Generosity Embodied

Generosity is a person.  Have you considered that each night as you sleep and every day when you're away from your family there are men and women who are trained and stand ready to lay down their lives for you and those you love?  When Police, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Federal agents go to work, they recognize that today could be the day they are called to make the ultimate act of service for someone they do not likely know.

What if getting ready for your day included mentally preparing yourself that you may die today in fulfillment of your job?   The stress that First Responders encounter in the normal course of their work takes its toll.  Not only do First Responders regularly sacrifice their health and well-being on behalf of public safety, but they are subjected to professional stressors that can be overpowering to them and their families, ultimately setting them up for dysfunction and failure. The end results are staggering…

Did you know?

	Divorce rates at some Departments are as high as 84%
	1 out of 4 Responders struggle with Alcoholism
	10%-30%of Responders suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
	Responders are twice as likely to die from Suicide, than in the Line of Duty
	The life expectancy of Responders is 15 years less than the general population

I just had the pleasure of meeting Trey Doty Executive Vice President at Responder Life.  Trey shared with me about the challenges that First Responders face and how Responder Life helps these men and women engage life's ultimate questions.  As a faith-based organization Responder Life exists that every First Responder and their Family be given the opportunity to respond to the most important call of their life.

This month a memorial was conducted in Portland, Oregon that recognizes the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement. The annual commemoration was established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962.

Below is a list of the fallen Portland officers honored during the memorial.

• Thomas G. O’Connor - August 29, 1867 - Gunshot
• Charles F. Schoppe - June 13, 1874 - Gunshot
• Samuel S. Young - September 23, 1908 - Gunshot
• Albert W. Moe - January 9, 1914 - Gunshot
• James R. White - November 17, 1914 - Directing traffic
• Ralph H. Stahl - January 27, 1915 - Gunshot
• James C. Gill - November 30, 1915 - Gunshot
• John J. McCarthy - July 21, 1916 - Vehicle accident
• Glenn Litzenberg - April 19, 1918 - Motorcycle accident
• Jerome Palmer - November 17, 1920 - Gunshot
• James Wright - 1921 - Pneumonia
• Robert E. Drake - October 11, 1930 - Fall from building
• Charles M. White - June 30, 1934 - Struggle during arrest
• Phillip R. Johnson - May 9, 1941 - Gunshot
• Charles E. Vincent - March 22, 1942 - Directing traffic
• James A. Hines - November 4, 1945 - Directing traffic
• Gilbert Horton - December 23, 1946 - Heart attack
• Roy E. Mizner - February 18, 1956 - Vehicle accident
• Vernon J. Stroeder - February 18, 1956 - Vehicle accident
• Roger L. Davies - April 18, 1961 - Motorcycle accident
• Robert P. Murray - May 2, 1962 - Motorcycle accident
• Robert R. Ferron, Jr. - May 23, 1964 - Vehicle accident
• Stephen M. Owens - September 23, 1973 - Vehicle accident
• Dennis A. Darden - August 9, 1974 - Gunshot
• David W. Crowther - December 27, 1979 - Gunshot
• Stanley D. Pounds - July 18, 1984 - Vehicle accident
• Thomas L. Jefferies - July 21, 1997 - Gunshot
• Colleen A. Waibel - January 27, 1998 - Gunshot
• Kirk R. Huffstetler - May 26, 2002 - Vehicle accident

The next time I get pulled over for a ticket (which I'll likely have earned), rather than thinking about the cost of the ticket, I'll be considering the cost which that officer pays to keep those I love safe.

Question:  What would it look like if you approached your work with the level of commitment that first responders do theirs?