From dressing up in his gear, to begging to go for another ride in his cop car, my dads profession has always played a huge role in my life, and I can't imagine it being any other way. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been so proud of what my dad does for a living. Knowing that he wakes up every day, and chooses to put his life on the line to protect his city, is something that not everybody can say about their parent. It's something that I feel so fortunate and lucky to be able to say about mine.

In the past couple of years, and following the recent shootings, I have unfortunately seen an outpour of hate towards cops. From social media, to television, to conversations I've encountered, there seems to be a common misconception that all cops are out to get the world. The fact that there are people out there who agree with the Dallas shootings, breaks my heart. What has happened to our society? My wish is that the rest of the world would respect and appreciate the officers who DO care. The one's who wake up early and get home late, to protect the rest of us. The one's who miss family time and holidays, because who else is going to get the bad guys? The ones who stop the drunk drivers on the road, so that you can get home safely. The one's who run towards the danger, into the fires, and through the gunshots, because our safety comes before theres.

The truth of the matter is, cops don't wake up in the morning with an agenda to go out and shoot and kill someone. However, the man is Dallas did wake up that morning with an agenda to shoot and kill INNOCENT officers. This is where the problem lies. And yes, I do believe that there are officers who abuse their powers. I do believe that there are officers who don't always make the right judgment calls. I'm not naive. But does this mean that my dad should be grouped in with those officers? Or that any police officers who are good men and women and who do make the right judgement calls, should be grouped in with the small percentage who don't? Absolutely not. There are people in every job profession that probably should not be in that field of work. There are bad lawyers, bad teachers, bad doctors, etc. (you get the point). So don't let the minority of not so good cops, let you hate on the majority of great cops. The ones whose only mission is to keep YOU safe every day.

I pray that God can help unite this country, and this world. I pray that one day race will no longer divide us. I pray that one-day police officers are no longer the enemy. I pray for peace. But until that day comes, I will continually pray for my dads safety, against those who don't agree with his job title. I refuse to be nothing but proud of my dad, and the rest of the men and women who wear badges too; and I pray that one day, the rest America will be proud too.

I will always bleed blue for you, Dad.

and Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

- John 16:33