Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Dear friend: Your heart is a polished mirror. You must wipe it clean of the veil of dust that has gathered upon it, because it is destined to reflect the light of divine secrets. First of all, I will always consider you a dear friend and neighbor, because the letter I received from your wonderful mother, Mrs. Julia Cook was sincere and she considered me this even though our families did not know one another even living around the corner from you. Because I met, Justin and Gina and her wonderful family, I will always consider The Cook Family as my special friends for life. You were that diamond, Officer Cook, who did not need much polishing, because you were a very humble and special person and public servant to Dade County, Florida citizens. We do not know what you are doing in heaven now, but can can surmise that it is pretty special up there and now you are resting in peace with your loving father, Charles, you can interact quite a bit with him and all of your other comrades who loyally served their communities with honor and distinction. Unfortunately, there are officers today who need more than an extra coat of polish on them to straighten them out. How very tragic!

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 25, 2013

Since hearing of the world of love, I have given my life, my heart and my eyes this way., at last, I believed that love and beloved are different. Now, I know they are the ame. I have been seeing two in one. Your life, Officer Cook was both a beloved one and the type of individual and police officer that you were and the duties you carried out were not only believable, but unbelievable in the sense of how you reacted that terrible day on May 16, 1979, when you went to assist on a call that you did not have to go to and laid down your valued life and soul for your colleagues and the two civilians involved. It says a whole lot of your quality and upstanding character. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. The people you serve always deserve quality and professional service of their officers and you, Officer Cook did not misrepresent your badge. Everything you performed was done with, dignity, honor and integrity.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 25, 2013

I climbed up the plum tree and plucked the grapes there; the master of the garden asked angrily; why are you eating my walnuts? I grabbed a sparrow's wing and loaded it on forty ox-carts. All forty were unable to pull it. So it remained stuck there. The words that God speaks are like no other words. Thus He veils their inner meaning from the closed minds of the hypocrites. Officer Cook, you stood up for a just cause and kept up in its pursuit until you knew it was the right moment to stop and let others take responsibility for their actions. Sometimes officers can serve as advisers and we may not be aware, but you were there for Dade County, Florida citizens and they showed up to pay their respects to you for a job well done. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You were always open-minded when dealing with domestic issues or whatever you had to get a handle on at any particular time. Now that you're in God's beautiful orchard in the sky above I hope you only pick the best produce that God can yield. I know it's only the best where your soul rests.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 24, 2013

If you think the truth can be known from words, if you think that the sun and the ocean can pass through that tiny opening called the mouth, O someone should start laughing! Someone should start wildly laughing-Now! You were known as a happy person, one who could say something funny, Officer Cook and people would start laughing. But, on your job you were obviously a very serious individual, dedicated to weeding out evil. You lived a well balanced life and promoted peace and goodwill among others. You will not be forgotten! Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 24, 2013

I am happy even before I have a reason. I am full of light even before the sky. I can greet the sun or the moon. You grew up in a warm and nurturing home and environment and this is why, Officer Cook you were able to proceed on the path of accomplishment during your twenty-five years of life that Our Creator gave to you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You always were a happy individual and cared very much about the welfare of others and you are dearly missed.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 24, 2013

Know, O beloved, that man was no created in jest or at random, but marvelously made and for some great end. If someone sits with me and we talk about the Beloved, if I cannot give his heart comfort, if I cannot make him feel better about themselves and this world, then quickly run to a house of worship and pray- for you have just committed the only sin I know. The one certain thing we all know is that you always gave a superior effort, Officer Cook and will never be forgotten. Certainly your presence would make our hearts grow much fonder of you, but we know for all your sacrifices, you can know rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 24, 2013

Dear God, As I wake up this morning may Your spirit come upon me. May my heart and soul receive your blessings. May I contribute, peace, serve your purposes. Where my body is broken heal every cell and return it to the right placement. My may mouth speak what you would have me say and may my legs walk only in the direction You will them. take away any pain, sickness and fear. bring a true salvation, the only cure. Bless my holy relationships body to body and from soul to soul. Display love and innocence. may the world retrieve its purpose, the divinity of its mission to reflect and to glorify Your love forever. Send miracles to the war zones and to children who are impoverished. May our waters, grounds, hearts and minds be cleansed and made new. May angels' wings be lent to me, that I might fly above the noise and turmoil of the world. Time and fate have twisted things, help to straighten them out. My body, mind, spirit, love, hate, pain, sorrows, joy, questions, fears, hopes, and my visions I give them all to you. bless the ones who have no hope and show me how to help. Bless all of our law enforcement officials and all fallen officers like you, Officer cook, who stood ready and waiting to make the supreme sacrifice so that our ideals and adventures could be achieved in the name of the Lord. Amen

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

The strongest, surest way to the soul is through the flesh. The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves. But we're not satisfied with what we ourselves have learned about the world and ourselves. We're always waiting for a stranger to come and tell us something more. And 'something more" means "the rest of it," and that's what we need most, we miss it. So, go ahead, stranger!....tell her what she or he is beyond what they already know they are, their lives, their years, their great expenditures of themselves, what of themselves is honey and what is gall on their tongue, the hunger they have and the hunger they see. You can live a lifetime and at the end of it, know more about other people than you know about yourself. We fed our hearts on fantasies, the heart's grown brutal from the fare, more substance in our enmities than in our love. Each relationship you have with another person reflects the relationship you have with yourself. As for me, I know of nothing else but miracles. If only miracles could have brought you back with us, Officer Cook. The honey that dripped off your lips, the way you addressed people is the legacy by which you'll always be remembered, because this is how you were taught by your loving parents. Your marriage to Karen was based on a sacred trust, loyalty and honor as was the friendships you forged at your department. Nothing will ever take away your accomplishments and the accolades this day and forevermore that are due to you for the excellent and outstanding service you provided Dade County and its citizens. You were as we say in Jewish a "mensch." Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. "A Man Among Men" and "A Hero Through and Through."

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good and we must hunger after them. In the calm water of the love nights, where you were conceived, where you have conceived, a strange feeling comes over you when you see the silent candle burning. No longer caught up in the obsession of darkness, a desire for higher love-making sweeps you upward. Finally distance does not make you falter; flying, soaring, arriving in magic and insane for the light, you are the moth and you are gone. And so long as you do not accept this truth and be willing to die, so that you might live, you will always walk this dark earth a troubled guest alone. There comes a time when we aren't allowed to know. sometimes God's most hidden secrets are the ones best left up to the Creator and when the time is right to know them, then He will tell us in His own way. We have to try and accept, though we don't fully comprehend why, Officer Cook, you were taken from our midst at such a young age. To say "only the good die young" doesn't always seem to suffice for an explanation. Decades after your untimely death, we are still left to ponder these reasons, any plausible reason as to why you left this world. But, decades later, thirty-four years later you're still regarded as a hero and there is no disputing the fact of your unselfish act that saved your fellow officers and those two civilians, one of which was the girlfriend of the young man who took your life. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero and may your beautiful soul soar higher than an eagle.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

I am not afraid....I was born to do this. Connections are made slowly, sometimes they grow underground. The need to find meaning...is as real as the need for trust and love, for relations with other human beings. The day you were born, a ladder was set up to help you escape from this world. Let us not fear the hidden. Or each other. It is tragic that some gifts have to be made so costly. Love is short, forgetting is long and understanding longer still. Now for some heart work. We find what we search for-or if we don't find it, we become it. You were born to protect us, Officer Cook and now that you took up the cause of the citizens, you can ascend God's heavenly ladder to His glorious kingdom where perfection can be achieved with your other comrades who like you participated in protecting others and in making this land a safer haven for all. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

All our acts have sacramental possibilities. Think of the inside of your house as your soul and the outside architecture as something like your bone structure, your genetic inheritance...Our true home is inside each of us and it is your love of life that transforms your house into your home. You exhibited a genuine love of life, Officer Cook and a passion to want to assist other sin making them feel secure in ho they were. Karen and yourself took the bonds of holy matrimony to a higher level each and every day of your beloved lives. The church where you prayed was an extension of your wonderful home as was the department where you befriended so many officers and personnel from all walks of life. Your senses were keen and nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul. You stressed fairness and justice for all and this was your mantle. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You elevated others by elevating yourself.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

Sorrow fully accepted brings its own gifts. For there is alchemy in sorrow. It can be transmuted into wisdom, which, if it does not bring joy, can yet bring happiness. The only happiness such a tragic event could deliver to us is knowing that the memories are always there to share and we know what your cherished soul is doing at all times of the day and night. Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life. We lost a fantastic person when you departed this world, Officer Cook, but we sure know you are still looking out after our best interests. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

Razors pain you; rivers are damp; acids stain you; and drugs cause cramps. Guns aren't lawful; nooses give; gas smells awful; you might as well live. Officer Cook, if you only knew the suffering that those of us experience over your tragic passing. But we do know we will see you one day in the near future. For now, rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them. Officer Cook, you never expected a free handout from anyone, God forbid. You were not raised this way, nor was Nancy by your loving parents. I'm sure they worked very hard to assist you and your sister along the way. They made sacrifices to help benefit you. You and Nancy only brought, pride, honor and joy their way and for this you can be sure of the rewards that await you. How very proud your mother, Mrs. Julia Cook, must be of you and in her letter to me, stated this. You are missed very much today and as I've said before were the darling of everyone's eye who is now and forever in our hearts and minds to offer a little prayer over. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. Through both your hard work and that of your beloved parents you made dreams become reality.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

Every spirit builds itself a house and beyond its house, a world, a heaven. Know then that world exists for you. The world today that we eat, breath, sleep and live in is safer because of heroes and heroines such as you, Officer Cook. From smart, humble beginnings comes greatness and ingenuity. These were some of the hallmarks of your storied police career with the Metro-Dade Police Department. There are homes you run from and homes that you run to. You had three homes in Florida: in North Miami Beach, Florida where you grew up. The second was with Karen in the Norwood Section of North Miami, Florida and thirdly, where you worked as a police officer for six solid years of very credible and honorable service to Dade County and for its citizens. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

The blessings for which we hunger are not found in other places or people. These gifts can only be given to you by yourself. They are at home in the hearth of your soul. You may be gone from us, Officer Cook, but the blessings you so bestowed upon us remain as part of your living legacy, enduring to all. May you rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

This the hour of lead, remembered, if outlived, as freezing persons recollect the snow-first chill, then stupor; then the letting go. We let go of you, Officer Cook, physically so your soul could ascend God's heavenly ladder to heaven, but all the wonderful and pleasant memories of your life are always going to be here and shared forever. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 23, 2013

The spiritual journey is one of continually falling on your face, getting up, brushing yourself off, looking sheepishly at God and taking another step. Why indeed must "God" be a noun? Why not a verb-the most active and dynamic of all? Faith is the centerpiece of a connected life. It allows us to live by the grace of invisible strands. It is a belief in a wisdom superior to our own. Your life and that of Karen's, Officer Cook was predicated on one universal and unifying theme, "Faith." never one to lack ideals and beliefs you put God in charge of your valued lives daily and were able to soak up more meaning in why you were motivated to achieve success in your varied professions. It's never too late-in fiction or in life-to revise. You always knew Officer Cook if you took this road, it would lead you to promises beyond your wildest expectations. You were a grand person and are just that in God's kingdom as you rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 22, 2013

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you insane your whole life. No one is perfect of course, Officer Cook, but you and your beloved wife, Karen strived to live a well balanced life between your professions. You cared about helping others achieve and so did Karen. All anyone could ask of their officers is to give their best effort day and night and so you did this for a good portion of your career. Honesty is still the best policy and it took you to the top of your profession and I believe if you were here today, your destiny would have taken you to much greater heights. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 22, 2013

One sad thing about this world is that the acts that take the most out of you are usually the ones that people will never know about. I would be surprised if there are people who don't know about you, Officer Cook and the sacrifice you made on behalf of Dade County, Florida citizens. Go to your local library and order a copy of the book titled,"Forgotten Heroes." It's an excellent read and the stories of each officer in this book will make the hair on your neck curl up. All the great blessings of your life, Officer Cook are very present in not only my thoughts, but in your devoted family's, your friends and comrades who went out in the streets with you back then to fight the battle of evil. You were their hero and my you rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 22, 2013

The universe works with you and for you. it is not your enemy. Police officers make friends and yet as it occurs sometimes in the course of their roles, make enemies in the process. How unfortunate! You, Officer Cook were probably the most likeable officer back then in your department. Friendly to all, you would give the shirt off your back to help someone less fortunate than you. Your youthful appearance, your young age, made you more appealing to most women and your beloved wife, Karen, saw all these qualities and more inside your very special soul. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 22, 2013

Occasionally the impossible happens; this is a truism that accounts for much of what we call good luck; and also, bad. The day of your tragedy, Officer Cook, with just five minutes left on your shift before you and your partner of that day, Reserve Officer Scott Lincoln were going to head back to your station house, change and go home, an event happened that forever changed your family's life and your department's rank and file. You gave us a glimpse of the upstanding gentleman you truly were and the superior man of valor and grace who truly personified the ideals of true law enforcement officials. You assisted your friends-fellow officers, saved their lives that they were clinging to on the streets of Liberty City and in the process, gave up yours so they could live. They simply put don't come any more genuine than yourself, Officer Cook. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 22, 2013

Luck is not chance, it's toil, fortune's expensive smile is earned. You have every right to smile that beautiful smile down on us, Officer Cook, as white as your teeth were, we can appreciate the greatness bestowed upon you by God. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero, you worked very hard to become who you were and your legacy is as polished as your teeth were.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 22, 2013

Courage is as often the outcome of despair as hope; in the one case we have nothing to lose, in the other, all to gain. With police work there are associated risks and dangers of the job. Officers put their lives on the line day and night for our securities and safeties. You put your life on the line for us Officer Cook and for this we will be forever grateful. But this was the outstanding character of your persona that took over. You went to a call you did not have to go to, but your instincts and courage were outstanding that day to protect your fellow officers and you are to be commended. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 22, 2013

Even the most ordinary life is a mystery if you look close enough. One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness; one only stumbles upon them by chance, in a lucky hour, at the world's end somewhere and holds fast to the days, as to fortune or fame. Back in your day, Officer Cook, you became a police officer because of a special calling you had to make society safer. You certainly did not amass a fortune as police officers were not compensated as they are today. The fame was not as known back then, You did not work to be famous, you worked to make an honest living dedicated to serving the public. Your work, Officer Cook, along with that of your former partner, Officer Keith DiGenova who was seriously wounded the day you were taken from us was recognized by your department and you were both honored accordingly. Officer DiGenova has struggled physically and emotionally and I'm sure it has been hard for him all these years after your tragic loss to come to grips over the events of that fateful day of May 16, 1979 that took your young life away from Karen, your beloved wife, your mother, Mrs. Julia Cook, Nancy, your doting sister and the rest of your loving and most precious family members. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero in God's Divine palace where only heroes and heroines lie and their souls hover above assisting with watch of God's golden streets below.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 22, 2013