It began with flashing lights and the sight of a police car pulling up in front of my house.
When I stepped out of my car, my heart raced. Fear surged as I asked the officer, “Are you looking for me?”
“Yes,” he replied.
In that instant, my chest tightened. My mind spun with panic—What did I do? What’s going on? But what unfolded next wasn’t about law, or rules, or punishment. It was about grace. It was about compassion.
That officer was Eric, from the Joliet Police Department. To me, he will always be more than a man in uniform—he was, and is, one of God’s angels.
Eight years ago, Officer Eric had been there on the darkest day of my life. It was the day I found my husband, Bo, lifeless on the couch. As a wife, my world collapsed. As a nurse, I carried a crushing guilt: I save lives every day, but I couldn’t save his. In that moment, I felt like I had failed him in every way.
And then came Eric.
He didn’t arrive with lectures or procedure. He arrived with faith. He knew exactly what I needed—not words about what had happened, but assurance of who was still with me. He took my hands, bowed his head, and prayed. Right there, in the middle of my brokenness, he reminded me that Jesus was present. That I wasn’t abandoned. That love still surrounded me.
That prayer carried me. It steadied me when nothing else could.
Now, eight years later, on March 15th, his patrol car appeared in front of my house once again. But this time, it wasn’t tragedy that brought him. It was kindness. He simply wanted to check in. To see me smile again.
Who does that? Who takes the time, nearly a decade later, to circle back to someone they once helped? Only someone who sees their role not just as a job, but as a calling. Only someone who understands that protecting and serving doesn’t end when the paperwork is filed or the scene is cleared. Only someone like Officer Eric.
The truth is, police officers don’t always get good press. The headlines so often focus on mistakes, failures, or controversies. But behind the noise are men and women like Eric, who carry faith in their hearts and compassion in their hands. People who show up not only in emergencies, but in the quiet moments afterward, when the weight of life is hardest to bear.
As he told me recently, “It’s nice to see you smile again.” And he’s right—it is. But it’s not just a smile. It’s a smile mixed with tears, because his presence reminds me of all that I lost and all that I have somehow regained: hope, faith, and the belief that angels really do walk among us.
I am truly blessed. God sends angels when you least expect them, but always when you need them most. For me, that angel was Officer Eric.
And today, I ask everyone who prays to lift him up. Pray for his safety. Pray for his strength. Pray for all the officers like him, who walk into our pain and bring light where it feels like there is none.
Thank you, Officer Eric—not just for your service, but for your heart. You are living proof that the smallest acts of compassion can echo for a lifetime.
