The Sanctity of Heroes.
We all have them. Even if we try not to, there’s always going to be someone in your life who you look up to, someone who makes you want to be a better person, a kinder friend, a more giving partner.
We need to have these people in our lives, because we need an ideal to guide ourselves by, to show us the pathway through our own darkness, to light our way and lead us on.
And some days, heroes seem to be in short supply.
I’ve come to realize lately that the greatest heroes in my life are not the people who perform grandiose feats of courage or achievement, but those who in their quiet way fight against their weaknesses, and against the difficult cards life has dealt them.
Those who get up day after day, fighting their own fight, and standing firm when they want to fall over and quit. They fight not against monsters or armies, but against time, against age, against loneliness, fear, despair and sadness.
Interestingly, the majority of my heroes are women.
My wife is the most obvious one, and her fight every day is putting up with me. Her patience with my weaknesses is legendary, and her ability to keep me focused when my creativity (or ADD, whatever you want to call it) goes into overdrive is nothing short of miraculous.
She has stood by me for 23 years, while other people told her she was crazy. Maybe she is, but I’m glad she’s here. I would be nothing without her, and I knew I should marry her when I felt that I wanted to be a better person because of her influence in my life.
Another hero is my mother-in-law.
Her quiet strength through years of difficulty has amazed and humbled me. Her conduct, her strength and her faith over the last 9 months has been inspiring and deeply moving as she has withstood events that would have crushed almost anyone else I know.
Her resilience is beyond understanding.
I have a sister-in-law who lives close to us, who is one of my very best friends. As a single mother, she works tirelessly for her children, pushing through time after time when called upon to battle difficult situations. She always leads with kindness, when other would become bitter and angry.
I’m so grateful to have her presence in my life.
And my children are my greatest heroes. I have been blessed with two boys (now young men) who constantly lead me by their quiet examples.
Although they are incredibly different from each other, the goodness and strength they express every day moves me to wonder, and an incredible sense of gratitude that I get to learn from them, and to share time with them. The greatest privilege of my life has been being their father.
I am richly blessed with heroes to look up to, and be guided by.
And I wonder, who are your heroes?
— Dr. Alan Barnes
@maddrbmusings