What is a Hero?

The dictionary gives three definitions of "Hero." The one I think of when I hear it is : "a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has peformed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal."

A post on one of my discussion boards led me to write this post. The question was "What do you think makes someone a hero? Is it strictly their job (i.e. Military, Firefighter, Police, etc.) or can anyone be a hero?

I think everyone, at some point in their life, is a hero to someone. Being a hero is not a constant way of life, it is something that happens at certain points in life. Let me share a story:

I have a friend who told me about this. He was driving the other day on a small back road on his way home. He noticed two kids standing on the side of the road and they were pointing at something; he looked back to the road and saw a ball in the middle. The kids were trying to figure out how to get the ball without going in the road. So, he stopped to get the ball and give it to them. They thanked him and went back into the yard to play. At that point, he was their hero for "rescuing" their ball so they could continue to play.

In certain professions, heroism seems to be a constant, although the people working in those professions do not feel they are heros; they are simply doing their job. Since my husband is a Paramedic I have many friends who are in EMS, Firefighters, Police and even Military; they are called heros everyday and their response is always the same..."I am just doing my job." To us they are heros because without them, bad situations would have no resolve, but to them they are doing what their called profession has trained them to do.

The military men and women are also everyday heros but I notice a lot of them feel the same way...it is their job. My uncle is in the military and after returning home from a deployment was asked what it was like to be a hero. He wasn't sure how to answer the question because he does not think of himself as a hero.

We are able to choose acts of heroism each day and I feel this choice happens more often than not; we can send money to help a needy family, donate clothing to a homeless shelter, teach someone illiterate to read, or even volunteer at a soup kitchen. All of these things help people who, without us or someone else, would not have the help they need.

As you go on about your day, and life, remember that at some point YOU are the hero!

Locks of Love

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to get my hair cut...it took me until yesterday to really convince myself to do it. My sis-in-law cuts my hair so when I got there to have it done she did something totally different than what I had planned. Between her and Ashley deciding for me, I didn't have a chance :) But....I love it!

So, before she starts to do anything, she measures my hair; I wasn't sure why at first but soon figured it out. She said if I cut 10" off I could donate the hair to "Locks of Love." I was so excited when I found out I had enough hair for this. I would have never imagined my hair was that long!

I was happy when I found out about being able to donate to this cause but as the day went on and, now even this morning, I am still very pleased I was able to donate my hair. If you do not know about "Locks of Love" please visit the following site, http://www.locksoflove.org/, for more information.

My new hairstyle after cutting off my "Lock of Love"

My sis-in-law and me with the "Lock of Love"

Catching Up

It has been a while since I have been able to sit down and write a post. Our lives have been pretty crazy in the past couple of weeks. I had my first wedding for my business on June 20 and it was great but I spent most of the week before doing nothing but getting ready for it. June 20 was also my bday but we decided to put that off until Sunday when I wasn't so busy. June 21 was Father's Day so we went to church and then had lunch with the family. The afternoon was spent lounging around and then back to church that night.

June 22 started Vacation Bible School at Grant's and even though we would be moving the following Sunday I had already committed to being the music director for the week. So, each night that week we went to "Camp E.D.G.E." to learn about God and His love for us and how we can show Him to others. It was a great blessing, as it always is, to work with the kids and see them praising God in song. They love to sing and are always ready to jump into any kind of music we can teach them. Saturday night was the commencement program and all of the classes did a great job with their readings and songs.

June 21 was bittersweet for Charlie and me at Grant's Chapel; it was our last Sunday there for at least a year. Charlie has been called into the ministry and this past Sunday, June 28, was our first Sunday in the Del Rio Circuit (Cocke Co.). I was very apprehensive about going because I have never been away from Grant's Chapel. When we first found out I was excited because I know this is what Charlie wants to do; I went through cycles of excited, scared, nervous, sad, apprehensive, and then back to excited. We had a great first Sunday there and everyone we met was very warm and welcoming to our family. It will be an adjustment but I know that God has a plan for us and that is where we are supposed to be now.

Last night was the district pastor's picnic where Charlie, Lawson, and I were officially introduced to the other clergy members. It was a wonderful evening of fellowship and meeting new people. This new chapter in our lives will definitely be an adjustment but it is going to be a blessing for sure. I met several other pastor's wives last night and I know that if I ever need anything all I have to do is call any of them and they will be there for me. It is nice to know that when you become part of the clergy you are not just taking on another job but you are entering a family!