A Very Special Thankful Thursday, A Long One!

I know I missed last week and I almost missed this week. I received some news in the past hour that made me realize that I had better post my Thankful Thursday. I have to warn you that this post is extra sensitive, I hope no one is offended. I need to share this at this point because I can and I have waited almost 3 years for this day to come. So many of you are such dear family and friends and know about the situation that we have been dealing with and that is mainly why I am writing this tonight. For those of you who are wondering what the heck I am talking about I will give just a brief recap.
I'm pretty sure that many of you know that my husband Mark is a police Lieutenant. He is a very fine officer and a very fair boss. He has always loved his job and I can't imagine him doing anything else. He is not arrogant or cocky at all, he is respectful, courteous, and very knowledgeable. In Feb. of 2005 I received a call from him while I was up north visiting my sister saying that he had been involved in a shooting. I pray that I never hear those words come from him ever again. I wasn't sure what had happened and it became a very frantic drive home. I later found out that a man had led the police on a chase through several different communities, high on crack, he was smoking it as he was driving. I truly believe with all my heart that he had a death wish that day. Long story short, he ended up driving right at Mark (who was on foot) and nearly missed him, Mark shot his weapon at the man and the man was killed. There were several other agencies responding to the scene also. It was a miracle that no one else was injured or killed. I personally have seen the video of the man's driving, and also of the shooting. Believe me when I say it is a miracle that Mark is here with me today. It was so hard to see it all over the news, very weird when you know more than the news channels do. We had just started our adoption paperwork for Myah and I remember wondering why something so horrible could happen to us, we had waited 10 years for another child, why now? Our faith was never stronger than at that moment. We had no choice other that to place our trust in God.
Mark was placed on leave until the investigation was over. It is something that is a formality but still it felt like we were being punished. He knew that he did the right thing but it was still devastating to him. He was the first officer in the department to fatally shoot someone. Our friends and family were there for us every step of the way. After 4 months he was cleared of any criminal charges, it was very strange to see his name and "murder" in the same sentence let me tell you! Well, the wife started a lawsuit against the department and the other agencies that were involved. It was very hard for us to sit and wait to see how this would all play out. We tried to be dignified and graceful throughout all of this, it wasn't her fault that her husband was this way. We knew that the department would probably have to pay out something, it is just the way it is. Right or wrong. Mark has dealt with so much, I have tried to support him the best I know how. Tonight when I arrived home, he shared a letter from his boss stating that it is over, the department settled and the amount is much less than we thought she would get, which as bad as it sounds, is a relief to us. We want his children to be secure but we also didn't want this situation to be justified either. He was a major drug addict and his wife was serving him with divorce papers. He wasn't a very nice man, I have prayed for his family because I can't imagine living with someone like that. We are praising God tonight that it is ALL over!!! Mark is so relieved. I hope now that he can have some closure, he has such a tender heart and I know that this has just eaten away at him for almost 3 years now. The news just came out of nowhere, we didn't even know they were working on a settlement. We will continue to pray for his family, I pray that this money will go to good use. I cried tonight after Mark told me, I am not sure if it was because of relief or sadness, maybe both. I am so so so thankful that this part is behind us now and we can move on and I can help Mark deal with all of the emotions that this is churning up. Thank you to everyone who cared for us throughout this whole unfortunate event in our lives.