Book Review: The Proverbs 31 Police Wife

There are a few things that I hold very dear to my world… (other then my Lord and Husband that is…)

Police Wives…. AKA LEOW’s

and Dispatchers.

Mainly because I am a police wife and I was a dispatcher.   Secondly because both are vastly misunderstood and even those that think they understand….. Unless they are… even if they are family… they just can’t understand.

Sorry.  I hate to sound mean.  But it’s true.

So when I was sent a message about this devotional book coming out I was a little stoked and actually ordered it before even reading anything about it!

Proverbs 31 Police Wife by Leah Everly.

I would love to say I was pleased as punch to read it and was glued to it.  But I can’t.  Partly because I don’t think it was really written for me.  (let me explain that in a bit) and partly because there is a lot of drama around the author’s family and it comes through in the book.  which isn’t a bad thing fully… But..

First off, I feel as if this book was written for a younger LEOW.  Possibly newer in her faith and recently married to an LEO that hasn’t been in for decades.  Which is a totally different market then where I am.  So, this isn’t a bad thing.  At all!  It just was a little green for someone that is married to a several decades LEO with a solid marriage built around the career.

Literally, built around this career.

With that said, as I was reading the book I kept getting a vibe that there was more to this story.  That something was being held back and there was some pain that was lingering around the corner.  Which led me to Google her name, partway through the book, and took me down a rabbit trail of which landed me on her Facebook page for her blog and smack dab into a video she had just released explaining a bad review she was getting.

My heart hurt as I sat there watching tears roll down her face.  The review was on Amazon and in my own opinion was totally irrelevant to the book.  Things happen ALL the time in this line of work…. and that’s between the LEO and the agency.

Leave the wives out of it!

With that said, I think maybe she released the book slightly to early.  I got the feeling she needed more time between what happened and the book to really fully heal from it all.

Let me stop here and interject my own thought for a moment… When our husbands go through a hellish event.. whether it was caused by daily duties at work or perhaps something on their end, It IS brought home and felt at home.  They can not help it, and it’s not their fault.  No one in this world is perfect… except Jesus Himself.  We are married to our men, and we are one with them.  What I am seeing in the media recently is Agencies are providing no support for the families… and when something happens on the job… that the LEO isn’t able to fully handle.. and the LEOW is not able to handle… the marriage is crumbling before our very eyes.  It’s a hard world out there to be working in this field.  You feel as if you are walking under a spotlight.  It would be nice if the agencies or unions put together resources and companion partners to come along side all involved parties individually… no matter the circumstances.  I know of a few agencies that have.. and they are truly a family.

One final thing… You might think your husband is the chosen bright star… and nothing bad will ever happen to him…. His career is golden…. But I have seen and met many officers that eventually have been eaten by their departments.  NO ONE is immune to this action.  Even the bright shiny stars.

With that said…. we all need to show grace mercy and love for families going through trials… it is what blue families do!

Leah has a great way of drawing you into her world and painting you a picture that you can relate to.  While I could relate to some of it, there was an aspect of youngness and pettiness that came through the writing.   I get it.  Social media has drama that some can’t handle.. But as a Christian we can turn that all over to God and choose whether to be present on it or not.

Kids and chores are a pain… with schedule’s constantly changing and call-outs happening ALL THE TIME!  It’s part of the job.  And while I think she can relate extremely well to the younger/newer to the LEOW world…. This life… is just part of loving the one you said I DO to.   It means you pick up the socks and put the coffee cups away as they run out the door on an early morning call-out grabbing the thermos of coffee you put together for them… hoping they remember you stashed granola bars in their trunk in case they don’t have time to get home for any kind of meal.  And with time… you have learned to do it all while laughing!

Because this job is so serious and so hard… that you end up with the oddest sense of humor.  That even while your friends tell you, ‘oh I have a sick sense of humor’, you just smile… because you could make a mortician blush if you let your’s loose.

So you don’t.

This world we are married in to is different… and we need books and references and people to speak out about it if for no other reason then to be the one’s sitting in the corner table at the coffee shop nodding their head saying… ‘yep… I get it!  I found .223’s in the washer last week also!’

I hope she writes again.  And I hope I get to read her again.  Because I feel a little a part of her.  Having had our own drama in this dysfunctional LEO family I hope she fine tunes her style, and writes to the younger LEOW on the funny moments of raising kids in this odd world we live in.  But most of all… I am praying for healing.  For her, and for her husband.

Remember, we all will need grace and love at some point in our world…. Give it freely, so when you need it… someone will be their to give it to you freely as well.