Who's your Hero?

As I scroll though the latest tweets on twitter this morning I see the phrase " Tell me who your hero's are".

Wow. Nothing like getting the brain going early in the morning. This was most definitely an challenging thing to come up with.

My first thought was my friend Deb. Although she has some very impressive political achievements under her belt, the things that I admire about her are too long to list. To name a few I love that she is as real as they get. If you don't want a truthful answer, don't ask Deb. She never apologizes for who she is and is not the type to whine about her figure or try to make her body into something it's not (a size zero). She is positive and encouraging and has the most amazing sense of humor. Although we have not spent a ton of time together I always look forward to our chats either on the phone or by email.

Thinking about hero's is an interesting thing. Our first thought is someone famous perhaps. Ghandi, Mother Teresa, The Dalai Lama, maybe a celebrity even.... lets think a little closer to home. Everyone has a story.... when I think of my friends and family and coworkers and acquaintances there is one "hero" in my circle that I want to mention.

There is a gem of a lady that I met last fall. She is (not by her choosing) a single mother of 5 children. Her life is not easy. She works, volunteers both with her kids activities and in other things she enjoys. After having 5 kids and suddenly becoming single she went back to school to learn some administrative skills and through this long process has emerged a positively vibrant, strong, and determined woman. She invests real quality time with her kids. A line she always uses as a guide with raising her kids is " more is caught then taught". After many years of single life she is getting married and is looking forward to being married again. No matter what she deals with in the course of a day she is always smiling and always lights up a room when she enters it. I miss her when she is not around. Her energy, humor and outlook on life is addicting. I love you girl!!

In my world, hero's have certain traits. So perhaps you are one of them and we have not met yet.

A hero breaks the cycle of negative and destructive behavior in their family lines.

A hero does not let the past define their future.

A hero admits when they don't have all the answers and knows how to ask for help.

A hero desires to be a better person and strives everyday to do so.

A hero puts relationships ahead of things.

A hero knows how to say "I'm sorry I was wrong".

A hero is a voice for those that don't have one.

Be a hero. Every hero thing you do really does change some one's life for the better.