When the Police Show Up at YOUR House
It’s always a little disconcerting when you’re driving up your neighborhood to five patrol cars parked haphazardly in the streets and a helicopter circling overhead. Even more concerning when you realize the cops are coming out of your home.
I arrived home after work today to the aftermath of what could have been one of the most frightening scenarios for a father. My wife had taken one of our daughters to a dance class, leaving my oldest to watch her brother for an hour. On her way home she got a call from my daughter saying, “Someone’s in the house.”
What I imagine this “home invader” looked like ….
Allegedly they heard the front door slam and someone walking through the house. My wife, being the good mother she is, told them to immediately run to the neighbors, then promptly dialed 911. Fortunately nothing was taken, no one was hurt, except maybe my wife’s pride for making a call when she wasn’t 100% certain of the situation. But the police were amazingly understanding and told her again and again she made the right call. Better to be safe, in a situation like that, than sorry.
The false alarm — if indeed it was — got me thinking about how quickly our lives can change. We think we’re running down a stream, steering clear of the sides or any obstacle in our path, but no matter how safe you play it you can’t predict the potential disasters that can strike at any second. Physical or mental illness; the death of a loved one; the loss of employment, or faith, or love; utterly freak accidents … They come when they want, never arriving according to our schedules or desires. It’s all part of this experience we call life, and it’s how we pick ourselves up afterward that’s what makes humanity so great.
So in light of all the political upheavals and daily struggles we all entertain, be grateful today that the police didn’t show up at your house with news that your life will never again be the same.
I know I am.