Mike McClaughry has always loved the classic holiday movie It's a Wonderful Life, but it has never resonated with him the way it does now.
"It's gonna be a special Christmas, this year," said McClaughry, tears welling up in his eyes.
It's a Wonderful Life tells the story of a good man facing his own mortality. McClaughry feels it bears a striking similarity to his own situation when he lay in a coma last Christmas with a gunman's bullet in his skull.
"You start to realize that all of your life experiences, all of the things you've done have really mattered to some people," he said.
McClaughry was on-duty with the Mount Vernon Police Department on December 15, 2016 when he was shot point blank in the head while confronting an alleged gang member.
That bullet left the officer blind. His sight has actually worsened over the past few months. The hardest part for McClaughry has been not being able to see his grandkids grow up.
The shooter also robbed McClaughry of the ability to see his mother one last time before she died over the summer.
"Fortunately, I did get to hold her hand and I did get to kiss her goodbye, but I didn't get to see her face," he said.
Perennially positive, McClaughry prefers to focus on the blessings that have come from his horrible experience.
He has received numerous honors and accolades over the past year, including the State of Washington's Medal of Honor. He even got to raise the 12th Man flag at a Seahawks game. McClaughry remains overwhelmed by the support he continues to receive to this day.
"It's kept me pointed in the right direction," he said. "It's given me the ability to stay focused on my recovery."
As McClaughry feels his way into the future, he can't help but think back on a vision he had, comatose in the hospital.
He felt himself slipping, perhaps toward death, and then received a message.
"It simply was – you don't get to go there. Not yet. You have more to do," he said.
McClaughry says he can't help but be reminded of George Bailey in that famous film.
The newly retired police officer now carries with him a perspective on life that can only come after facing death. He appreciates all he has now more than ever.
Sitting back in his living room chair, McClaughry watches a newly resurrected George Bailey run through the snowy streets of Bedford Falls, shouting to the rooftops and gleefully kissing his family.
He wipes a tear from his smiling eyes and says, "It truly is a wonderful life."
