Temptation to Discouragement

I remember all too well my spiritual and emotional condition in the summer of 1967.  I had handled a really messy Fatality Investigation.  Two young men were racing on a four lane divided highway and one of them struck a station wagon in the right front door killing the young mother sitting there and sending the father/driver and two children to the hospital.  The two racers had just passed a truck immediately before the crash and the truck driver was waiting for me at the scene.  He gave me his statement.  Only one racer's car was at the scene.  The driver had been taken to the hospital.  The other racer had missed the collision and gotten away.

The station wagon was crossing from left to right.  The Mustang struck the station wagon dead center on the door post pushing the door 18 inches into the passenger compartment where the young mother had been sitting.
The station wagon was then knocked into a power pole striking the pole with the left side at about the door post and crushing the left side in about 18 inches also.  No doors could be opened.  Survivors and the deceased mother were all removed through the rear window on backboards and transported to the hospital.

I charged the Mustang driver with Manslaughter/Reckless Driving/Racing.  He hired a local prominent attorney for the County Court Hearing.  I testified using all evidence including photos and measurements.  The truck driver testified and identified the car as being one of the racers.  The driver admitted to driving the Mustang.  It was one of the best cases I ever took to court as far as evidence and witnesses.  The County Judge looked at me from the bench and said, "I find no evidence of Reckless Driving here!" and dismissed the case...

Yet when the very same case, with the very same testimony, came to Civil Court and the same Racing Driver was sued, he was found at fault and judgement was awarded to the Complainant.  That was the same as being found guilty in a Criminal Court and the Commonwealth's Attorney vowed to go after the driver before a Grand Jury but never did.  This case haunted me for a long time before I could get over the picture of that crushed, young mother on the slab in the Medical Examiner's Office as I had to talk with him and view her during my investigation.  That case was one of my hardest lessons learned as I worked to become a professional in the course of dealing with people and their crisis.  This case was just one in a very long line of fatality Investigations and most of them are still readily viewable in my mind's eye even as I write this.

Quite often I am reminded of both the resilience and the frailty of human life.  It can take so very much but it can be removed so quickly...  And our job is to investigate it, handle it and to deal with it and the people...  Then go on to the next one.  For fifty years I have done that as a Trooper, Police Officer, Chaplain and Clergyman...  Sometimes I would like to never have to look at or participate in another death situation but it is my calling in life and I have learned to handle those cases well and help others in the process.  No matter how we plan when we are young, there is the great possibility that there is another plan that we will be switched into before we get our dream fulfilled...  Or we just may get to fulfill all of our dreams and other dreams as well!

As I age I am losing Contemporaries.  After my retirement I lost contact with many acquaintances...  Some of them moved away from here.  I don't get out much because of hindrances.  I see very few people except for church on Sunday.  Certain events change life's course and we all have to look closely, learn what we can do and then make adjustments...  Making the adjustments is the most difficult part because we do not like change and we do not like to let go of things we have had that we wanted to keep...  But we must learn that change is inevitable...  It is going to happen in spite of us.

Peace Keepers, THANK YOU for your service...  THANK you for all duty performed!  My greatest wish and prayer for you is that you be so greatly blessed that it will be better for you than you have ever experienced before!!!  STAY SAFE!!!
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.  All of this is by your own choice...  He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna came home last night.  She is sleeping today.
My son is still working.
I had laser surgery on my left eye Thursday to remove heavy vein growth and stop their formation if possible.  The counter registered over 1200 shots of laser beam into my eye.  Some of it became very uncomfortable and I had a headache until Noon Friday.  This was not to save the vision but to save the eye and maybe arrest the level of vision at the place where it already was.  Only a miracle can restore my vision in that eye.  The right eye is still fine.  It recovered well quite a while ago.
Thank you for the responses, care, concern and prayers.  We are making progress!

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

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

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...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved.   This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...  
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....  
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
 To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Settlement

This country was first settled by small boat loads of people under the leadership of one man and his associates who crossed the seas from Europe...  That one man not only was the Leader but he kept the peace...  He was a Peace Keeper who appointed others to the duty of peace keeping.  They were often accompanied by spiritual leaders as well.  Spiritual Leaders are usually called Peace Makers, especially in the New Testament.

As colonies were established, individuals began to venture out into the unexplored wilderness and establish new settlements.  There was always a Leader and there was always some one or more to help the Leader keep the group in order and in peace...  Leaders and Peace Keepers...  Often along with then came the doctors to help in health and healing, especially with army units.  After the settlements were established, there came the spiritual leader traveling from place to place establishing a spiritual group and teaching them until someone could know enough to lead them...  Then the spiritual leader would move on to another cabin or settlement.  So it was with all of our frontier growth all the way to the west coast from the east coast over hundreds of years..  Leaders...  Peace Keepers...  Medical Practitioners...  Settlers...  Spiritual Teachers...  All these were necessary for this country to grow into the United States.

The Continental (Colonial) Army recognized the need for Leaders, Rank, Structure, Peace Keepers and Spiritual Leaders as soon as militia groups were formed.  All were recognized as vital parts to a fighting unit.  All had to be trained, disciplined and experienced in doing their current jobs and familiar with all of the jobs of those for whom they were responsible.  Even the Spiritual Leaders who were called Chaplains (French for Clergyman) had to know the basic makeup and duties of the fighting men.

Even after the Revolutionary War and the westward spread of explorers and settlers, these classes of people were involved at some early point.  Of course the Leaders were there from the beginning...  They  were the Visionaries.  As soon as a group gathered the Leader had to appoint Associates to see to the peace keeping on an ongoing basis because the people who did the early settling were a boisterous and often rowdy type of people...  Rough, tough and sometimes needing discipline and enforcement, sometimes very drastic discipline and enforcement, for the safety and welfare of the group.  If there were no Medical Practitioners or Spiritual Leader along initially, they would be along as soon as the settlement was made known in more civilized circles.

Our military recognized the need for surgeons for medical treatment and chaplains who could furnish spiritual guidance and support to our fighting men as soon as we formed fighting forces.  Now they have been there for over 200 years including both sides during the War Between the States.  I have a book written by one of those chaplains in the Confederate Army that ministered to both sides after some battles.

In the Military we have moved to the point where the top leaders are Administrators and those of lesser rank lead the Peace Keepers in the field...  And most of the time the Peace Keepers in the field are accompanied by a chaplain somewhere close by if not right in the unit and field hospitals are to the rear reachable by 'copter flight with Medics on the ground with the units.

In Law Enforcement we have the same situation to a different degree.  We have Sergeants on the street supervising the individual units and higher ranks are called to scenes only in certain situations involving larger numbers of enforcement officers...  But we have also learned that sometimes it is very wise to have a chaplain on duty or called to certain specific scenes as soon as the problem is identified.  We have Medics with SWAT teams and EMTs on call.

In the Military there are Soldiers that usually operate in groups, small or large.  In Law Enforcement there are Soldiers that usually operate alone or in very small groups.  Sometimes there is a chaplain riding with an individual officer to assist that officer and any other in any way possible...  But this is a fairly new thing of only about 50 years officially.  I did it for 35 years here.

The tip of the spear of expansion was the Leader/Explorer, always with the Warrior/Peace Keeper Spirit!  His support was the one(s) he appointed to keep peace (actual hands on Peace Keepers) and discipline under his command and leadership...  Spiritual Leaders came along to help in those gritty, demanding situations much like the advice John the Baptist gave to the Soldiers/Peace Keepers of his day in Luke 3:14, "Those serving as soldiers also asked him, And we, what shall we do? And he replied to them, Never demand or enforce by terrifying people or by accusing wrongfully, and always be satisfied with your rations (supplies) and with your allowance (wages)."

When settlements were formed, then along came the medical practitioner for health and healing and the traveling preacher to start a spiritual work and school with the idea of forming an active worship place called a church and a place where children could be educated...  They were already there if the settlement were a military fort.  Churches and schools usually were built fairly soon...  Then when the modern age set in, many of these smaller churches were abandoned as the many smaller congregations consolidated because it was so much easier to move greater distances fairly quickly.  The government took over operation of the schools and welfare and separated them from the churches.  There was an abandoned church in my village where I grew up because of all this that is called progress.

These Leader/Peace Keepers today are the Soldiers of Law Enforcement and the Military...  Both of which have chaplains and sometimes medics available when they have need of them.  Fifty years ago there were no chaplains nor medics available when I was a Trooper...  I certainly could have used a chaplain when my father committed suicide while I was in Basic School and I had to care for my mother was well as handle the funeral and keep warring families apart.  Subsequently I became a City Police Officer/Chaplain assigned to mostly chaplain duties.  That was over 35 years ago.  I have studied it all.  I have experienced it personally and watched as it came into greater and greater use...  I have viewed all of the changes and efforts to reorganize.  I even went back onto the street to do traffic safety and traffic enforcement because I loved it as a carry over from my Trooper days which I still miss.  Now even the Virginia State Police has numerous chaplains available to their personnel.  

Peace Keepers, each of you signed on to submit to leaders and those of higher rank...  To obey lawful orders...  To do your duty to support the Constitution(s) and law enforcers to enforce the laws...  Unknown to most people this is a spiritually based system described in Romans Chapter 13 in the Bible.  That has nothing to do with churches or religions except to inform them how to act in relation to dealing with the Peace Keeper..  It has to do with governing people, keeping the peace and executing wrath and punishment.  It is all described there.  I found it fascinating the first time I read it because it describes us so very well and most of us never knew it.

Under the power of my Commander-In-Chief, I pray you be greater blessed and go home safely to your loved ones at the end of your tour.  Peace to you as you try to bring peace to every one else.  Thank you!
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.  All of this is by your own choice...  He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna had a skin graft this week.  No report since Thursday night.
My son is still working.
I am visiting the eye doctor.  The excess pressure in my left eye is not decreased yet and I had new meds added this week to see if we can reduce it.  Two eye appointments next week.  I will victoriously get through all of this too!
Thanks for the responses, care, concern and prayers.

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

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

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...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved.   This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...  
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....  
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
 To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Careful Watch and Response

Often each day holds surprises that we are not always prepared to receive...  But they will come anyway.  Some are pleasant...  Some are difficult...  Some are demanding...  Some are simply something we did not expect.  In peace keeping we learn to be prepared for surprises on duty or in connection with the job...  But even we do not always keep the attitude of being fully prepared in mind.  Sometimes we get surprised so greatly that we do not survive.  I see that cars and traffic are already taking a toll this year among law enforcement...  We are still losing military members on the field in Afghanistan...  And the Iraqis are killing more and more Iraqis since the field units of our troops left Iraq.  

Peace keeping is a variable profession.  Someone described it as "Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror!"...  And so it is often proven in each day, sometimes in each tour of duty.  "Those serving as soldiers (the Peace Keepers of their day) also asked him, And we, what shall we do? And he replied to them, Never demand or enforce by terrifying people or by accusing wrongfully, and always be satisfied with your rations (supplies) and with your allowance (wages)."...  (John the Baptist in Luke 3:14)...  Good, useful basic instructions.  To that I would always add the close that I use in every CHAPLAIN CORNER... " "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.  All of this is by your own choice...  He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible."

This is my 50th year of working in and with law enforcement.  In those years I absorbed many vital lessons.  By Grace and the use of those lessons I survived without any serious injuries...  The only injuries I received were two scratches...  And without doing any injury to anyone I ever had to handle.  I learned very early what my choices were and was very careful to make right choices after each lesson learned.  I also learned to give the person(s) I was dealing with choices in how they should conduct themselves if they appeared to want to give me any problems of non-cooperation.  Sometimes I would have to use brute strength to secure and hold someone or to put them on the ground to fully secure them but in those processes, by the Grace of God, I caused no injuries and I never had to strike anyone...  But I was always prepared to go as far as was necessary in order to do the job and keep me as safe as possible.  I thank God, my trainers and my on the job experiences that I always was able to go home safely to my family at the end of each tour of duty.  I attribute this to the Grace of my Creator whose ways I learned and put to use from the Bible, good training from instructors and many other sources and my practicing right attitude in relation to the job and the people with whom I had to deal.  I would treat them as nicely as they would let me or as strict and narrow as they dictated by their actions and attitude.  I also became an instructor in how to deal with problem people and in how to deal with stress.

This week was a stressful week for me caused by another reaction to medications.  They were causing debilitating headaches again and I could get no permanent relief.  I called my Cardiologist and Ophthalmologist for adjustment and experimented to see which meds were the cause.  The Cardiologist adjusted me off of some meds and lowered others.  The adjustments and my experimentation caused the pressure in one eye to increase because of less medication to keep the pressure down...  So now I am on more meds to counteract the eye pressures and must see more specialists to take care of the care and surgery that another doctor did not follow through on.  

Today I am still experimenting on how much and how little it takes to be in the right condition without severe pain.  Friday and today, Saturday, have been most pleasant because of the of the lack of pain.  Two weeks of seeking adjustments to solve just that challenge of intermittent, debilitating pain came as a result of an added medication that upset the good balance that I was in.  Since the doctor thought that one medication necessary to continue, I had to do research to determine the side affects of all of my meds and chart them and then present the chart to the Cardiologist.  In an effort to help me, too much medication was taken away and that allowed the pressure to rise in my eye which then had to be brought down...  But today is great...  NO PAIN!  

In celebration the two dogs and I shared our favorite sandwiches the past two afternoons and will do it again this afternoon.  I take a bite, then I give the male dog a bite, then I give the female dog a bite and we continue that until we consume the food.  They share it with great anticipation and great joy and satisfaction.  I am blessed because it makes all three of us very happy!  I wish you could see them as they wait the turn for their bite., the little female just shakes with anticipation and tries to rush me to give her turn to her sooner.  Those two animals relieve a lot of my stress as I have been fighting the illnesses since April of '11.  These challenges have caused me to have to miss the funerals of two friends but the problems had to be dealt with first before I could accomplish anything else.

Life is arbitrary.  Life is what happens to you while you are making plans to do otherwise.  We do not control life.  We must deal with life as it comes.  The first rule of life for me is "Do what you know to do and leave the rest to God or whomever else is responsible."  That means that if I do not get the results I need to get, I pray, and then I ask for help from whoever else has the ability to help me solve the challenge.  The most recent case involved me, God, two doctor's offices, several of their personnel, my knowledge as an Herbalist, my ability as a researcher, my ability to write a clear report of my findings and my experiences and presenting the problems to those who could assist me...  All of that brought good results for me but precluded me from participating in other things I would like to have been doing instead...
Life is often like that.  We often have to deny ourselves what we want to do in order to get the most necessary things that must be done accomplished.  So it goes in job and in personal life...  It is all determined by the challenges and the choices we make in relation to the challenges.

For those of you who are law enforcement officers...  Watch out for cars with rear view cameras with a monitor in view of the driver with a screen much like a GPS screen.  They are available in auto parts stores and can be wired to be on all the time so that the driver can see what is behind the car.  They are designed to be used in viewing behind the vehicle while backing.  If on all the time they could be used to watch your movements in traffic stops.  They are designed to be bolted onto the top of the rear license
plate with the camera eye to the rear.  One of my readers sent it to me today.
All Peace Keepers, while you are doing your duty, practice the greatest of watch care for yourselves.  Keep your head moving like a radar scanner.  Don't miss what might be behind you or concealed from you near your path of forward motion...  Ambush and surprise have taken a lot of Peace Keepers out of action...  Sometimes permanently...  In ambushes and traffic injuries...  It is usually what you don't see that will stop, injure or kill you.  I pray you survive and make it homw to your loved ones.  Be greater blessed...

"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.  All of this is by your own choice...  He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

I have been having much trouble conversing with Donna by telephone in the hospital because of the loss of hearing but two nights ago she awoke with the thought that she had earphones for her cell phone and to try them...  They solved the problem...  Now we can talk together on the phone.  They tried a skin graft Friday.  It will be checked Tuesday to see if it took...  If so they will start grafting her own skin onto the wound to finish it's closure.  That is good news, but we have no progress with a huge blood clot that is in her right chest and right arm.  Heparin will not dissolve it.
My son is hurting some but still working.
I am solving my problems as outlined in the message body.  It is amazing how much you need to know just to live and survive well in this world today.
I am glad that I have such a wide background of experience and knowledge.
Thank you for message responses, care, concern and prayer...  Keep praying!  We are doing better!  These challenges, too, shall pass!

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

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

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...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved.   This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...  
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....  
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
 To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

Careful Watch and Response

Often each day holds surprises that we are not always prepared to receive...  But they will come anyway.  Some are pleasant...  Some are difficult...  Some are demanding...  Some are simply something we did not expect.  In peace keeping we learn to be prepared for surprises on duty or in connection with the job...  But even we do not always keep the attitude of being fully prepared in mind.  Sometimes we get surprised so greatly that we do not survive.  I see that cars and traffic are already taking a toll this year among law enforcement...  We are still losing military members on the field in Afghanistan...  And the Iraqis are killing more and more Iraqis since the field units of our troops left Iraq.  

Peace keeping is a variable profession.  Someone described it as "Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror!"...  And so it is often proven in each day, sometimes in each tour of duty.  "Those serving as soldiers (the Peace Keepers of their day) also asked him, And we, what shall we do? And he replied to them, Never demand or enforce by terrifying people or by accusing wrongfully, and always be satisfied with your rations (supplies) and with your allowance (wages)."...  (John the Baptist in Luke 3:14)...  Good, useful basic instructions.  To that I would always add the close that I use in every CHAPLAIN CORNER... " "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.  All of this is by your own choice...  He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible."

This is my 50th year of working in and with law enforcement.  In those years I absorbed many vital lessons.  By Grace and the use of those lessons I survived without any serious injuries...  The only injuries I received were two scratches...  And without doing any injury to anyone I ever had to handle.  I learned very early what my choices were and was very careful to make right choices after each lesson learned.  I also learned to give the person(s) I was dealing with choices in how they should conduct themselves if they appeared to want to give me any problems of non-cooperation.  Sometimes I would have to use brute strength to secure and hold someone or to put them on the ground to fully secure them but in those processes, by the Grace of God, I caused no injuries and I never had to strike anyone...  But I was always prepared to go as far as was necessary in order to do the job and keep me as safe as possible.  I thank God, my trainers and my on the job experiences that I always was able to go home safely to my family at the end of each tour of duty.  I attribute this to the Grace of my Creator whose ways I learned and put to use from the Bible, good training from instructors and many other sources and my practicing right attitude in relation to the job and the people with whom I had to deal.  I would treat them as nicely as they would let me or as strict and narrow as they dictated by their actions and attitude.  I also became an instructor in how to deal with problem people and in how to deal with stress.

This week was a stressful week for me caused by another reaction to medications.  They were causing debilitating headaches again and I could get no permanent relief.  I called my Cardiologist and Ophthalmologist for adjustment and experimented to see which meds were the cause.  The Cardiologist adjusted me off of some meds and lowered others.  The adjustments and my experimentation caused the pressure in one eye to increase because of less medication to keep the pressure down...  So now I am on more meds to counteract the eye pressures and must see more specialists to take care of the care and surgery that another doctor did not follow through on.  

Today I am still experimenting on how much and how little it takes to be in the right condition without severe pain.  Friday and today, Saturday, have been most pleasant because of the of the lack of pain.  Two weeks of seeking adjustments to solve just that challenge of intermittent, debilitating pain came as a result of an added medication that upset the good balance that I was in.  Since the doctor thought that one medication necessary to continue, I had to do research to determine the side affects of all of my meds and chart them and then present the chart to the Cardiologist.  In an effort to help me, too much medication was taken away and that allowed the pressure to rise in my eye which then had to be brought down...  But today is great...  NO PAIN!  

In celebration the two dogs and I shared our favorite sandwiches the past two afternoons and will do it again this afternoon.  I take a bite, then I give the male dog a bite, then I give the female dog a bite and we continue that until we consume the food.  They share it with great anticipation and great joy and satisfaction.  I am blessed because it makes all three of us very happy!  I wish you could see them as they wait the turn for their bite., the little female just shakes with anticipation and tries to rush me to give her turn to her sooner.  Those two animals relieve a lot of my stress as I have been fighting the illnesses since April of '11.  These challenges have caused me to have to miss the funerals of two friends but the problems had to be dealt with first before I could accomplish anything else.

Life is arbitrary.  Life is what happens to you while you are making plans to do otherwise.  We do not control life.  We must deal with life as it comes.  The first rule of life for me is "Do what you know to do and leave the rest to God or whomever else is responsible."  That means that if I do not get the results I need to get, I pray, and then I ask for help from whoever else has the ability to help me solve the challenge.  The most recent case involved me, God, two doctor's offices, several of their personnel, my knowledge as an Herbalist, my ability as a researcher, my ability to write a clear report of my findings and my experiences and presenting the problems to those who could assist me...  All of that brought good results for me but precluded me from participating in other things I would like to have been doing instead...
Life is often like that.  We often have to deny ourselves what we want to do in order to get the most necessary things that must be done accomplished.  So it goes in job and in personal life...  It is all determined by the challenges and the choices we make in relation to the challenges.

For those of you who are law enforcement officers...  Watch out for cars with rear view cameras with a monitor in view of the driver with a screen much like a GPS screen.  They are available in auto parts stores and can be wired to be on all the time so that the driver can see what is behind the car.  They are designed to be used in viewing behind the vehicle while backing.  If on all the time they could be used to watch your movements in traffic stops.  They are designed to be bolted onto the top of the rear license
plate with the camera eye to the rear.  One of my readers sent it to me today.
All Peace Keepers, while you are doing your duty, practice the greatest of watch care for yourselves.  Keep your head moving like a radar scanner.  Don't miss what might be behind you or concealed from you near your path of forward motion...  Ambush and surprise have taken a lot of Peace Keepers out of action...  Sometimes permanently...  In ambushes and traffic injuries...  It is usually what you don't see that will stop, injure or kill you.  I pray you survive and make it homw to your loved ones.  Be greater blessed...

"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.  All of this is by your own choice...  He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

I have been having much trouble conversing with Donna by telephone in the hospital because of the loss of hearing but two nights ago she awoke with the thought that she had earphones for her cell phone and to try them...  They solved the problem...  Now we can talk together on the phone.  They tried a skin graft Friday.  It will be checked Tuesday to see if it took...  If so they will start grafting her own skin onto the wound to finish it's closure.  That is good news, but we have no progress with a huge blood clot that is in her right chest and right arm.  Heparin will not dissolve it.
My son is hurting some but still working.
I am solving my problems as outlined in the message body.  It is amazing how much you need to know just to live and survive well in this world today.
I am glad that I have such a wide background of experience and knowledge.
Thank you for message responses, care, concern and prayer...  Keep praying!  We are doing better!  These challenges, too, shall pass!

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

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

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...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved.   This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...  
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....  
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
 To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.

PERSEVERANCE

per·se·ver·ance

[pur-suh-veer-uhns]

noun
1.steady persistence in a course of action, (in) a purpose, (in) a state (of being or working), etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
2.Theology . continuance in a state of grace (God's unearnable, undeserves favor and blessing because He loves His Creation) to the end, (if we receive that Grace) leading to eternal salvation.

Related forms
per·se·ver·ant, adjective
non·per·se·ver·ance, noun
non·per·se·ver·ant, adjective

Synonyms
1.  doggedness, steadfastness. persistence, tenacity, pertinacity  imply resolute and unyielding holding on in following a course of action. Perseverance  commonly suggests activity maintained in spite of difficulties or steadfast and long-continued application: Endurance and perseverance combined to win in the end.  It is regularly used in a favorable sense. Persistence,  which may be used in either a favorable or an unfavorable sense, implies unremitting (and sometimes annoying) perseverance: persistence in a belief; persistence in talking when others wish to study. Tenacity,  with the original meaning of adhesiveness, as of glue, is a dogged and determined holding on. Whether used literally or figuratively it has favorable implications:

per·sist·ence  [per-sis-tuhns, -zis-]

noun
1.the act or fact of persisting.
2.the quality of being persistent: You have persistence, I'll say that for you.
3.continued existence or occurrence: the persistence of smallpox.
4.the continuance of an effect after its cause is removed.

Also, per·sist·en·cy.

Origin:
1540–50; persist  + -ence

Related forms
non·per·sist·ence, noun
non·per·sist·en·cy, noun

Synonyms
1. See perseverance.

(bold, underlines italics by DRS)

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.

My memory has been very active this week.  I have been thinking back over the Journey I have traveled from childhood to here.

I was a sponge in relation to some subjects.  I read a lot from first grade onward.  I usually had a special book in my pocket or among my school books and books, magazines and comics on my bed or on the couch.  Before school age I spent much time looking at the catalogs of the day... Sears-Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, Aldens, Spiegel, etc.  My favorite subjects were toy trains, toy guns, playsets involving battles, boots and uniforms...  The subjects of my reading were in the same categories when I could choose for myself...  Military and war involving Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Sheriffs, Marshals, Mounties, Cowboys, Indians, Ancient Warfare, Hunters, Pirates, Adventurers, Police, Detectives and Criminal Cases...  Some were historical...  Some were novels...  Some were Autobiographies or Biographies...  And about trains - I loved trains.  I gathered many toy trains as I never had enough and this is still true about trains today.  My father was a railroad laborer and later Foreman and I lived twenty to thirty yards from the railroad tracks running north/south through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  I often climbed into the cabs of the locomotives when they stopped at the signal in the village.

I had planned to go to a military school, study engineering and be a professional soldier.  The most astounding appearance in my young life was the infrequent appearance of the "State Man"...  That's what we called the Virginia State Police Troopers who occasionally patrolled through the village or came to investigate wrecks.  

One of those wrecks happened in my front yard in the edge of the road between the house and the railroad on a rainy day.  We invited him to sit on our porch to get out of the rain and he did.  I got close enough to touch him but was not brave enough to speak nor to reach out.  He was huge - as big as a mountain to me...  His leather was black and shiny...  His uniform was as crisp and neat as any I would ever see and the metal glistened like new silver...  His Stetson was to me like a King's Crown.  I lived in awe of those men.  (I was fortunate enough to be hired and working as a Trooper before he retired and attended a retraining school with him.  I had the opportunity to tell him how he had affected me that day so many years before.)

All of the knowledge gained in reading, in education and in experience led me through many paths to arrive at today...  And led me through millions of lives as well.  The Chief of Police that I worked directly under for much of my career said I would have to be 100 years old to have done all that I had done in my life to that point and I was only 55 then.

I worked in Civil Engineering Location and design for the Virginia Dept. of Highways... In Structural Steel Engineering for several companies and as a self employed contractor on my own...  As a clerk-repairman for toy trains in a toy store where I also tended and stoked the coal furnace...  In Law Enforcement, first as a Trooper, Then as a Police Officer/Chaplain/Instructor for Virginia Beach and for the local Regional Police Training Academy at Old Dominion University...  And as a Deacon, Teacher, Evangelist, Assistant Pastor and Pastor for several local churches.  Many of these endeavors ran concurrently with one another...  Plus my dear, deceased wife and I raised four children, cared for 17 foster children and many needy families along the way.

Now I am still serving as a Pastor/Chaplain/Disciple Trainer...  I am also winding down my Herb/Supplement/Health business and my Train business.  Life has been full and busy.  A leisurely pace seems like laziness to me.  I have had difficulty adjusting to a slower pace as prescribed by my doctors and my Commander-In-Chief but I have managed to be OK with it most of the time.  Little by little some things are simply gone or are going.  My ultimate dream would be to move back to the area where I grew up and soak in all I can of that beautiful area and it's slower time and pace...  But that is not within the foreseeable future if ever.  All of my daughter's medical helps are here and not available there.

This week I suffered a new malady that culminated in total debilitation Friday....  First it was an ache in my left eye that eventually went away but returned on Thursday night with severe left temple and left eye orbit pain.  It continued through Friday and became unbearable for a time Friday night.
I have never endured such pain before and as I prayed for help I was impressed to use some of my herbs and Extra-strength Tylenol.  The Tylenol had not worked all day on Friday as it continued to worsen.  The herbal combination I used worked and I was able to rest during the early morning Saturday (today).  I am writing late in the evening and it is fine now but I will continue the herbs until tomorrow.

Perseverance has been the key to all that I have achieved in my Journey.  It was my most important attribute in engineering, law enforcement, ministry to both Peace Keepers and civilians and in several side-line businesses.  Sometimes everything and everyone around me tried to discourage me from my pursuits and courses of action, but I stayed the course and here I sit tonight in peace and safety in spite of all the difficulties even up through last night and this morning.  Do what you know to do no matter what anyone else is or is not doing!  This has been the key for me all the way from childhood 'til this moment...  Keep on keeping on...  Don't quit...  It has gained my education, experience, knowledge and wisdom...  It has never failed me even when it looked like it might...  It was the main ingredient that allowed me to overcome the failure of the eye test and be hired to be a Trooper...  It has brought me innumerable blessings that would not have come unless I persevered...  I was able to regain my current state of health by persevering...  I will finish my whole course and Journey through life by persevering...  

I am told that I am a hard man.  I am told that I have no feelings...  I am told to stop, quit, give up, decease...  But life has proven that the use of perseverance has made the Journey livable and profitable.  Jesus and the Bible added much useful information to all that I had gathered before I learned about Him....  Then I added what I learned from Him as I learned it, putting it to use in every endeavor from peace keeping to repairing toy trains to solving engineering problems to dealing with people crisis.  Prayer, guidance and application of these saved many dollars and improved many lives plus assisting many people through horrible crisis as He moved me about in everything that was mine to do.  He was the Carpenter, I was the tool in His Hands...  We saw many good things happen and many bad things get resolved.  My life has been most adventurous and still is even though I do not run the same pace as in the most recent past.

The bike I bought back in March of '11 has been stored in my Engine House/Shop with my ride-in locomotive since spring.  I was able to ride it only once before my eye problems and heart problems struck.  I look forward to good weather, good eye improvement and regaining good strength so that I can get it out and enjoy riding again.  My most [powerful dream to yet be gained is to get back to traveling and teaching in the Body of Christ (that's why I bought the bike)...  I am awaiting open doors when He is ready...  That problem, as well as my self, are His problems to solve and I await the adventure.  I am not through yet.  Moses had three lifetime segments of forty years each.  I am not through my second forty yet so I still have a ways to go.  It was His will to set me down in this closed in time for His purposes and my preparation.  When it is His time we will begin the next phase as He wills...  Meanwhile I am preparing, seeking guidance and praying as I have been doing for the past 44 years...  God!, It's been a great Journey with all of you included!!!

Now Peace Keepers, I encourage you to learn the fullness of perseverance and keep it in use in your daily life on the job and in personal life.  It could be an even greater key for you than it has been for me.  Learn it to it's fullness, use it always and gain great results that will be profitable for you and all that you touch and work with as you live your adventure...  Be even greater blessed!!!
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of yourself.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.  All of this is by your own choice...  He has made provision for you but it is up to you to learn it, take it and put it to use for the best results possible.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna is feeling better and looking forward to coming home in a few weeks.  The wound is now progressing well.  
No new problems with my son.  He is still working.
I am surviving well and still on the Way in my Journey to the Holy City...  Still looking forward to the things yet to happen here as well as there.
Thank you for the great responses I have received, for the many prayers put in for all of us, for the persistent care and concern you have shown to me and for us...  It all working as it should.  Victory is ours daily as we persevere!

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

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

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...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer,
RETIRED Police Instructor,
RETIRED Chaplain Administrator,
Chaplain Emeritus,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety),
Virginia Beach Police Dept.
Blackwater Alumni
757-486-3881, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved.   This Message:
Is for Peace Keepers and their loved ones and it may be forwarded with the complete message intact to individuals and web sites...  
May not be duplicated in print nor publications without permission....  
May not be used in any manner for personal financial gain nor profit
without permission.

Except for quoted material attributed to a specific source, all material in CHAPLAIN CORNER is my personal opinion gained from 49 years of working with people in peace keeping and is not to be construed to represent the policies and opinions of any department with whom I have served or am serving.
 To subscribe to this free, weekly e-mail message for Peace Keepers,
write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.