Columns

In the 1960s, a leading sports commentator spoke these piercing words about the 26-mile marathon race.

He said, “There are many things that can break the body, a tragic wreck, a prolonged illness, a natural disaster. But the marathon breaks the heart.”

Courage is synonymous with the heart because the heart is the center of life. The Bible says it is from the heart that precedes all thoughts of envy and strife. Negative and positive thoughts originate in the heart.

Movie celebrities and sports champions come and go, but we long remember our teachers and mentors because they reached into our lives and made a lasting difference.

Since 2000, I have been a mentor for police officers in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq—cultures much different than ours. I will share some important principles I have learned along the way.

Setting the stage

My work as an International Police Officer with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) began in the fall of 2001, just as Ramadan was under way for adults in the Albanian Muslim population.

My teacher made it very clear. She was leaving the room. We were to work on our assignments and should not speak a word while she was gone.

Knowing my penchant for jabbering—reflected in the “Stacey talks too much” that often appeared on my grade-school report cards—my teacher looked right at me.

“Don’t talk,” she said as she headed out the door.

I tried hard to do my work, but with the teacher gone, the impulse to talk was much bigger than my third-grade body could contain.

The dump truck rolls along the bumpy ground, spilling some of its sandy load. The driver toots the horn. I study the truck’s unique paint job—bright green cab with orange around the front fenders, and a black bumper.

Suddenly the truck goes a little off course and crashes into my beach chair.

“Whaaaaaa,” my son cried. “Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma,” he said, gesturing toward his truck.

“OK, here you go baby,” I said as I set the truck beside him.