The last time I was at the range, was with Micah.
I grew up in a hunting, firearm friendly family. I had handled guns before, but Micah was the first person to give me true technique coaching.
It’s a sweet spot in marriage when you have a skill you can teach your spouse that you both truly enjoy. I’ll never forget those dates with my husband/cop/hero.
Micah was very skilled in marksmanship and always got great scores at the range when he qualified on his duty weapons.
When he died, I inherited his arsenal. It’s been on my list of skills to level up on since he was killed. But I was a little (or a lot 
) intimidated by the idea of becoming comfortable with all the guns. It’s also a new level of acceptance of his death.
) intimidated by the idea of becoming comfortable with all the guns. It’s also a new level of acceptance of his death.I was perfectly comfortable being the tech support, Felicity Smoak to his Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. Now he’s gone. And the reality of being ready to protect my family weighs heavily on me in a way it never did while he was alive.
Knowing I needed to level up but feeling insecure made me feel really vulnerable. In line with their love for widows and orphans, Victor Marx and Eileen, with their HUGE 
’s, gave me the opportunity to come out to their range and train with one of their tactical experts. Keith was highly skilled and very patient with me. I was given the chance to train with their guns and mine so I could grow in skill and confidence.
’s, gave me the opportunity to come out to their range and train with one of their tactical experts. Keith was highly skilled and very patient with me. I was given the chance to train with their guns and mine so I could grow in skill and confidence.I came in that day with anxiety and I left knowing that Micah would be so proud of me for pushing through my fear and continuing what we started. And I have a greater level of peace knowing that if someone breaks in, I’ll be ready. 
You can listen to me process my journey through grief and the hope that I’ve found on my podcast, “The Hopecast with Rachael Flick”
