Heroes...

There are heroes amongst us.  They are everywhere and it's sad that sometimes our eyes and hearts are so closed off that we don't see them or recognize them.  Or if we do, we're too afraid to acknowledge them and say something.

People who do brave deeds and have noble qualities are everywhere.  Yes, there are assholes too, but it's the Yin and the Yang, good and evil.  I think life has taught us that you can't have one without the other. The more I became confident in myself, the more vocal I became and acknowledged special people around me.

I acknowledged one such hero in 2008, and the thing this hero said today was that she didn't think of herself as one, and that no one had called her one.  Isn't it sad that it's only when someone passes away that we acknowledge them as our Hero?  What's the point of that? The amazing thing to me, is that these heroes still manage to aspire to greatness without the positive reinforcement that we could be giving them.

There can great heroes and small heroes. It reminds me of the scene in "While You Were Sleeping" where Sandra Bullock's character Lucy was talking with Peter Gallagher's character Peter about heroic deeds. She said to him "Every day, you give your seat up to someone who needs it" and he replied, "that's not heroic". Her response was "It is to the person who sits there." That line has always struck a chord within me.

How often do we put our hand upon someones arm and lean in and whisper, "thanks for being my hero"?  Do we tell our parents that we acknowledge their heroic deeds in raising us?  Now granted, my parent had a lot of issues and struggles, but there was something that stuck out in my mind. When my brother and I was really young (3 and 4), my mother ran out of money and basically starved to make sure we were fed. To sacrifice for your child is heroic.

When your friends show up to your home and help you clean the inside and outside to prepare for out-of-town guests for your Mother's funeral, that is heroic (especially when you're the crappiest housekeeper in the universe).  When a person shares of their difficulties and how they overcame them and manage to give you words of encouragement to make it through the next few minutes of your life, that is heroic.  When your brother is willing to lay his relationship on the line with with you and tell you things that you don't want to hear, that is heroic.

When our soldiers fight for our freedom, and they don't even know you personally, but are willing to die for your rights, that is heroic. When the families of our soldiers have to live moment-to-moment wondering if they'll ever see their loved one again, that is heroic.  When soldiers bear the casket of one of their own brothers lost, every step they take is heroic.

This is my blog, so this is my definition of heroic.  I continually have to remind myself to be aware of the gifts of people around me.  The gifts they impart to me daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. I must not become callous or used to it, but treasure it and hold it close to my heart.  But more importantly, I must remember to share the feeling with the person who gave it so generously and thank them for being my hero...while they're still with me!