It is that marvelous holiday season again. That magical time of year when we answer radio calls at family gatherings to resolve fights over pumpkin pie and duplicate presents.
Most of us really don't ever want another police-related present or ornament again but we are really touched that anyone thinks of us and appreciate it. When a child gives us a gift, especially something he or she made for us, it is a treasure unlike anything else on earth. I know because I have often seen these gifts taped to the locker doors in the locker room for months after the holidays.
This time of year can be quite lonely for many people, especially officers. Many of us will be working. I know I won't be with my children again this year on Christmas. It will be the third year in a row. Almost always we take turns to make sure that the people on the squad with the younger kids get to have the special holidays off so they can be with their families. We are blessed this way.
Female officers seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to taking time off for sick children, school events, appointments, just because it just seems more natural for the mother to do these things. At the same time if she doesn't do it, or allows the dad to do it, it can be used against her in various ways.
My grandma always told me life wasn't fair. She was right. She also told me to keep learning.
Just recently I learned about a great new book that would make a great Christmas present for just about any female officer because of how similar some of the stories are inside of it. Some of the stories are of women making it on their own in a male-dominated world. The book is called "Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress," by Susan Reyburn and Phil Michel.
"Now, why would a female officer be interested in that?" you might ask. Well, inside this book there are remarkable stories about some amazing women who played professional baseball. The time span is from the 1890s until the 1930s when Jackie Mitchell, a 17-year-old young lady, struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game.
Right after that, the baseball commissioner banned women from Major League Baseball because this was too embarrassing. Go figure.
As female officers we owe so much to women like this who helped pave the way for us. Because of such pioneers, instead of only being allowed to stay at home we have a place in the rest of the world.
Every great journey begins with a small step, or perhaps a couple of strike-outs.
