He Lifted The Stone The smoke was thick around me When he lifted up the stone, His face was tired, but caring He said "I've come to take you home." I asked, "How did you find me?" His answer slowly came "I know each sparrows falling, Each heart that knows my name." He reached out and he touched me I saw that I was not alone. There were many other firemen there, To journey to his home. I spoke for all who stood there, "I don't understand Why you took the time to come Lord For I'm a sinful man." He smiled at us, assembled And held his hands for us to see " I gave my life to save you When they nailed me to the tree." "When safety beckoned to you You turned and went back in And gave your all for others And washed away your sins." "There are no fires in Heaven Your task on earth is done, I've come to take you home with me You are my chosen ones." Don't let your hearts be troubled For those you leave behind For when you reach my Golden Gates, Their firemen they will find." "Now I'll send you on before me I'm not finished with my toil, There's policemen too, to gather So they may walk on Heavens soil." "And there's others still that worked here My name was on their lips, And when they're found and gathered They too will make the trip." The tears flowed freely down my cheeks As I stood on crumbled stone To think that He'd take the time To lead us sinners home.... (thank you to Glenn for sharing this) ********************************* I have some fallen brethren that I would like to say thank you to! To the firefighters and their families, to the innocent civilians, to my brethren... The Law Enforcement Officers. ********************************* When the Lord was creating police officers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one. And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order? A peace officer has to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform. "He has to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witnesses, and testify in court the next day. "He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands." The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pair of hands...no way." "It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes an officer has to have." "That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, "May I see what's in there sir?" (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job.) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, "You'll be all right ma'am when he knows it isn't so." Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow." "I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck." The angel circled the model of the peace officer very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked. "You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes; recite Miranda warnings in its sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five learned judges to debate the legality of the stop... and still it keeps its sense of humor. This officer also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime scenes painted in hell, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how law enforcement isn't sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects. Finally, the angel bent over and ran her fingers across the cheek of the peace officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model." "That's not a leak," said the Lord, "it's a tear." "What's the tear for?" asked the angel."It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, for justice. "You're a genius," said the angel. The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," he said.... (Thank you to cabbie for sharing this) ********************************* Click here to view their Memorial Page ********************************* ********************************* 911 Memoiral The Hulk Radio Family