I [Heart] A Cop

As most of you know, I am engaged to the love of my life.

And it just so happens that this man I love also loves his community enough to miss holidays with family and put off birthdays until another day in order to strap on more than thirty-five pounds of gear, including an HK, a PPK, and Kevlar we hope will never have to be used.

We will not spend this tonight reminiscing about the day we met or the first time we kissed. Instead, he will be consoling a victim of domestic abuse who will inevitably return to the man who beats her.

We will not spend the evening drinking wine and having dinner by candlelight. Instead, he will be taking an eighteen-year-old on his first of many rides to jail.

We will not spend the night holding each other, whispering sweet nothings and sharing dreams of our future. Instead, I will kiss him goodbye, tell him I love him, and say a silent prayer that God will bring him safely back to me.

I was upset when I realized he would be working today – the only Valentine’s Day we would ever have as an engaged couple. But he softly reminded me that we don’t need a day to celebrate our love for each other, he wanted to do it every day.

Note to Self: Happy Valentine’s Day to my favorite cop. I love you, today and everyday.