Not All Flags Are Equal

Not All Flags Are Equal

This week is National Police Week and May 15th is National Peace Officers Memorial Day.  Families across this country have received a folded flag that once rested on a law enforcement officer’s casket.  I imagine they each go through a variety of...
How did I get here?

How did I get here?

Some have said, “it wasn’t your fault, it was the choice that he made.” But are they really sure? I may not have pulled the trigger, but I know somewhere I had to be the one that pushed him. I was the one that forced him to see the doctor. I made him seek help. Maybe...
“Cumulative Trauma” My Story

“Cumulative Trauma” My Story

When began my law enforcement career in 1994,  I had no idea the toll daily exposure to traumatic events would cause.  At that time, mental health was never talked about nor was it mentioned in the police academy; the attitude was to “suck it up”. The first...
Holiday Thoughts

Holiday Thoughts

It’s been three and a half years since Steve died by suicide. Thanksgiving week is always hard for me because it’s the halfway mark- Halfway through another year without him. Halfway through another year as a widow (I still hate that word and don’t think I’ll ever...