Police Officer Brandon Fleming was recently filled with sadness after helping with what he described as a “heartbreaking call” when a little girl stepped into his life and changed everything.
Fleming, of the South Hill Police Department in South Hill, Virginia, wrote an Instagram post explaining that he was somberly walking to his car after dealing with the depressing call when 4-year-old Nariah broke through the silence.
“Hi, Mr. Officer!” she proclaimed.
The cop, clearly deep in his thoughts, said that he was surprised to see the little girl standing nearby with her mom, and he instantaneously took note of her joyfulness, WTVR-TV reported.
“I was taken aback by her joyful nature and I attempt to greet her with as much jubilation as she did with me,” he explained. “I asked how she was and she informed me that she was great that day and that it was her birthday.”
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Then, Nariah asked a question that melted Fleming’s heart — and absolutely made his career: “Can I have a hug for my birthday?” Considering the horrible day the officer had, he wasted no time in obliging.
“I ran as fast as I could to her as she did to me and grabbed her and received the most genuine of hugs ever,” Fleming wrote. “She asked if I had a sticker badge she could have and while I searched my car for what I thought I had, I was unable to locate one.”
So, Fleming asked Nariah’s mom for the family’s address and promised to find her later in the day and deliver a birthday gift to her. While no one was home the first few times he went to the house, the cop did eventually track Noriah down, bringing her some presents for her special day.
In the end, though, it seems Noriah offered up the best gift of all: perspective.
“This right here people is why I do the job I do. For MY community. For EVERYONE’S children. For the betterment of US all,” Fleming wrote. “If someone so small can show such a great deal of love and compassion to me, a complete stranger, then why can’t we all do the same for one another?”
It’s a pointed message for us all that comes at a divisive and troubling time in our culture.