Emerging Courageous Online Magazine - Stories
HEROES (c) Al Batt
I listened to Ray Charles sing "America the Beautiful" the other
morning. It gave me a lump in my throat.
Then I listened to Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America."
My eyes grew misty. I love this country. I love the people who live in this
country. Like most us of us, I don't just live in America, it lives within
me. It is a land filled with heroes. I once asked my father what was the biggest
event, other than family things in his life. Without hesitation, he
answered, "Pearl Harbor." When I asked him why, he told me that
it was because of all of the heroes.
I have taught classes in which I have asked students to name the five wealthiest
people in the world, the last five
Super Bowl MVPs, ten actors who have won an Academy Award and ten Grammy
winners. How
do my students do at this exercise? They are terrible at it. Very few are
able to name more than two or three
of the thirty names. These people are all famous, but we have difficulty
remembering who they are. I then ask
my charges to name five teachers who make them want to learn, five people who
have taught them something
good that is worth knowing, ten friends or family members who have helped them
through a tough time and ten
people who they enjoy spending time with. How do the students do in this
assignment? They do very
well -- often too well, writing down more names than I asked for. Why does
this happen? It is a simple
lesson for us all. The people who make a difference in our lives are not the
rich, the famous or the ones
with the most awards. The people who make a difference in your life and in
my life are the ones who care.
Take this day to hug those you love and tell them that you love them.
Write a note or make a phone call to
someone who has made a difference in your life and tell him or her that he or
she has made a difference.
Be remembered by showing someone that you care. I realize that athletes,
businessmen, singers, and
actors can be heroes. We have a tendency to make them so. I hope that they
all strive to be the kind that
we all can look up to. I also know that we all have learned that true
courage is demonstrated regularly
by ordinary people rising above hopeless situations. Ordinary folks who show us
that they care. We all
watched transfixed as the firefighters, police officers and emergency workers
risked their lives by rushing
fearlessly into burning buildings on the East Coast to save the lives of others.
They are all heroes.
We watched our TV sets as people arrived at the sight of the national tragedy to
provide food, blood, clothing
and money. They are all heroes.
Those who serve in our military and sacrifice much to keep us free are heroes.
Those who remember others
in their prayers -- they are heroes, too.
All these people are what makes this country the greatest country on earth.
We don't have to look very
far to find heroes. Do not doubt for a second that our local firefighters,
police officers and emergency personnel
would do the same. I live in a rural area and can testify to the bravery
of volunteer firemen. They are all heroes.
The medical professionals who perform daily miracles are heroes. Our
teachers who teach our children to be
better than what they see on the news and our clerics who help us make sense of
what troubles us -- they are
heroes.
But we don't even have to look that far to find a hero. If you want to see
a hero, look in a mirror. Become a keeper of hope. Why not help the Salvation
Army, the Red Cross, the United Way, a church, a school, a service club or any
number of other wonderful organizations? It is easy to volunteer and someone is
always looking for help. Volunteering will make you a better person and it will
keep this country great. Share a smile with everyone you see. Stop and
visit someone at a nursing home. Such a visit will do you good. And
you know what? If you do any of these things, you will show you care and
you will make a difference. You will be a hero. Thanks to you and others
like you, the eagle still flies high and America is still the beautiful.
Al Batt
[email protected]
Write Al and let him know your thoughts on his story!