“So what’s it like being a police wife?”
There’s probably quite a few occupations that people ask about that you try to explain but don’t really get until you’re in it. Although it doesn’t pay a salary, being a police wife has proven to be a job all on it’s own. And just like other hard to describe positions, living life as a police wife can be difficult to explain, but I’ll try:
Living life as a police wife means sleeping with a sweatshirt next to the bed, in case tonight is the night that you’re woken up by that dreaded knock on the door at 2 am.
Being a police wife means having your heart broken each day there’s news of a downed officer somewhere in the country (or the world). It’s mourning deeply for a family that you’ve never met, but know, because they’re blue.
It’s getting really good at wrapping up uneaten plates of dinner and calling friends and family to cancel plans. It’s being a pro at switching things around and needing to be flexible. It’s showing up to a lot of things alone.
It’s being so proud of your spouse but feeling like you have no one to brag about them to. It’s hiding their profession from strangers and making vague responses to “what do they do?”
It’s getting out of bed when your spouse comes home in the middle of the night from a rough shift and helping them process the evil world that they were just in the midst of. It’s listening to them talk about things that no one should have to see-especially not again and again-and feeling your heart sink as you look at their tired eyes and the defeated slope of their shoulders. It’s holding their brokenness until it’s whole again.
Living life as a police wife is kissing your spouse goodbye each day (or night) and not knowing if they’ll ever walk back through that door again. It’s having a tiny part of your heart knotted in worry until they’re home safe again. It’s staying in constant prayer.
Being a police wife, especially in today’s climate, is not for the faint hearted. It’s devastating and it’s maddening. It’s like running a race you haven’t trained for with no course marks and no finish line in sight. This life is hard and it’s getting harder every day-but it’s full of so much goodness, too. This “job” may not seem like a job to anyone outside of blue life, but it’s one that I’m humbled I was picked for each and every day. It may not pay a salary, and it may come with some high priced sacrifices, but it pays in pride and love and the reminder to cherish each second we have. I am honored and I am blessed to live life as a police wife 💙
