Our hearts are quite heavy today. It was one year ago today that we lost 2 amazing men from the Sheriff's Office. That day still is so vivid in my mind and sometimes I wake at night having relived that day in a nightmare. It still seems so unreal to me that here in our sleepy little town could have two deputies shot and killed. A rude awakening that our area has changed. That day had started as a good one for us. My sister, mom and myself had decided to go to Destin for some shopping which was something that we never seem to find time to do any longer. As we headed back home Sis decided that she wanted to run by her house and get a couple of things before taking mama home. She went the back way and went down 231 to stop by her house in Deerland. She couldn't have been in her house more than 5 minutes and we were back onto Hwy 90 heading into Crestview. As we approached the Shoal River gun club we noticed several patrol cars running 10-18 and traffic stopping right in front of the range. We were the 2nd car stopped in line as what seemed like a line of never ending patrol cars fled past us. I told my sister that they had to be after someone and I was curious as to what would bring so many agency's to this scene. As we rolled up I could see one of our deputies laying on the ground. I seen several investigators coming onto the scene and I knew this couldn't be good. I got my cell phone and called Randy to tell him what I was seeing. The further up we rolled I could see blood flowing from what I would find out later was Deputy Lopez's head. I couldn't control my tears as I told my husband, also a deputy, that he looked so still. I cried as I said Honey I think he's dead. I couldn't turn away from that sight. Had I looked away I would have seen that there laying across the parking area was another deputy shot and killed as well.
I'm always so proud to see Randy in his uniform, but that day all I could see lying there was that uniform. The sense of grief that overwhelmed me that day, that very moment was that it could have been my husband. That sense of emptiness still haunts me today. That day I told a friend of mine that I couldn't count how many times that I had been on the phone with my husband that he said he had to go and would call me back after he finished this call. What if that call never comes? What if that call is his final call? How do you overcome the grief, the loss? How!
The turn out at the funerals of Burt and Skip was unreal to say the least. There were hundreds, literally hundreds of patrol cars in a funeral procession that went on for miles. Gorgeous, breathtaking and crushingly painful. I know that every wife, girlfriend, mother, father and child fear when the deputy they love walks out that door. We hold our breath until they come back in that night and the next duty day we start all over again.
Two weeks after attending the funerals of our fallen brothers a phone call came that changed our lives forever too. My husband had been involved in a serious accident. Little did I know that morning what the next year was going to bring us. The changes that were going to take place in our lives. You just never know!
Hold on to your loved ones. Pray that God watch over them. Live every moment to the fullest. And most importantly remember that today may be your last with the ones you love. Cherish EVERY moment, love endlessly and please appreciate what God has given you. You never know when it will be taken and your life will never be the same again. Life is so very short!