In It…..

for the long haul.

And – believe me – I never understood how long the long haul was before my son, David Glasser, a Phoenix Police Officer was killed in the line of duty last year.

The long haul is not just long. It’s hard. It’s really painful. It can be confusing. It can feel like punishment for something – not sure what. It can feel lonely…and endless…..and just not worth it.

But feelings change with the moment. Feelings fluctuate in a second. If I let my feelings guide me, one moment I’m down, what’s the use of all of this and then the next moment I’m smiling because I thinking of my family and the new little granddaughter I’ll get to meet in February. Emotional roller-coasters are no fun so I’m sticking to the facts. And the facts are that God’s got this and I’m committed to this journey for the long haul.

But it’s not easy.

My husband and I recently visited the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. I was amazed at their process – they have only about 5% waste. They have set themselves up so they can keep going just like they are for hundreds of more years. They recycle the water they use, they sell the mash to farmers who feed it to their very happy cows and pigs, they sell the used barrels to vineyards and the public, they make their own charcoal to filter the alcohol and then they turn the used charcoal into Bbq chips we can buy for our grilling, They are solid. They are ‘sustainable’ which is a new buzz word for a process that is going to make it for the long haul.

They have set themselves up to be successful for a very long time.

What about me and you? Can we say the same thing? It’s important to ask ourselves some tough questions once in awhile to make sure we’re going to a place where we want to go.

Are the things I’m spending most of my time on worth it – for the long haul? Is the pace of my life at a rate where I can keep it up for a long time? Are my relationships and priorities right so I will have no regrets when I take my last breath? Am I strong enough in my beliefs and values that I’ll be able to weather the storms that are coming my way? Or will I get tossed around, lose my way and get stuck on the rocks?

I have met quite a few people this last 1 1/2 years that are stuck in bitterness and anger and regrets because of tragedies that have happened in their lives. They are letting the tragedy poison the rest of their lives and they are on the road to a very lonely and sad place because they are becoming people no one else wants to be around.

My son died while serving and protecting our community. I get to choose to honor his sacrifice by making however long I have left on this earth add to the amount of love and good in the world. I can make a difference – over this very long haul.