Sunday, January 10, 2016

A Silent Salvation...


All my postings on this blog are provided to me by revelation from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He prompts me to write these events.  This particular one has been prompted to me at least a dozen times but
I find other things to do to not accept the promptings.  I can no longer avoid what I know to be inevitable for
this blog....

In my early years as a traffic officer I thought to be a motors officer would be so much fun and prestige.  Getting to ride a motorcycle instead of a big car would enable me to maneuver in and out of traffic much easier.  Little did I know that this particular assignment was none of the things I thought it would be.  It was
actually very dangerous.  By the time I realized this there was no turning back.

Being 6'1" tall I was able to hold up the big Yamaha motorcycles we were assigned to ride.  They were extremely heavy and  loud.  The roar of the engine was directly under my seat and the windshield was for my protection.  It was to prevent me from getting hit by bugs at whatever speed I would travel.  Unfortunately,
I sat much higher in the seat than the windshield could protect.  At times I still felt like a human grill when the
huge June bugs would strike my helmet or the front of my jacket.
The day I had to qualify to ride the motorcycle wasn't at all as I expected.  It was not on a controlled course but on the highway itself.  The by-pass was not as busy as the main road but there was still some traffic that
would drive past us.  I was so nervous as I knew everything I did would be critiqued by all those on the team.  I later found this to be true everyday of my career.
Nervousness sometimes makes a person blind.  I mean they get tunnel vision and don't really see the whole
picture.  The first test was to ride upright on a straight roadway and to stay in your designated lane of traffic.
Getting on the bike was no big deal for me, and riding it was a breeze.  But there was no other vehicles on the road at the time so it was a false sense of security.  I think I was more critical of myself than the instructors were.  I passed the course with 'flying colors' and was awarded the privilege to be the first female motorcycle officer in the state.  A large sigh of relief and I was on my way.
The uniform we had to wear was much different than the regular one.  There were knee high boots, our pants were tucked into the boots which cause them to balloon out on the sides.  I just was not impressed with a pair of pants that emphasized my hips!  Our jacket, however tended to cover them up a bit.  We were not a fashion statement by any means!  Of course we had to wear helmets too which were hot and heavy.  Nobody could tell that I was a female until I started talking to them.  I was referred to as "Sir", many times.

This position was great during the summer months when the sun would remain out nearly until 10:00 p.m. The rainy days we'd ride in a 4 door sedan for safety reasons.
When working the interstate highway it was mandated that officers on motorcycles would work in pairs.
We'd ride side by side in the traffic lane and make all our stops together as a team.

One evening my partner and I received a call of juveniles racing in a neighborhood.  Little or no vehicle description was available.  The caller simply had advised that we'd be able to hear the loud motors of the cars involved when we reached the neighborhood.  So we went to the area and sure enough we could hear the cars with loud motors and squealing tires.  My partner went straight towards a large group of cars and kids as I drove around the group to get to the other side.  These kids did not know that there were two officers en route to their location.  The motorcycles made a loud very distinguishable noise as he approached
the group. At about the same time he neared the large crowd they all began to drive off and run away.  They all departed south from their location at a high rate of speed.  As I approached from the same direction as they were heading I was forced to stop and let them depart.  It was very very dark along this stretch of road
and my visibility was minimal.  All I could see was headlights and I heard the breaking of bottles on the street and laughter of those departing.  As they were leaving and nearly all gone, I heard a most horrific crash about 300 yards to my left.  The next thing I saw was a police motorcycle skidding down the roadway without it's driver.  I recognized this bike as belonging to my partner.  I watched the bike slide over in to a ditch.  I felt like I was in shock then I turned up the road and went in search of my partner.
The first thing I saw was blood smeared on the roadway but I could not see him.  As I parked my bike and radioed for assistance I began calling his name and looking for him.  It seemed like I had walked a mile when I felt something touch the top of my head.  This road was lined with trees on both sides but it wasn't a tree limb that was touching my head.  It was a piece of  wire that looked like rope.  It was strung across the road at a level to catch the overheads of a patrol unit.  Unfortunately,  It was lower and it caught my partner under the chin as he rode up to the large group.  I knew then that he was severely injured along the road, somewhere.  As I continued to search for him I listened intently for any moaning or groaning from him so as to zero in on his location.  With tears streaming down my face I walked the easement until I tripped over a large object that I thought was a rock.  With my flashlight I shined the light at the point I had tripped and I found not a rock but the decapitated head of my partner.  I never moved from this location until my supervisors and other officers arrived.  My legs were like rubber, I could not walk.  I was angry and I was
crying hysterically.
I was placed on administrative leave for a few weeks to deal with this senseless death.  I refused to ride the motorcycles after this and have never ridden one to this day.  This bleak day in my career was a preparation for the other cruel events that I would be involved in during my tenure.  It did toughen my exterior somewhat and it taught me that it was alright to cry and be human.  I did not know at the time but I was saved from this unexpected fate.  My purpose had not been fulfilled.  Salvation comes in many forms, I have learned.  My purpose on this earth has yet to be completed.
Now that I have turned my life over to Jesus Christ I know that He has a plan for us all.  He prepares us even when we are unaware that HE is with us.  HE does not knock or announce his presence. But I believe HE is my salvation for eternity.