A Servant's Heart

By Jim Cheatham

Happy New Year! The promise of new beginnings and excitement that comes with the advent of the new year is palpable. Many of us will make resolutions, and many of us will break them. While some have found a loophole in the system and have made a resolution to never make any more resolutions.

We will also celebrate the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service this month an entire day where we are encouraged to get out and volunteer in our communities, giving us an opportunity to get involved with others, for the benefit of others, for the common good of the community.

Service is not a new concept to Alpharetta Public Safety. If you ask our men and women why they got into public safety, they will likely answer that they desired to serve and help others. You will see Service Above All painted on our fire trucks, and the number one way we meet our mission of improving quality of life is through a servants heart.

Last month, the annual Army-Navy football game was played. If you have never attended one of these games, you should add it to your bucket list. Its about so much more than the game. Not only do you have two football teams that will graduate and serve as officers in our armed forces, you also have the March On of the cadets and midshipmen who will serve as our militarys future leaders. Dont forget the fans. Most of them either served their country themselves or are the family of a service member. The whole stadium is filled with respect and honor. You are surrounded by people with a servants heart, and it is an incredibly inspiring experience.

So, lets start a new trend. Lets find our servants heart and make a resolution that we can keep. Lets join together all year for the greater good of our community. Lets turn north Fulton into an atmosphere like the Army-Navy game.

How do we do this? What does that look like? While everyone may not agree on things or want things the same way, we can be respectful and have honor in our actions. It can be as simple as a sidewalk greeting, friendlier driving, a wave, or a smile. If you want to do more, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities throughout our community. Alpharetta Public Safety has Citizens Corps programs for those with a heart to serve. No matter what you decide, it just takes that servants heart in all of us to make our community truly awe inspiring in 2019.