Public Safety Ministries Inc.

One of the EPPD Chaplains, Father Tim Power gave me a wonderful gift at my retirement celebration, My Grandfathers Blessings by Rachael Naomi Remen, MD.

It is full of stories of inspiration and wisdom. This is the type of book that I want to share with people who are looking for a message to help them through their day, especially the days that can be so challenging in the world of the public safety professional.

Here is an excerpt from the book’s introduction:

My grandfather was a scholar of Kabbalah, the mystical teachings of Judaism…… According to the Kabbalah, at some point in the history of things, the Holy was broken up into countless sparks which were scattered throughout the universe. There is a god spark in everyone and in everything, a sort of diaspora of goodness. God’s immanent presence among us is encountered daily in the most simple, humble and ordinary ways. Kaballah teaches that the Holy may speak to you from it’s many hidden places at any time. The world may whisper in your ear or the spark of God in you may whisper in your heart. My grandfather showed me how to listen.

As I read the book I will share some of the stories with you. Hopefully they will strengthen your soul and help you build a healthy spirit.

I can’t sleep. It’s almost midnight, Sunday night, Monday morning. There are several reasons I can’t sleep. I was up late this weekend and got into a sleep cycle different than my normal 10pm to bed, 6am wake up. I also dozed off for about 15 minutes before I woke up to my 10 year old saying she couldn’t get to sleep. Well, now she’s out like a light and here I sit. But I think the biggest reason I can’t sleep are those numbers: 8752 + 9147 + 3 = 17899. Those were the numbers that were in my head (well, roughly those numbers until I got up and pulled out the calculator) as I lay in bed trying to get to sleep. Actually the 3 was a 2 until about 10 minutes ago.

I lived 8,752 days before I became a cop. I lived 9,147 days as a cop. I’ve now lived 3 days as a ………? Seventeen thousand, eight hundred and ninety nine days total. So what am I now? A retired cop? A retired chief? An aspiring minister? A writer, teacher, skijorer, dad, husband, trainer, bearded getting to be an old guy? Yeah, I think the numbers are the reason I can’t sleep.

Tomorrow, actually today, is Monday. The first Monday in a lot of years that my job hasn’t been to go to work at the PD. But I’ve got a full day planned. The kids will go off to school, Cam will go off to work, I’ll wait for the dishwasher repair person to show up at home, I’ll fill out and send in my medical health insurance forms, I’ve got to write an invocation for this week’s Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association meeting, I need to renew my kennel and dog licenses with the city, I need to write a Chaplains Message for the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Magazine, I’ve got to write a weblog posting (I’m getting that done now I guess), I need to set up my new office….well you get the picture. I’m not in need of finding things to fill my time. I guess there is a lot of other stuff in my head too.

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Ahhhhhh. That felt good. For me to rest, for me to find a calm and peaceful spirit, I often need to dump the clutter and noise that often consumes my mind and my thoughts. I often do that by talking (as many of you are aware) but everyone is asleep. But I also find peace in my soul by writing. For me, writing is a wonderful spiritual fitness exercise.

So as I conclude this message, since I am starting to get drowsy, I want to leave a thought and prayer (from A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People page 85) that you can use this week as your minds clutter and get noisy.

Try starting a time of quiet and meditation each day with the following:

Almighty God, creator and keeper of the world and all that is in it, help us, we pray, to know the duty you have assigned us and to so live our lives that the world may be a better place for all your creatures….Amen.

And after a period of quiet reflection, close with the following:

And now as I leave this place of quiet to return to the duties which await me, go with me my God; and keep me all the day long. Amen.

Good night.

One of my most consistent spiritual fitness exercises is to read, reflect and pray. Since February of 2002 I have used A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People as my primary piece of spiritual exercise equipment. It was a gift from a very good friend of mine, Pastor Scott. The book is broken down into weekly sections that give a variety of short readings, some prayers and some scripture from the bible. All based on a common idea or theme.

As I sit here this morning, in the quiet, with my coffee in a favorite mug, reflecting on my past career and looking to the future, this week’s message couldn’t be more appropriate: “The Call of God”. The opening prayer:

Almighty God…..I pledge my life to your service. Speak to me of my duty and faithfulness. Show me my noble task and strengthen me to walk in it. Amen.

I truly believe that we are all called to serve in our own unique ways. I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve the Eden Prairie community for the past 25 years. I have also been blessed with the future opportunity to serve those who Protect and Serve through a spiritual fitness ministry, hopefully for the next 25 years. I ask for the strength and wisdom to do so.

Well it’s time to head off to work. I won’t be picking up my final check, it’s already in the bank by direct deposit, I checked first thing this morning (Thanks Tracey and Kathy!). My first, and really my only official responsibility today will be to stop at EP Fire Station 1 for my last Friday morning free breakfast as Police Chief. I’m sure they will miss me there. But don’t worry, next Friday will mark my first EPFD Friday morning free breakfast as the Retired Police Chief! (I’ll bring the donuts!)

As I was checking my e-mail this morning I was pleased to get the following message from my son Pete. Pete is now a resident of Alaska and a student at the University in Fairbanks. Most recently he has joined the Steese Area Fire Department and recently left dormitory life on campus and moved into the fire station. It was good for my soul to read his message today. I’m passing on his message to give a little exposure to his departments cause and to remind everyone that giving and sharing are important spiritual fitness exercises. I’m proud to be associated with the public safety professions that are so active in their service and giving to the community.

Hey everybody, about 6 months ago I joined the Steese Volunteer Fire Dept. in Fairbanks, Alaska, and am currently a Live-in firefighter/medic for them. Every year, members of the fire service participate in a program called St. Baldricks. Here’s the little thing on what it is:

“It’s that time of year again! The eighth annual St. Baldrick’s Day events are Shaving the Way to Conquer Kids’ Cancer as thousands of brave volunteers shave their heads in solidarity with children who have cancer and typically lose their hair during cancer treatment.

Worldwide, more than 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. While advances have saved many children, childhood cancer still claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease - more than diabetes, asthma, congenital anomalies, cystic fibrosis and AIDS - combined!

Funds raised by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation will be used to fund childhood cancer research - to help speed the day when every child with cancer will be guaranteed a healthy future.

On behalf of all children with cancer, thank you for your support of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.”

So basically what happens is I let my hair grow out until March 16th, and then get it shaved completely, in honor of the brave children who lose their hair as they go through treatment . Forty-six children are diagnosed with cancer every day. Over the last twenty-five years, the incidence of childhood cancer has increased every year. Forty years ago, childhood cancer was almost always fatal. Today, through the advancements in diagnosis and treatment, 77 percent of the children with cancer can now be cured. Despite this remarkable progress in research and treatment, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease in children.

In the first year as an independent foundation, St. Baldrick’s Foundation raised more than $5.3 million. Last year, they raised $8,334,840 in 271 locations around the globe! It was all made possible by the generous donations of people all around the world.

We hope to obliterate last year’s total, but we will need lots of help. If you would like to make a donation, I have mentioned that I myself have signed up. You can donate to the foundation by visiting my page here:

http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/shavee_info.html?ShaveeID=1586#

I am also a member of the Steese Fire Department team. If you would like to make a donation to my team, please click on this link:

http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/team_info.html?TeamID=139#

No donation is too small, and any donation is greatly appreciated. If money is not something that is feasible for anyone, I completely understand and another way you could help me out immensely would be just to get the word out. Forward this to any coworkers, family, friends, ANYBODY that might be interested in helping out a great cause.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line anytime, you can also call me at 612.554.4495 or 907.457.3710

Thank you so much for any help you can give, no matter the amount. Take care and stay safe,

Pete Carlson

Well I have. And it’s one of the reasons it isn’t easy retiring this week. Meet Scott Neal, The “Friendly” City Manager of the City of Eden Prairie!

I was a captain with the police department when he started with the city about 5 or 6 years ago.
The signature box on his e-mails was:

Scott H. Neal
Your Friendly City Manager
City of Eden Prairie
8080 Mitchell Road
Eden Prairie, Minnesota USA55344

Call me at: 952.949.8400
Email me at: sneal@edenprairie.org
See my blog at: http://edenprairieweblogs.org/scottneal/

I figured it was just some gimmick by the new guy to establish a unique identity. Well after all the years, the “Your Friendly City Manager” label is still there. And that’s because he really IS your friendly city manager. But he is much, much more than that. He is a good boss who really cares about his people. He listens, he cares, he gives, but he is not afraid to direct, lead and make hard decisions. He and I have not always agreed on specific courses of action (I know I say that about most people I deal with), but I have always had the utmost respect for his advice, recommendations, decisions and his leadership.

He truly is a good and friendly man. I will miss his counsel, his leadership and his regular presence in my life. Hopefully I won’t miss his friendship. Hopefully that will follow me into retirement. Here’s to you Big Kahuna!

He’s even Friendly when he’s pretending not to be.

Note: Be sure to check out his weblog linked above!

One of my regular “reads” is the Love & Money column by Jeff D. Opdyke. It is in the Sunday Business section of the Strib reprinted from the Wall Street Journal.

This week it was a comment on his families decision to explore hiring a cleaning person for their home. The basis of the story addressed how we spend our money and what our priorities are. I (as well as many others I am sure) have a difficult time separating the concept of spending money from the concept of spending time. Time truly is money and money does buy you time. The author’s conclusion was that they would spend some money on cleaning help which in turn would free up more of their time to spend with their kids. We budget our money and we budget our time and the two directly impact each other

The reason this is so relevant to me today is that I am in the midst of creating some new budgets due to my retirement. I have to do a new family budget due to a change in my personal financial status, a new business budget for my ministry project, and most challenging, a new time budget. The money stuff is quite tangible and in many regards “fixed”. However the time budget is wide open. I’ve got a lot of latitude in deciding how I will now spend my time. What are my days going to look like now that I’m no longer responsible to the city and the PD?

I don’t have the answers yet, this is my last week of my “retiring process” with four meetings scheduled between today and Friday when I get my final paycheck (or actually my final direct deposit pay notification. Just doesn’t sound the same does it?). So, I’m working on a plan, figuring time in and time out, time earned and time spent. But I am going to build in more “pause time” time for the spirit to refresh and rest. Some time set aside for spiritual fitness.

I know I’ve spent quite a bit of time on the subject of retirement lately, but let’s face it, that’s where my mind is at right now. As I talk about the subject, no one is as inundated with my reflections as my wife is. Sometimes I wonder if she is listening, but I don’t usually ask, I just appreciate her patience and her presence as I go through this transition process. But yesterday she showed me that she is processing this journey right along with me. I was doing some work in my new office and she called. Usually her calls are related to family scheduling issues, communicating plans, organizing to do lists and just checking in to chat. But this call was different.

She was doing her assigned reading for her book club and she read a line that she wanted me to hear. The book is “for one day more” by Mitch Albom, the “Tuesdays with Morrie” guy.

I haven’t read the book yet and don’t want to go into the story, but what I want to share is a short passage. The main character of the book tells the following story”

I met a man once who did a lot of mountain climbing. I asked him which was harder, ascending or descending? He said without a doubt descending, because ascending you were so focused on reaching the top, you avoided mistakes.
“The backside of a mountain is a fight against human nature,” he said. “You have to care about yourself on the way down as you did on the way up.”

Well, I’ve spent the past 25 years climbing the mountain of a law enforcement career. I’ve spent quite a bit of time planning my leaving, my descent, but that time is measured in months as opposed to the years I spent climbing. I guess I walked up the mountain and I ran down it. Not a great plan, but I guess it is better than just jumping off and crashing at the bottom.

To all of you out there on the job, give some thought to this analogy and think about how you are going to get off the mountain….and it is a big mountain….with a great view!

The following is the invocation I offered at today’s Minnesota Chiefs of Police executive board meeting.

Dear God,

We thank you today for this opportunity to gather in the spirit of law enforcement leadership. We ask for guidance as we carry out our leadership roles in this association.

Specifically today we ask that you guide us in the spirit of cooperation and teamwork. As we plan for the future and we look at the needs of our individual agencies, help us to see the common goals and objectives of the profession from a regional and national perspective. Help us preserve our unique individual identities, while building a quality collective identity. An identity built upon the common mission we all share, to protect and to serve.

Bless the food we receive today as nourishment for our bodies, the information presented as nourishment for our minds and the fellowship we share as nourishment for our souls.

Amen

Well, after months of waiting for a decent snowfall to get out on the sleds, we finally got the white stuff we needed. No longer do the dogs have to spend time dragging a noisy four-wheeler through the dirt. A nice quiet glide over the snow. Here’s a few shots of my daughter Amy living the good life!

And a final “father knows best shot:

Dad “Now make sure you slow down on that first curve behind the barn”
Amy “I know, I know, don’t worry about it”
Result: Some left over snow from a first class “Face Plant”

I got the following message from a fellow EPPD retiree the day after my retirement party. We grew up in the same south Minneapolis neighborhood. We have a long history and I always appreciate his friendship and his perspective.

“It is not what he has, nor what he does, which directly expresses the worth
of a man, but what he is.” Henri Frederic Amiel

We were Cops…it was cool…

I’m still right, you’re still wrong….enjoy…

See ya when you get back for coffee….

Like many of the people I’ve worked with, we didn’t always agree. One of the things that he always said has stuck with me for all of these years: “We need to be able to respectively disagree”.

Thanks Vern, I’ll call you this week!

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PS…

I thought I’d throw in a favorite photo from my Mexico trip. This is a shot of the marina in the dark. I took it from them bench where I had my morning coffee and I watched the fishing boats head out.

I’m always on the lookout for articles and stories about career changes and transitions. I also look for things to read that cover the idea of pursuing jobs and careers with meaning and purpose. Today the Strib had one that covered both: Want a career with more of a purpose? You’re not alone. It tells the stories of several people, people who get together with an organization called “Shift”. It provides an opportunity for people to share stories and resources as they look at their lives, their jobs, what they do and what they want to do.

Several stories are about people who felt the need to move to jobs with purpose. A woman switched from a career as a fund raiser to environmental writer, work that she says “feeds her soul”. The story that has the most relevance to Public Safety Ministries is the man who sold his company and became a full time firefighter. The public safety professions, for the right people, are full of fuel for the soul and purpose.

But where do those of us in the professions go when we are due for change. As I talk to cops and firefighters who are nearing retirement age, usually in their early to mid 50’s, all are focused on what they will do next. Everyone realizes they need to do something, but their dilemma is they are leaving a fulfilling purposeful career. How do they replace that spiritual fulfillment they have live with for years? Do they want to replace it? Can they be happy if they don’t replace it?

One of the projects I am most excited about in my new career is my participation in the upcoming “SMPSTF Retirement Academy”. In February the South Metro Public Safety Training Facility is hosting the 1st (hopefully annual) Retirement Academy. Its purpose is to simply help cops plan and prepare for retirement. But plan for it physically, intellectually and spiritually. Five weeks, one night a week for about 3 hours a night. We will discuss a variety of topics with a variety of speakers including a panel of retirees that will share their experiences.

Check out the Strib article and give some thought this week to what you would do if you were in a position of career transition.

Last Monday I woke up to a view of the marina at the hotel where we spent 5 days in Mexico.

Today I’m grooming the 6 fresh inches of snow on the dog track in my neighbors field.

As Cam and I celebrated our 25th year of marriage celebration we started with breakfast either overlooking the marina at the hotel or down at the beach..

From there we headed to the beach or the pool where we rested, we talked, we read, we walked and just enjoyed each others company. It was very enjoyable and relaxing. But to tell you the truth I did look forward to getting home to see the kids and enjoy what has become a bit of traditional Minnesota winter.

Today I got to spend some time on the 4-wheeler packing and dragging the trail. Tomorrow we’ll be able to get on the skis and sleds for the first time this year.

I think variety is the key to an enjoyable life. I’m still sorting out what my days are going to look like as I navigate this transition from full time police chief to second career public safety minister. But when I reflect on the options available out there, from the recreation opportunities shown above to the different callings we all have to serve others, I am excited about the journey.

I wrote awhile ago about the ritual of “sitting in your luggage”. I was speaking metaphorically at the time about preparing for a new career journey in my life. Well today I’m about to sit on it literally. Cam and I are leaving today for a 5 day trip to Mexico. We are celebrating our 25th year of marriage. It has been over 20 years since just the two of us have taken a trip that wasn’t either work related or involved visiting family that is scattered through out the country. Our objective for this trip is to just relax and enjoy each other’s company without any other agenda.

Although the trunk you see will not be our luggage for this journey, it is a place I sit when I stop and pause before I leave on a trip. It is the trunk of my Great Uncle Fritz Carlson, my Grandpa Ivar Carlson’s brother. This is the trunk he carried his stuff in when he came to America about 100 years ago. He and Grandpa Ivar were carpenters. Ivar married my Grandma Elsa who also was born in Sweden and became a nurse here in America. It is a historical place for me to sit, in fact a spiritual place.

I am still unwinding from the great retirement celebration we had the other night. And time to pause, sit, reflect and “spiritually defibrillate” is an important exercise I need prior to this long anticipated time alone with Cam. So I won’t be posting anything on this site for the next several days, but when I get back I’ll be refreshed and recharged and ready to start this next exciting phase of my life.

I am still humbled and amazed by the the attendance and kind words that were shared at my EPPD retirement party last night. I had the opportunity to share stories, memories, plans for the future and a lot of laughs last night. I was blessed by the presence of friends, family, co-workers, community members, retired colleagues in both the police and fire service.

I need to beg forgiveness for not taking the time last night to publicly acknowledge the hard work by my Administrative Assistant, Tracey Schowalter and our Projects Coordinator Sonja Ritchie-Roy,who put on the event! The event is exactly what I had hoped for!