A sad day in Greenfield

Today I am not blogging about writing… not exactly. This afternoon, my home town buried an officer killed in the line of duty. Now, I should mention, I live in a small town that’s about 15 minutes away from Indianapolis. We have our daily report of killings, murder, etc from the news, but this one is really hitting me hard. I didn’t know Officer Will Phillips. I know people who did, but I am not among the fortunate souls. I know he was a husband with two children close in age to mine. I know he was in the Marines. I know he helped out my friend when their vehicle was involved in a hit and run… how ironic that it was a hit and run accident that killed him. Anyways, it got me to thinking. Did Officer Phillips die doing what he loved?


One thing I have come to believe is that no matter how old you live to be, there is never enough time. Never enough time to tell the ones you love how much they matter to you. Never enough time to bask in the warmth of a bright fall afternoon. Never enough time to do the things you keep putting off until tomorrow. Why do we fill our time with things we don’t like? Why do we fill our heads with “I should” and “I would but” statements instead of “I can” and “I did”? Why do we push our children to fulfill our dreams instead of encouraging them to discover their own?

Yes, I know bills have to be paid. I’m not independently wealthy. But we live in a country where people acquire debt like it’s a status symbol. We have stuff filling our homes but we are empty in our hearts and our souls are choking on the chaos in our lives. We over schedule our children and our calendars yet have no time to sit together for dinner and talk about the happenings of our days.

So that brings me back to my question: Did Officer Phillips die doing what he loved? I will never know the answer. I hope he did. I hope everyone dies knowing that the life they lived was one that meant something to them.

Rest In Peace, William Phillips. May your death remind others that there is no time like today to do what sends your heart soaring. I know he has reminded me that moments can easily slip away from us. Be bold, my friends. Life a live worth remembering.