Honoring Her Son

Twenty years ago, a 27 year old police officer was sitting in his patrol car at a traffic light.
While he was sitting there, he was ambushed.
Officer Brian Gibson was killed.
His family and his fellow Washington DC officers would never be the same.

How do you handle something so tragic and unexpected?
How do you go on?
Which emotions rise to the surface?
How do those emotions affect other people?

The news report on the Officer Down Memorial Page was as follows:

Master Patrol Officer Brian Gibson was shot and killed execution style as he was stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Missouri Avenue, NW.

He was shot by a man who had just been ejected from a night club by another officer. As Officer Gibson sat in his patrol car the suspect approached him and shot him four times. One bullet struck his shoulder and the other three struck him in the left side of his head. The suspect was arrested by other officers as he ran from the scene.

On February 18, 1998, the suspect in the case was found guilty of all charges. On April 23rd, 1998, the subject was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Officer Gibson had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for six years and was assigned to the Fourth District. He is survived by his wife, two children, parents, and sister.

It was his mother, Shirley Gibson, who took her grief and turned it around.
Shirley was not sure how she would ever get through the holidays after her son was killed.
Instead of bitterness, she honored her son in a simple way.
At Christmas time, Shirley Gibson honors her son by loving his fellow officers.

She loves them in the most practical way possible; Shirley Gibson feeds them.
Shirley has been preparing her son’s favorite dishes and serving them to the police officers.
The police line up outside her house as Shirley, her husband, and others serve them a meal.
Shirley Gibson cooks for three days prior to her big feast.

The first year, 15 people came.
The next year, 100 people came.
Then 300 people came.
Officers line up outside Shirley’s house waiting to see Miss Gibson and eat her fine meal.

Shirley and her family cook 18 turkeys, 24 pans of corn bread, and 24 pans of sweet potatoes.
They bake dozens of cakes and cookies.
I have three freezers downstairs, to hold the turkeys.
I borrowed my neighbor’s freezer across the street, Shirley admitted.

This is Christmas for me. This is what makes us happy, Shirley explained.
Shirley is now 70 years old and this will be her last year making the large meal.
Instead of bitterness, she shares love; instead of sadness, she finds joy in serving others.
Instead of internalizing her grief, she turns her attention outward and loves as Jesus loved.

When Shirley and her husband arrived at the grocery store for the last time, she was shocked.
An honor guard of officers stood at attention as she got out of the car.
They honored Shirley as she honored her son.
With her list in hand, she cried as she passed by each of the officers.

The mayor was inside the store and presented Shirley with a gift for her service.
The mayor gave Shirley 15 tickets to a museum.
The gift was tickets to the most popular attraction in town.
Shirley Gibson received 15 tickets to the African American Museum of History and Culture.

Shirley Gibson explains it best.
All these officers come into my house and they’re hugging Miss Gibson and you feel the service weapons on their side. And when they hug me, it feels like my Brian.

One officer captured the heart of all the others.
We just have to thank her for all the good meals and all the love and all the fellowship that she has provided to the officers.

Twenty years of serving comfort and love and honoring her son’s memory.
Shirley Gibson did not allow her grief to consume her.
Shirley Gibson turned her grief outward and served others.
Shirley Gibson loved when hate would have been so much easier.

Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:37-40)

Hate ambushed an innocent police officer as he sat in his patrol car.
Hate took his life and robbed a wife of her husband and two children of their father.
Hate killed the son of parents who survived him.
Hate ended the earthly bond between brother and sister.

Love wins.
Love ambushes the hate.
Love turns the evil into good.
Love is the fingerprint of God.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Shirley Gibson loved the police officers in order to honor her son’s memory.
Shirley loved them well and loved them practically.
Shirley prayed for the officers every day, which is the best way to love them.
God is love and when we love like He loves, God is pleased.

To watch the video of Shirley Gibson, click here.