I'm exhausted..

What a week. I have so much to write about I'm not even sure where to begin. Matt lost a dear friend on Father's Day - Deputy Kelly Fedinburg -- to a terrible car crash. It was strange, I have never met this man.. but somehow it felt as though I lost a family member. I had no idea how much myself and my family would be affected by this. It really hit home when I realized he had a three year old daughter.. and Father's Day morning, before Matt woke up and told me the news, I had spent the morning with Alissa coloring pictures for Daddy. And all I could think of was Kelly's three year old, and how she wouldn't understand that the painting she made, or card she picked out for her Daddy would never be seen.. she would never again see her Daddy. It is just beyond comprehension how hard this must be for the family. To say the least it has been very emotional for our family this last week -- helps to appreciate what you have. Matt is now anxious to join the enforcement team and "take up the fight" where Kelly left off. I am so proud of him, and have so much respect for his decision.. however hard it is to accept the fact that he is putting HIS life in danger as well.

The memorial service for Kelly was yesterday. I have never been to a more touching and powerful ceremony in my whole life. There were so many memories shared -- so much camaraderie between all law enforcement agencies. I feel so blessed to be a part of such a "family" of law enforcement. Words are innsufficient to describe the atmosphere in the armory during the ceremony. It was heartbreaking, yet inspiring.. all the men and women gathered there to honor their fallen brother.. and what an amazing thing that God was a huge focus throughout the ceremony -- it was emphasized by Kelly's family that we should rejoice that Kelly has gone Home.. wow.

After the very emotional ceremony, I was able to join Matt in a county vehicle for the procession. Now, having never been in a funeral procession or seen one for that matter, I had no idea what to expect. I think this was the most emotional experience of the day. I don't know what I expected, but when we started down the road, and citizens of all ages were lined up for the whole procession I was amazed. And it brought me to tears to see the children holding and waving American flags.. the elderly standing at attention and soluting.. the people of all ages with their hands on their hearts watching us drive by.. the children who had made signs saying, "Our Hero", "We Support you", "Thank you for your sacrifice".. and more.. just the amount of support from the community was overwhelming. Law enforcement is mostly a thankless job, but to see that .. wow. I will write more later. I need to get a slideshow together with pictures from the memorial.