A Life of Dharma
Today I attended a funeral of someone I didn’t know.
I was nearing my home coming back from running errands and picking up lunch in town when a live stream alert from my church in Louisiana popped up on my phone saying a funeral service was about to begin. Intrigued and not recognizing the name, I clicked on it to see who this was.
It was immediately obvious that this person had a law enforcement background. There were flags across the back of the stage, an ICE vest on one side, and a U.S. Marshal’s Service vest on the other side. The picture displayed on the screen showed the face of a young man.
Bagpipes began to play, and the procession slowly walked down the aisle and into the sanctuary. Led by the colors of the American and Louisiana flags came the casket, speakers, minister, and family. The pallbearers escorting the coffin were in desert camo tactical vests labeled U.S. Marshal.
I continued to watch, enthralled, as the master of ceremonies got to the pulpit, said a brief welcome, and asked the minister, the senior pastor from our church, to come pray.
By now I was at my laptop, and curious to see who this was, I did a quick search. The young man in the picture was Drew, 36 years old, a U.S. Marshal. Less than a week ago, he and his team were serving an outstanding arrest warrant when the fugitive barricaded himself in his bedroom and shot at the officers, striking Drew, who later succumbed to his injuries.
I was touched by the brief news stories and the feeling of loss for the sacrifice this young man had made and the family he left behind.
Dharma Begins Early
Next, his father got up to speak. The first thing he said, calling his son by his nickname, was from the time Drew was four or five years old, all he wanted to be was a U.S. Marshal. When Drew was in high school, he researched on how to become a U.S. Marshal and decided he needed to go to college in criminal justice, so he got a criminal justice degree.
He then went to his parents and explained the next thing he needed to do to be a U.S. Marshal is to go to the police academy. Now, usually someone gets hired by a police department and the police department sends them to a police academy for training, but Drew was focused on his Definite Major Purpose (DMP).
His father relayed how Drew told him, “I need you to sponsor me. It will be $5,000 for me to go to the police academy.”
After attending the police academy, Drew got a job with Customs and Border Patrol, attended FLETC, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, for training, and moved across the country to work in Arizona.
After a few years, he told his father he was taking a job with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE. His dad asked him if he liked his job in Arizona, and he said he did, but moving to ICE would get him closer to becoming a U.S. Marshal.
Dharma Guided Him
ICE sent him back to FLETC for training. Drew kept his focus on his goal, and in a few years, the opportunity arose and he was hired by the U.S. Marshal’s Service, who sent him back to FLETC for additional training.
At this point in the service, Drew’s wife Natalie was speaking and explained that she was hired to replace Drew at the ICE position he left, and they were both at FLETC going through their respective trainings at the same time.
She candidly said, “I couldn’t figure out why this guy was back at FLETC for a third time until I met him. He was so passionate about becoming a U.S. Marshal, he was determined to do whatever it took to achieve it.”
Several of his team members shared memories, his aunt sang, and the head of the U.S. Marshal’s Service spoke. The minister said a few words and prayed. Then the service leader, who was the one who hired Drew for the U.S. Marshal’s Service, concluded with a statement Natalie had made to Drew’s team the night before, “Drew died doing what he loved.”
One Person Living His Dharma Can Inspire Others
I never met Drew and do not know his family, nor any of approximately 1200 people in attendance at the church and 680 people watching via livestream, but spending two hours with them crying, laughing, and hearing his story was an emotional reminder that what I want and passionately pursue is possible when I keep it always in focus.
Drew achieved his dharma, and he died doing what he loved.
May we all do the same.
*In this context, Dharma refers to one living his or her best life, fulfilling one’s purpose, fully committing to one’s dreams, while adding value to the world. For more information about Dharma, see Wikipedia.
