor the police and firefighters in our area. For many years my kitchen exploded with a profusion of baskets, tissue paper, small gifts and food items, and often gift cards that we provided as neatly packaged gifts for a drawing. As time progressed the baskets morphed into gift cards which gave the officers more latitude to buy what they wanted or needed. But what mattered was that a group of people chose to fill their holiday time by honoring those who were their GUARDIANS. Look up the word guardian and you will find it means defender, protector or keeper. That is a very important job title never to be undertaken by the weak of heart. As parents we are the guardians of our children. When they grow older by default we become guardians to our parents. So we out here in the plain khaki world still know what it is to be a guardian.
The job requires dedication, common sense, nerves of steel, love, and that most important ingredient, bravery. This is one that always worries me - - I always wonder if I will be brave if faced with a set of circumstances demanding that human trait.
But our police and firefighters know each day that that is their mission, to protect and serve, if you will, and do it with their very lives if need be. I don’t know about you but I sleep better at night and feel safer as I begin my day knowing I have these guardians out there for me, not even knowing who I am or when I might need them. But they sit, perched and ready to move with the next 911 call.
We now have an event called “National Night Out” at which our neighborhood gathers to meet our local police and firefighters. I love it and try to never miss it. This way our guardians can see the people who might one day need their help and get to know how much we appreciate them. As that officer’s daughter I love being around people in uniform, love standing next to a guy or gal who has a gun, and will use it to protect me and mine if our lives are in peril. I love seeing the firefighters and watching the children who are at that very moment trying to decide if they want to be on the big red engine or in a police car, adding one more occupation to their wish list.
When I used to visit my paternal grandmother I always slept in a bed under a picture that I loved. I am sure you have seen it. It depicts a guardian angel ushering two small children across a treacherous foot bridge.* I remember snuggling down under a quilt, falling asleep to the droning of voices of my family in the kitchen and drowsing away under the watchful eye of that guardian angel. That is how I feel about my county guardians who stand vigil for me day and night.
*The Story Behind This Famous Guardian Angel Painting
By AppalachianMagazine -
January 27, 2017 :
At this site above you can see that this picture is purportedly in the public domain and thus I have attached a copy of it from Wikipedia. From this article I also learned for the first time myself the story behind the painting.