GIVING |GRATITUDE
Every Moment Counts and a Smile on a Child’s Face Connects Us
Have you seen moving lights in windows at the Children’s Hospital?
What a building hides
At the sacred balance between dusk and night, the sleek, modern, rounded hospital buildings appear blue. Curved windows are stacked and lined in silence, hiding fear, pain, and dying behind dark hues. The sky behind it is a paler blue, attempting to align the painter’s palette with the building.
No clouds are present, and no stars have shown themselves. This is the hospital’s blue moment of tranquility, and nearly every window is afire with a welcoming yellow. This burning reminds us as outsiders that things inside can get intense.
Once darkness takes over, stars begin peeking out behind imposing buildings that silently embrace hurting children within their walls.
Lighting up the night
Every year first responders visit our local children’s hospital several times during the holidays and drop off goodie bags to the kids whose parents want their children to participate. They visit with the kids and their families for a while and hand out flashlights. Later, at a specified time, all the vehicles will turn on their emergency lights, and the kiddos can watch from their windows and respond with their flashlights.
This is one of the countless volunteer events in which law enforcement participates. Within the past week, they’ve read to kids at the annual High Fives and Handshakes event, collected toys and socks, given away candy at several holiday parades, and held a book drive for the Juvenile Detention Center.
They’ve held a Breakfast with a Deputy day at a local elementary school and a candlelight vigil for Survivors of Homicide Support Group. They gave away blankets, jackets, and other much-needed items at a holiday dinner and participated in a Reindeer Run.
That’s all in one week. This is the agency I’m proud to be a part of. We partner with many other agencies nearby and foundations and nonprofits that do amazing things in our community. I know we aren’t the only ones.
A simple gesture can mean so much
It’s not just this time of year, but when I think about kids being stuck in the hospital during the holidays, in particular, I’m grateful for all that my fellow officers do. I couldn’t be more honored to be a part of an agency filled with people who care for their community far beyond their job description. It seems like we mostly hear about things first responders do that aren’t so good. But everywhere, they’re doing great things that don’t garner attention.
At the hospital, bright blue lights flash on the street below, promising to serve and protect. Small lights respond from the windows above, filled with healing and hope.