There was a time in Law Enforcement when judges would award the firearms that officers confiscated from criminals to the arresting officer. This was back before people believed that it was actually the guns committing crimes rather than the people so those days are long gone as they should be.
I've got an elderly neighbor who has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was a police officer back in the 60's and early 70's before leaving the job to serve the Lord. He's always been very friendly and we've made a little small talk here and there over the years but this was something I did not know until a few weeks ago. He called me one afternoon and told me that he had some guns he wanted me to have. He is in the process of settling his affairs so that his family won't have to concern themselves with them once he is gone. He told me that he needed a few days to get them together and he would call me back when he was ready.
He called a few days later and I went over to visit with him. We had a nice talk for a couple of hours and I got the feeling he wanted to share some stories from his days as an officer so I kept the conversation going that direction. As interesting as it was to me I think it was therapeutic for him. He worked in another state and mentioned several times how me missed the camaraderie and the bond that develops. He told me several stories that folks who don't have similar experiences probably wouldn't appreciate. It was a nice visit.
As things were coming to a close he brought out a box. We opened it up and went through what was inside to make sure everything was safe and clear. He said he knew they weren't worth much of anything, those that he had that were had been given away to friends over the years. He just didn't want to leave them for his wife to worry about. I thanked him and told him I appreciated him passing them on. It was a really cool experience and I was both honored and a little humbled by it. I think I served a purpose, at least I hope I did.
I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. I think they'd look pretty neat in a big shadow box but I don't have any place to hang one and it would be pretty heavy. I think I'll just hang on to them and hope that someday I'll have a decent place I can display them.
I've got an elderly neighbor who has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was a police officer back in the 60's and early 70's before leaving the job to serve the Lord. He's always been very friendly and we've made a little small talk here and there over the years but this was something I did not know until a few weeks ago. He called me one afternoon and told me that he had some guns he wanted me to have. He is in the process of settling his affairs so that his family won't have to concern themselves with them once he is gone. He told me that he needed a few days to get them together and he would call me back when he was ready.
He called a few days later and I went over to visit with him. We had a nice talk for a couple of hours and I got the feeling he wanted to share some stories from his days as an officer so I kept the conversation going that direction. As interesting as it was to me I think it was therapeutic for him. He worked in another state and mentioned several times how me missed the camaraderie and the bond that develops. He told me several stories that folks who don't have similar experiences probably wouldn't appreciate. It was a nice visit.
As things were coming to a close he brought out a box. We opened it up and went through what was inside to make sure everything was safe and clear. He said he knew they weren't worth much of anything, those that he had that were had been given away to friends over the years. He just didn't want to leave them for his wife to worry about. I thanked him and told him I appreciated him passing them on. It was a really cool experience and I was both honored and a little humbled by it. I think I served a purpose, at least I hope I did.
I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. I think they'd look pretty neat in a big shadow box but I don't have any place to hang one and it would be pretty heavy. I think I'll just hang on to them and hope that someday I'll have a decent place I can display them.
