"YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED

AND COMMANDED...." Those are some mighty powerful words to be

found in one small, white envelope. The reading of those attention-getting

words is usually preceded by a knock on the door and a friendly officer

of the court asking you if you are who you are.

Last month, just before lunchtime,

I was staring at the computer screen trying to come up with a topic for

my next awe-inspiring, heart-stopping, on the edge of your seat, life-changing

story when I happened to look out the window and saw a law enforcement

officer park his patrol car in my driveway, get out and start to walk

up to my front door.

The first thought that crossed

my mind was Somebody's hurt. I dismissed that thought quickly because

one of my buddies at the fire department would've already called

me had that happened. The officer knocked on my door. Getting up out of

my comfy computer chair, I thought, Someone must have gotten into trouble.

Great! Now what has The Boy done?

With apprehension, I opened

the door and asked the officer, "Can I help you sir?" I've

found, in my short life, that it's always a good idea to say "sir"

when talking to an officer of the law.

The officer asked me if I was

who I was, and I told him I am who I am. He then handed me a small, white

envelope with the official county seal on the outside and said, "Have

a nice day." I don't remember exactly what my reply was to the

officer, but it had a lot of "sirs" in it. I closed the door

and watched as he turned and walked