Thank you, God for ......

During the month of November, my daughter, Michele, is posting on her Facebook page one thing a day that she is thankful for.  I thought it was a great idea and immediately followed her lead (I've always been a good follower!).  I'm finding it a refreshing exercise and one that has already shown me how much I have to be thankful for.  It's only the 5th day of November and already I'm having a hard time choosing just ONE thing each day.

I feel sorry for people who don't often count their blessings .. or don't even realize they have blessings to count. So, in case you need help in finding things to be thankful for during this month of Thanksgiving, I offer up one suggestion.  Be thankful for our men and women in blue and the services they provide.  This gratitude isn't as altruistic as you might think .. it actually is a reaction to a small item that appears in our newspaper about 3 days a week.  "Blotter Fodder" documents what one might catalogue as "out of the ordinary" police calls .. at least in my mind, they're out of the ordinary.  I think of peace officers responding to traffic accidents, heart attacks, terrorist threats, burglaries, etc.  But apparently, they also respond to calls that fall into a more unique category.  Here for your perusal are a few examples of actual calls that have been made to local police departments.  Unfortunately, many of them seem to have come from the northern suburbs where we live.  Hmmm ... maybe it's time to expand the gene pool.

Aug 28:  A 44-year old man in the 100 block of Gibraltar Road, Fridley, wanted his mother arrested for assault.  She had slapped her son in the face to kill a mosquito.  No mosquito or other evidence was found.

Sept 19:  An officer responded to the 300 block of Hugo Street in Fridley regarding a strange noise coming from the trees.  The officer determined it was a bird. No one was cited or arrested.

If that isn't enough to give you pause, I offer the following - again from the Fridley Police Department:

Sept 25:  A woman from an unknown address called the Fridley Police Department seeking guidance.  She reported that she had passed out after drinking in Minneapolis and woke up being punched by a female acquaintance.  She asked police if she should go to bowling league with the female who punched her.  An officer advised her not to go to the bowling league.

Lest you think that our neighbors in the southern suburbs where incomes are a bit higher have been able to avoid the more bizarre police work, here is an entry to prove you wrong.  

Sept 1:  Overnight someone entered through the roof of Davanni's, 6345 Penn Ave. So., Richfield and stole $53 in change and some desserts. 

Obviously, a poverty-stricken burglar with a sweet tooth!  

So, if you find yourself in need of something for which you can give thanks on November 24, you might want to thank God for our police officers.  You might also want to be thankful that none of these callers is related to you!