He became a policeman with one mission in mind: to serve and protect citizens. He’s pretty much witnessed some horrific events, but he never imagined he’d end up serving this way. On that hot day, he had to deliver some pretty awful news, which wasn’t really a good way to start off his shift. Half an hour went by and he already felt exhausted. He was used to driving through the housing estates on his way back to the precinct. Typically, he would find a kid with a lemonade stand where he could quench his thirst. He always made sure to take the time to talk to the kids. Before he made it there, he saw something that made him stop in his tracks. What the heck was that woman doing?
As a little kid, he really didn’t know what he would grow up to become, but one thing was clear to him: he wanted to help others. Every time he saw a homeless person on the street, a hungry kid, or a struggling mom, it struck him hard. He always made sure to buy sandwiches for them, offer cash, or pay for a stranger’s groceries. He volunteered every Sunday at the local soup kitchen. Unfortunately, he’d often witnessed the struggles of life.
If he were to describe his earliest memories, he wouldn’t envision a joyful birthday party, or a family trip to the beach. He’d always remember one of his father’s episodes. Every day he would wake up to the sound of glass breaking, doors being shut, and people screaming. His traumatic childhood caused him to wet his bed up until he was 14 years old. One day, he woke up in the middle of the night.
He was standing outside of their chaotic household, fully dressed. His mother placed a bag on his back and grabbed him by the hand. It was really dark outside, and they were both scared to pieces, but his mother knew that her 8-year-old child needed a stable home. She made sure to pack only the essentials into a small luggage bag. She dragged her bag all the way to the bus stop. They were heading to Madison, Alabama, and they weren’t planning on coming back. His father told him he’d never become anything, but boy did he prove him wrong as time went by.
Right after finishing high school, he joined the police academy in the hopes of finding a steady job that would allow him to support his mother. They were living in a rundown 2-bedroom apartment that was nothing but trouble. They had to rub mildew off the walls every month. They didn’t have much money, but they were safe. And when he finally became a rookie, he made sure to keep his promise. He bought a small bungalow on the city’s outskirts. That’s when he made it his mission to never let any child or woman go through something like that. Still, he couldn’t save everybody.
20-year-old Rachel was immediately drawn to Ryan, the second she laid eyes on him. Soon enough, he was her whole world. She started cancelling plans with friends and family members in order to spend every chance she got with her prince charming. She was so infatuated with him, she just couldn’t get enough. But things started to escalate quicker than they would’ve expected.
They were married within the year, but things started slowly changing. Rachel had just had her first child right after they tied the knot. And Ryan felt pressured to provide for his new wife and child, which is why he ended up taking extra shifts at work. She counted herself lucky if she could see him maybe an hour or two a day. Sadly, all they did was fight when they saw each other. He was doing great in his career, but his relationship with Rachel was starting to crumble. She passively went along with his decisions, as she didn’t know how to say no to him.
Rachel always believed in her husband. She knew he had good intentions, which is why she didn’t think twice and quit her job to become a stay-at-home mom when he suggested it. She always forgave Ryan whenever he missed whatever they had planned on doing in order to stay at the office. He worked hard and she knew it. He even bought her the house of her dreams, as he had promised. But a house needs a family for it to become a home. And when the time came for him to deliver on another promise, he did the unthinkable.
While Rachel was expecting her third child, she managed to redecorate the entire house. She was left with bad swelling around her ankles, and back ache, but she didn’t care. She had finally finished painting every wall of the house all on her own. She wanted her kids to grow up in a happy home. After 36 hours of labor, she finally brought the baby home. The first four months quickly went by, and Ryan always made sure to be there for breakfast and dinner to help around. Then something made Rachel question everything.
The moment Madison Country Sheriff spotted Rachael in her yard, he had to look twice in order to understand what was going on. He quickly ran to her as she was struggling with her baby still strapped to her chest. She looked tired and weak. “Everything okay ma’am?” he asked in a soft voice, as he helped her get up. “Yes, officer. I just need to sit down for a while. It’s not easy working in this heat.” That’s when her child started crying. The officer just couldn’t stand to watch her suffering.
He stood there for a moment, took off his hat, and grabbed the handle of the lawnmower. Rachael was confused at that moment. “Y’all I thought I was about to get in trouble or something…” she shared. But the officer only wanted to help a mother who was clearly in distress. Ryan had gone back to work a few weeks before, which had left Rachael struggling to handle the kids and the house chores all on her own. The pressure was starting to get to her.
“He has been working hard on a work project and hasn’t had time to cut it,” said Rachael. “It was a nice day out and so I thought I’d help my husband out and cut it myself. I enjoy cutting the grass.” But she could’ve never imagined how hard a simple task could be for this mom of three. She had just had a baby, and her body was still healing. To make things worse, little baby Michael was being a handful that day.
Rachael went on to say that the “sweet” officer “stopped and insisted” on helping her mown the lawn. Rachael was a bit concerned, though, as she had never been approached by a cop before. She was already stressing out like crazy that day, when she spotted a squad car pull out outside. She panicked, but her surprise visitor would soon make her grin from ear to ear!
Later on, Ryan went on to discover who was there to offer some much-needed help to Rachael. “It’s small in nature, but was a huge help to my wife today.” This little incident made Ryan realize just how important his family was to him. Ever since then, he’s made sure to stop worrying about work the second he got home. Now, every chance he gets, he spends it with his beloved family. But what made the officer stop instead of going about his day?
The police officer had joined the force to serve and protect, sure, but he also had a mission he held close to his heart: to be kind to everyone, particularly those in need. Once he was done mowing the lawn, Rachael made sure to let him know how grateful she was with a cold glass of lemonade. Soon enough, the world took interest in her story, After all, you don’t run into a knight in shining armor every day, right? The lovely officer definitely deserves a medal for what he did that day!