I am attending a conference this week and a police officer was honored for the many long years he has served his community. However, this blog is not about him.
You see the officer being honored got a call from woman with a son in Iraq. She told of how proud she was of him, of how he was serving his country, and how he had brought his playstation to Iraq for a little R&R in his down time. The playstation brought joy not just to him, but to his entire unit. The all enjoyed the games (when there was power) that he had brought with him, and the mom told how the playstation was like a little escape for them. A chance to not think about the horrors of war and about the IED's that they were tasked to take out.
One day, one of the unit's canines ate the playstation and chewed up most of the games. The soldier was hurt, but it didn't pay to be mad at the unit's dog and they did without.
Now, I don't remember why the mom had called the officer to relate this tale. Maybe she was a friend of the family. Maybe she just missed her son. Maybe she was trying to get out of a speeding ticket.
What I do remember is that the officer was so moved by the woman's story that he told her that he would get her son a playstation for Christmas. Now, he spoke too soon for the officer didn't realize how popular they were this year.
He went to all the stores. He called up some organizations that help soldiers. He tried, but he failed. The officer however, had faith that it would all work out and sure enough in early December he got another call. This time it was from a woman who had lost her son in Iraq and was looking for someplace to donate his things.
What she really wanted was to vent and to grieve. The officer listened to her sad tale and after she had cried herself out. He promised to find a good home for the things that her son had left behind. Among them was a brand new playstation.
Now the officer told her the other mother's tale, and she was so touched that she not only sent that playstation, but she sent twelve other gaming consoles as well and together they helped distributed them to various units far from home.
Sometimes you just have to believe that things will work out the way they are supposed to.
