Creating Healthy Dialogue on Difficult Topics

It was a few short days after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer when our young neighbor approached me.

“I’m angry,” he said. “I have some things I’d like to talk to your husband about if he’s available.”

Knowing that my husband was a police officer, I was impressed by this young man’s initiative to come over and have an in-person conversation.

Our family had continued to be stressed and taxed by the pressure and attack on police that ensued after the horrible incident. The attack on the character of all law enforcement seemed to quickly permeate through our nation.

Fear quickly gripped our household. I wish I could say I’ve been handling it well, but it’s been an immense struggle on top of COVID-19. I have had to turn over my anxiety daily to God and seek help for our family in these difficult times.

I know my husband is in this profession to make a positive change and keep the community safe, but it’s an extremely demanding career. I wish more people would willingly sit down and talk with an officer or their family to learn about the stresses and dynamics of the job.

And our neighbor did just that.