Today in Young Women's, we had Bobby Cannon as our special speaker. Bobby is a sheriff's deputy for Clallam County. I asked him (well, I had his wife, who is my 1st counselor ask him!) to speak on the topic:" How do the values of Faith and Virtue aid in your professional life."
I was very impressed with what he had to say. I wish I could've had Erik there to also talk about his work as a city Police Officer.
Bobby asked the girls to imagine several scenarios that he has dealt with almost daily in his job. Viz- " You are walking down a path in the woods, 3 miles from anywhere when you come upon about 100 people and there is a fight going on. What do you do?" " You are called to a home where there is a lot of conflict. A little boy of 4 years old comes up to you, grabs your leg and says," Please don't let him hurt me again!"- What do you do? " You are driving down a road next to a creek and see car wheels - you stop to investigate and see a car upside down in the water, windows broken, water flowing into the car. You get down into the freezing water and look in and see a 15 year old girl hanging upside down by her seatbelt. What do you do?"
Then he talked about the good and bad things he has to do working in law enforcement. The next thing he said was that because of the values of Faith and Virtue, he is able to do his job . He has faith that he will be protected, because of faith in God, but also because he has learned how to deal with situations like those mentioned above from special classes and teachers. He has be a person with "virtuous" qualities in his profession .
He then listed his thoughts on virtue:
RESPECT: To show consideration and appreciation for someone or something.
COURAGE: Ability to face danger or fear with confidence and bravery.
SELF-DISCIPLINE: Staying in control of yourself and your actions.
WORK: The effort you make in order to get something done.
LOYALTY: Sticking with and being faithful to a person, a cause, or idea.
RESPONSIBILITY: Able to be trusted and held accountable for your actions.
HONESTY: Being truthful with others at all times.
He related these things to illustrate how the young women can have virtue and faith in their everyday lives and how it will help them in the years to come, no matter what field, profession, or calling they may have.
I have a high respect for those that work in the law enforcement profession. They have to deal with unpleasant situations and people all the time, and still be in control and compassionate.
Bobby said that the thing that makes it all worthwhile for him, is when someone comes up to him and shakes his hand and says: "Thank you ".
Aren't we all looking for that? So, when you see a law enforcement officer, please thank him/her. They keep us safe! Kind of like our Heavenly Father- always looking out for us!
P.S. this is a picture of Erik and I at his graduation from the Police academy in Salt Lake city.
4 comments:
Great post. Thanks for writing it! Those are great qualities everybody should have or strive to have. I remember that day Erik graduated-- a proud moment, yah? :)
I'm glad you agree. If everyone tried to have those qualities, people would be happy! It was a good day for graduation, wasn't it!
I liked that post. I wish I could have heard the whole thing. I agree that the world would be a better place if people had those qualities!
I'll bet this is one talk no one slept through. It is one thing to listen to talks and lessens and know that they are telling you the truth and that you should apply them in your life but to hear actual experience such as these would really leave an impression. These are qualities I hope to teach my children.
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