A photograph from a traffic stop out of North Carolina has helped to restore faith in humanity for many people all around.
“It was a really beautiful moment for me to see this take place between my dad and the officer,” Ashlye V. Wilkerson said.
Ashlye, 39, was driving her dad, Anthony Geddis, nicknamed Tony, who’d recently finished a series of chemotherapy treatments at the University of Duke Medical Center, back home over in Columbia, South Carolina.
“We heard a siren and saw a blue light coming behind us. I immediately looked down and to the sign on my right to see what speed I was doing and the speed limit. I then realized that the speed limit changed from what I was previously going by,” she said.
By the time the officer arrived at the vehicle, Anthony had already rolled his window down.
“Ma’m, do you know what speed you were doing?” Trooper Jaret Doty said after introducing himself. “I’m going to need your license and registration.”
That’s when Anthony sprung into action to shield his little girl, as he was known to do.
“This is my baby girl,” he told Doty. “She’s driving me home from a chemo treatment at the cancer center at Duke.”
At that point, the officer made his way back to his patrol vehicle to review Wilkerson’s data. He realized he wasn’t going to cite Wilkerson with a speeding ticket this time, but contemplated whether there was something else he could do instead.
Upon finishing up the review, Doty made his way back to the Wilkerson’s vehicle and looked to Geddis asking: “Can I pray for you?”
Geddis responded surprised, “Of course. I absolutely believe in prayer.”
Doty then began praying over Geddis, and in the end, gave Wilkerson a warning ticket and said that he would keep on praying to God for their family.
Forward two months later, Anthony Geddis passed away at age 61.
She created a tribute for her father online on LinkedIn, composed as though she were talking straightforwardly to him. She incorporated the photograph of the miraculous traffic stop, despite the fact that she didn’t have a clue who the officer was. The post on LinkedIn reads:
A photo from a traffic stop in North Carolina has restored faith in humanity for many people. #goodnews https://t.co/z3z8PEQca4
— Sunny Skyz (@SunnySkyzOnline) June 14, 2022
“You didn’t know I captured this picture in the moment but I did it so it could continue to remind me of two things:
1- You always protected me even through your final days; and
2- You were a fighter, firm believer in Christ, and a praying warrior.
I’m so grateful for your love, guidance, and example. Heartfelt thanks to this officer who prayed for and with you that day.”
Furthermore, Wilkerson has in excess of photos with a timestamp on them. During the prayer, Doty squeezed a small silver cross into her dad’s hand. Her dad kept this very cross in his wardrobe until the day he went on to be with the Lord.
“My mom gave it to me after he passed,” Wilkerson said. Now she keeps it displayed on her dresser with all of its sentimental value and meaning. Presently, though she may be fully grown and have a life and family of her own. She still refers to herself as a “daddy’s girl” ending with:
“My father was my favorite person in the world.”
This story syndicated with permission from My Faith News
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