Great Men

I am very fortunate to have two men in my life. They both are very well respected in their careers and loved by many family and friends.   So today, I wish to share my father and husband with you all. 

The first man who loved me and was a great father, provider, friend, and police officer was my dad.  Even though he is not alive, his love of faith and family has influenced me to this day. If you knew him, you know that he was a tall, heavy set man who wore the badge with pride.  What you probably don't know is the story of how he came to be one of Houston's Finest.  As a young man he followed the footsteps of his older brothers and registered for the Armed Forces.  He was rejected due to a small disability with his fingers and hands.  They thought he would have trouble firing a weapon. So he was left behind and his parents had high hopes of him attending college to become a doctor.   Of course, those were his parents dreams  - not his.  A friend tells him that the city is hiring.  The City of Houston is booming and has lost many men who have gone to war.   Somehow my dad hides his disability or the city is in need of officers that they overlook the disability and hire him.  In any case, he is capable of shooting a hand gun and is sworn in as the second Mexican American Police Officer for the City of Houston.  At the time of his retirement, my dad had thirty-three years of service to the citizens of Houston. In all those years he helped many people who found themselves in trouble with the law.  After his death, I learned that what he gained was the respect of many and am proud to say that he never had to shoot his gun.

The second man in my life is my husband, Juan.  He is also a police officer for the City of Houston who wears the badge with pride.  Juan has served the citizens for twenty years and has earned the respect of many citizens as well as officers.  We were teenagers when we met and were friends for many years before we married.  We were such good friends that I let him use my car five days a week to make the twenty plus miles to the police academy because it was more dependable than his older car.  Juan has told me that this is his dream and that he loves going to work everyday.  I don't know what made Juan decide to join the police force.  I do know that he is good at his job and that several officers respectfully call him the Ward Lord or Ward Dog.  You see in all the years of service, he has patrolled in the same beat.  The Fifth Ward beat is one of the most busiest in the City of Houston.  For this reason many rookies are trained in this beat but transfer out as soon as they can.  They say it takes a Real Police Officer to patrol Fifth Ward.  I am proud to say that I am married to a Real Police Officer.  It takes a lot to be considered one of Houston's Finest and earn the respect of many. There are many things like training, education, respect and common sense that keep Juan safe.  I believe the most important is our Faith and trust in God.   Faith follows Juan everywhere he goes and will see him enter the front door to our home where I will be waiting. 

I don't need one day designated as Father's Day to honor the two men in my life.  For this reason I am sharing two great men with you today.  I love them both.