TO AND FOR PEACE KEEPERS OF THE MILITARY AND ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT
   AT ALL LEVELS AND ALL OF THOSE IN THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND ALL
                         WHO CARE ABOUT THEM AND THEIR WELFARE.

CHAPLAIN CORNER IS DEDICATED TO ALL PEACE KEEPERS, CURRENT AND
RETIRED, THOSE LIVING NOW... AND THOSE WHO HAVE PRECEDED US AND
PASSED ON FROM THIS EARTHLY SCENE. MY TERM PEACE KEEPER COVERS
ALL SECURITY, JAIL AND PRISON ATTENDANTS WHATEVER THE TITLE; LAW
ENFORCEMENT AT ALL LEVELS INCLUDING JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS;
                            MILITARY IN WHATEVER BRANCH; AND
THE SUPPORT SYSTEM PERSONNEL FOR ALL CATEGORIES IN WHATEVER
COUNTRY OF THIS WORLD YOU HAPPEN TO BE. YOU ARE VITAL TO OUR
WORLD AND MY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AND I CARE GREATLY FOR AND
   ABOUT YOU. YOU ARE THE MINISTERS OF RIGHTNESS IN THIS WORLD...
    AND THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT COULD NOT EXIST WITHOUT YOU!!!

IN ADDITION IT IS FOR THE PEACE MAKERS OF THIS WORLD. SOMETIMES
THESE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE AS PEACE KEEPERS... SOMETIMES THEY ARE
NOT... BUT PEACE MAKERS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY AS
                ARE PEACE KEEPERS NECESSARY AND IMPORTANT.

PRAYERS ARE SAID DAILY FOR ALL WHO HAVE REQUESTED MY PRAYERS...
FOR ALL FOR WHOM I HAVE PROMISED TO PRAY... FOR ALL FOR WHOM I HAVE
BEEN INSTRUCTED TO PRAY... FOR PEACE KEEPERS... FOR FIREFIGHTERS...
FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL PERSONNEL... DOCTORS... NURSES... TEACHERS...
COUNSELORS... AND ALL OF THE FAMILIES AND ALL OF THE LOVED ONES OF
ALL OF THESE PEOPLE... FOR LEADERS OF THE WORLD... LEADERS OF THE
     CHURCH... AND FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPECIFIC NEEDS...
         PLUS YOU ARE INCLUDED IF YOU ARE READING THIS MATERIAL.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<+>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
PLANS...

Someone recently said to me, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans."

My week has been full. My plans for today were full. I even went to
sleep early Friday night so that I could get it all done on Saturday...

About 0200 this morning I heard this awful noise. I could not seem to
identify it. It was loud and annoying.... It was the telephone by my
bed! Then I could not find it... even though it has been in the same
location for years. Finally the fog cleared and I found the phone.
The dispatcher said, "I am sorry but we have called others and they
were not available. We have a death case and the officer is requesting
a chaplain." I could not think of but one response..." I will get
dressed and call you for the details." As I was half way through
dressing my mind became very clear and I thought of someone else that
they could have called but I was not going to stop and cause them more
delay so I finished dressing and responded.

The man was only 52 years old. He was a retired local police
administrator. It had taken so long to find a chaplain that I was not
there long until the transport people arrived... Just enough time to
introduce myself and say a prayer with the family... And fall in love
with one of the prettiest, friendliest little girls that I have met in
a very long time. She had very big, expressive eyes and was sucking a
pacifier. By the time I left the location we had become friends and
she was showing me all of her gathered treasures. I shall never forget
that child from early this morning just as I will never forget the
little lost guy that I found last week.

Life... It sometimes gets in our way and messes up our plans. A crisis
strikes a family... A son tries to revive his father with CPR... There
is no success... Fire and Rescue units arrive... The professionals get
no success... Death is pronounced... Police are there... It becomes an
Unattended Death Case... Basic investigation must be done... Friends
gather to support the family... And a chaplain is called to respond.

The early morning call interrupted my plans with needs of higher
demand. A family in need must be attended to in a tragic situation.
Sleep is lost... Plans are changed...
Exhaustion sets in because of the high stress - high demand situation
and insufficient rest. Schedules are shredded and plans must be
adaptable or sometimes even forgotten.

So it was this morning... So it was also last Sunday afternoon. I was
assigned to special duty to be at a gathering of Christians celebrating
the 400th anniversary of the landing of the English explorers on our
shores of Virginia Beach where they had landed, prayed and erected a
Cross. I rushed from my afternoon duties to my home... Grabbed a
bite... Donned my dress uniform and scurried out to the meeting
location right on time. The schedule was running behind... We would
wait. Plans were made how our segment could absorb adjustment and make
up time to get back on the schedule. We all agreed to make the
adjustments and took our places on the platform to be ready to fit into
the program. I was to pray for the nation followed by a U.S.Navy
Chaplain who would be speaking. He and I took the stage and did our
duties in short and concise order.

As I had been waiting for my time to pray publicly in the program I had
observed a
police officer on an ATV riding around the crowd on the sand and going
southbound on the beach. Just as I was arriving at the location I had
heard a BOL for an 83 year old man with dementia that was missing for
about 4 hours.

As I stood by after my prayer duties waiting for our segment to
conclude, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see the
officer that had been riding the ATV. He wanted to know if I could put
him in touch with someone who would make an announcement to the crowd
about the missing man and solicit their help in watching for him. I
introduced him to the facilitator and it was done. I came out from the
stage location and greeted some law enforcement personnel on the
Boardwalk and walked to my car to proceed to my home and rest for the
remainder of Sunday as is my usual habit... I heard radio traffic about
setting up command posts and rebroadcast of the BOL several times as I
took the interstate away from the oceanfront toward home.

Two thirds of the way home I received a radio call to give a number
where I could be reached. I pulled over and gave the number. One of
our Detectives called to request my presence to minister to the wife of
the lost man. She was becoming more and more upset because it had been
so long and we had not found him. I was near home so I changed
uniforms and responded to sit with and minister to the wife of the
missing man until we could get resolution on his absence. I arrived
about 7 PM and was with the wife ministering to her and keeping her
occupied until he was located at about 10:30 PM as he tried to get a
room at a hotel. This precious lady was very brave most of the time...
then anxiety would set in and she would weep and ask for more prayer.
I do not think that I have ever experienced a more powerful moment of
satisfaction than the moment we were informed that he was found alive
and OK.... and that they would have him back to her at the hotel
shortly. I rejoiced with her... and because other police personnel
were with her winding up the information for their case I left her in
their care and proceeded homeward... Thus winding up another of those
crisis that demands attention but can never be planned for.

Tuesday I had an adventurous experience with the PA who conducted my
physical. She was astonished that I take no prescription meds. She
was astonished that I am so flexible and have good physical balance and
coordination. She was even more astonished that I am as old as I am
but in such good physical condition. She began by asking me to step up
onto a platform and sit on an examining table where she immediately
took my blood pressure. It was a bit high. I told her if she would
give me five minutes that I could lower it fifteen points and she said
we would wait until the last item in my exam and do it again.

After passing everything I was then asked to sit in a chair and relax.
The first BP check was not satisfactory so I began to meditate and
practice relaxation techniques.

When the nurse came back to check she found my pulse diminishing
quickly and checked the BP... it had come down 16 points from the first
check and was very satisfactory. I passed the physical and got the
job... I will be doing an interview for another job on Wednesday of
this week, also with the city.

My daughter has been doing very well and healing well under the very
intensive treatment she has been receiving until Wednesday when the
nurse examined her arm and found it swollen where the PIC line was
inserted. Her arm was tingling so the doctor told her to go to the
ER. They discovered a clot around the PIC line that was 17 inches
long. That line had to be removed - another inserted in the other arm
- and she was put on Coumadin and injections to thin the blood and
dissolve the clot. The last half of this week has been rough for her.

She says she is so sore that she feels like she has been beaten.

My plans for today were further interrupted because the delivery of
medication that she must run on herself by IV daily was delayed and did
not arrive on schedule.

Much living has taught me to be adaptable and flexible. I have
learned. If my plans are interrupted I just go with the course that
must be followed to accomplish the best results possible... Then I
eventually get back to what I had planned or what I had planned never
gets done because some things that are missed cannot be recalled and
then done after the time has passed. To quote Crocodile Dundee, "NO
WORRIES, MATE!"

My Eternal Captain said it even more clearly when He said you cannot
change or improve anything by worry... not appearance... not time...
not size... not length of life... nothing can be improved or avoided by
worry... and do not borrow trouble from tomorrow... because it will
have things of it's own for you to deal with... Excessive prior thought
changes nothing but us because worry is to the human organism as rust
is to steel. Rust will dissolve steel... and worry will eat us away as
well as rust will eat away steel.

I have joined the police department recruiting team and was to have
worked with them for part of today but too many things got into my way
and I never made it. Now it is rest time. Tomorrow is another day.
Tomorrow morning, if I awaken here, I will again begin to see what
adventure tomorrow holds for us.

Peace Keepers... Thank you for who you are and for what you do. We
would have no life in this world as we know it today if it were not for
you.   There would be no peace... no progress... no life at all as we
now know it if it were not for you and your predecessors. My
Commander-In-Chief, my Eternal Captain and I all are most appreciative
that you are there. Dozens of messages cross my view every week about
actions and results accomplished by Peace Keepers at home and on
foreign fields. I read all that I can so that I may know what you are
doing, how you do it and what it costs you to do it.

"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!" Take the very best care
of you. Be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary. See to your
spiritual welfare. It needs to be strong for you to be successful.

Call or write if I may be of any service to you...

As it has always been... So it still is...

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL
PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means
doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get
the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace...
it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics... it means that if
the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God
or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all
the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
VIRGINIA STATE POLICE ALUMNI,
RETIRED Police Officer, Certified Police Instructor,
757-431-2190, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
=================================================
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