Today starts our series on LEOW journeys! We open with an interview from our very own social media admin, Emma! Emma shares her story about coping with her LEO being in a critical incident shortly after they were married and very early on in his career. Her husband has almost died twice this year already (barely a week after they got home from our honeymoon!). He was severely injured on duty in January, and will have symptoms for the rest of his life due to it. In some ways it changed the man she married weeks after they said I do, but through it all they’ve both learned a lot about commitment, patience, and love.
About Emma:
Emma grew up in the suburbia of New Jersey. From a young age she had a love for all things blue because her grandfather had been a State Trooper. When she was old enough she attended the New Jersey State Police week-long academy experience. Throughout high school she worked at a farmer’s market and alongside her friend and mentor, Barbara, rapidly developing a love for all things agriculture. After graduating high school, she moved down south to pursue farming in a hands-on internship, during which she also dated her now husband, who is a country police officer. They were married in January of this year, and enjoy life on their small homestead startup.
A piece of advice from LEOW Emma:
Remember that your strength can’t come from a finite source, a store that can be depleted. I’ve definitely tried to do everything on my own before, hold everything together by myself, and every time I just end up burnt out. My strength truly comes from Christ, reading the word of God and prayer. When I don’t have to rely on myself to “keep it all together”, it frees me up to do the second most important thing, whether you’re a police wife or not: just enjoy the little things. The little moments in life. Focus on the here and now. In the words of Jim Elliot, “Live to the hilt”.
Cool things mentioned:
Brene Brown's Empathy vs Sympathy video
Emma's IG: @forget_me_knotbond