I swore I would never do it again, but I did. I let go of updating the blog for what seemed
like one day and now it has been three months.
Where to begin? Bruce started a wonderful new job just over
the border in northern North Carolina.
He loves what he does and they love him.
If you told me a few months back that he would be working putting spy
and communication equipment on aerostats, I would have said you were crazy.
Okay – what (you are asking) is an aerostat? I’m glad you asked. A dirigible is a lighter
than aircraft. An aerostat is a kind of dirigible
which doesn’t fly around like the Good Year Blimp does. Instead, aerostats are
tethered to the ground to stay in place to hoist something aloft and keep it
there. A blimp has just an outer shell and is filled with helium.
The Hindenburg, of “oh the humanity” fame, is not a blimp,
but actually a rigid airship. If you recall
the famous picture where the Hindenburg falls to earth in Lakehurst New Jersey, you can see the
frame as the outer shell and the helium burns.
The Goodyear Blimp doesn’t have that shell. There will be a test on this later.
After applying for so many jobs, this one came to him via a headhunter. He never applied for it. As a submariner, I’m sure that he never
thought he’d be qualified for such a thing.
God has such a sense of humor.
There were 5 possible offers on the table. Four of them involved the military contracting
world. Then the aerostat company came in
out of left field. I discounted it, but
told God that I was open to whatever he had for us. This was it.
I continue to love my job in the Sex Offender Investigative
Unit of the state police agency which doesn’t like us to mention it directly in
social media. Valor, Service, Pride…that’s
all I’ll say, you can figure it out!
People are often surprised that I find my job so
rewarding. They cite the kind of folks
they imagine that I work around and the danger involved. While I suppose there is some danger, the
folks would surprise you. Most of them
are pretty much like you and I are. They
are also sinners, many of whom are now reformed and redeemed.
What I didnt realize was that sex offenders are the lepers
of modern society. They are never
forgiven by others and wear a stigma which makes their lives difficult
forever. And I do mean forever. Offenses vary from the very minor to terribly
heinous, but all of the offenders appear on the same Internet list with their
picture, home, and work addresses disclosed. Not only are they stigmatized, but
their entire families often are, too.
I received a touching Christmas card from one of them; “Thank
you, Officer Bremer, for treating me like a human being.” The job is not what I thought it would be and
affords me many, many opportunities for ministry.
During this transition to a new year, I’ve spent some time
in thought and prayer to figure out what I need to work on in 2013. Opportunity
to seize more of what God has for me stretches before me. While there is room
for much improvement, I have narrowed my focus down to a few areas of
concentration which center around mindfulness and avoiding rushing. I’ve come to realize that nothing, absolutely
nothing, is accomplished when I rush.
I am also choosing to stay focused on people when I am with
them. I want to be engaged with and on people, whether loved ones, neighbor children or the public I serve. Often, I am trying to multi-task or rushing
through what folks are telling to get on to the next thing.
I realized in December that I was
doing that to a child. I stopped
myself. That day after Sandy Hook, I
realized that she was only there in front of me, eyes expectantly locked on
mine, a beautiful 6 year old, for that moment.
She was more important than my cell phone, the garbage that needed to be
emptied, and the hundred things that press me in at the holidays.
This year I will slow down.
I will fully engage with everything around me. I will see the beauty in
the small things. That’s my choice.
