Tag: jesus

I Keep Losing

On By Judy GlasserIn When the Worst Happens4 Comments

It’s not stopping. My son, David Glasser, was a Phoenix police officer who was killed in the line of duty on May 18, 2016. My world blew up. My plans and dreams for the future were ripped away because he had a part in all of them.

It’s impossible to express how much I lost that day. And I just keep losing.

If you have a child who has died, you understand this. If you have not, you can’t relate to the growing hole in your life where your child should have been. There is a continuous stream of reminders of what could have been, what should have been.

I received a punch in the gut this week when I realized that Davey would probably have been retiring from the Police force this year. It’s been 8 years since he was killed and he had been a police officer for 12 years when he died.

Davey had big plans for his retirement. He talked about getting his teaching certificate so he could teach high schoolers and also coach basketball. His son is in Junior High School now and I know Davey had lots of plans to coach Micah all through high school. Even though his daughter, Eden, was only 2 when Davey was killed, he often talked about her playing volleyball. It’s so great that she is now on a volleyball team and loves the sport.

But there’s a tall dad with a huge smile on his face missing from all these scenarios.

It’s just a start. Davey’s going to missing from high school graduations, college graduations, weddings, births of babies…..the list goes on. The loss continues. The hole grows larger.

I have found two main things that help me deal positively with all this loss. When I focus on all the blessings I had while Davey was alive and all the blessings I have now, i am able to move forward with a smile. When I find myself in a dark place thinking about all the losses, I let the tears flow and then consciously turn my eyes back to the light, to all the good things in my life.

Having a close relationship with God has made all the difference in my journey of grief. He loves me, he comforts me and he reminds me that I have a purpose here on earth. That’s why God has not taken me to my forever home yet. I know Davey has already received his reward and he’s out of all the pain and evil of the world we live in. I’m going there one day, too.

That will be the day when all my tears will stop.

We Lost a Hero

On By Judy GlasserIn When the Worst Happens2 Comments

We lost a hero 8 years ago.

My son, David Glasser, a Phoenix Police Officer was shot and killed in Laveen, Arizona on May 19, 2016 during a burglary attempt.

Davey had been a Phoenix Police Officer for 12 years and helping people was an integral part of who he was. He told me he liked the fact that he could take dangerous people off the streets of Phoenix, making it a safer and better place to live and raise our families.

img_9962-1

Davey loved his family and friends and was well-known for talking about his faith in God. He was also a sports fanatic. The Arizona Cardinals, Diamondbacks and all ASU sports were his favorites.

Davey’s love for people attracted people to him. Because of who he was, he had a lot of friends from all over the metropolitan Phoenix area.

When we lost Davey, the whole city grieved.

As his family and friends, we knew that when he was leaving, he didn’t say good-bye, he said, ‘love you’. At his funeral, his best friend on his squad, Byrd, shared that Davey had his squad of tough cops all saying ‘love you’ to each other before they left the precinct. His squad said that it felt odd at first but became very important to them after Davey was killed

As a result of Davey’s habit, the last words anybody he cared about heard him say were ‘love you’. This created a legacy of love after he was gone – changing many people’s relationships and lives. If you would like to know more about this story, check out my book on Amazon, “Then I Looked Up: Losing a Child, Finding His Legacy of Love”

Davey’s love for people and his city fueled the need for his family and friends to continue the work he started. The David Glasser Foundation was created to provide opportunities for law enforcement officers to have positive interactions with the kids and families they serve through youth sports. The foundation also sponsors a yearly Shop with a Cop event which helps kids and families in need from Laveen.

The David Glasser Foundation has been successfully completing its mission in Phoenix for over 7 years, continuing to make a difference with the people David protected and served.

Davey’s legacy of love is continuing to grow and positively affect people’s lives as more and more people hear his story. Today and everyday, please take the time to say ‘love you’ to everyone you care about instead of good-bye. None of us know when that will be the last thing we get to say it to that person.

I didn’t know when it was the last time I would be able to say it to Davey – now I’m so glad I said it. His ‘love you’ echoes back to me in my memory and makes me smile.

Miss you, Davey.

Love you!

Left Behind

On By Judy GlasserIn When the Worst HappensLeave a comment

It’s hard.

Very tough.

When someone you love dies, the emotions are strong, the grief is heavy and the loss is extremely painful.  After losing my son, my mom and dad, all 3 of my older brothers, along with all of my grandparents and all of my aunts and uncles as well as some friends, I feel like I’ve experienced a lot of death.

Each one is different.  Each relationship is different. 

My son, David Glasser, was a Phoenix Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty over 7 years ago. His death has been the most difficult for me – by far.  I think one of the things that makes this loss so huge is how young he was – he was only 34 years-old.  We lost so much of his life.  I can’t imagine any death being more difficult that his.

Davey loved God, he loved his family and friends and he loved the city he served and protected. He lived life to its fullest, sharing his faith regularly and he left a legacy of love to those of us who have been left behind.

So I’m very interested when God starts talking about why the righteous die in Isaiah 57:

“No one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.” verse 1.

I believe that everything God says is true.  He knows the future and sometimes he chooses to spare his children from bad and evil things that would happen to them if they stayed on earth.  I believe that Davey completed his purpose on earth so God took him home.  No more evil will be done to him.

God sees our death on earth as a reward because, as believers, we get to go home to be with him. “Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.” vs 2.

Their bodies remain here on earth but their souls are free and filled with joy as they walk hand-in-hand with Jesus into heaven.

Those of us here on earth who have put our faith in Jesus will experience this joy as well someday. Today we may be travelling down a very difficult road but we have hope because we know how our journey on earth ends.

Please comfort those of us who have been left behind, Abba Father.