Archive for the ‘Heroes’ tag

Who are Your heroes? Recognizing Those with Determination, Guts and Grace

When it comes to marriage, my husband and I are like the Wonder Twins...only we don't look as good as these two do in purple spandex suits.

Recently, I asked Giant who his hero is. A lengthy discussion ensued about the definition of a hero. And it got me thinking…who is my hero? Who do I look up to?

My husband, who is massaging my neck at the moment to combat the chronic pain I have as a result of a car crash a year ago, is one of my true heroes. He is loyal, gentle, wise, honest, solid-as-a-rock, ethical, compassionate and funny at all the right times. We’ve known each other for twenty years and will celebrate our thirteenthth wedding anniversary this year. Having two children under the age or 5 hasn’t been the easiest on our marriage, yet we make a powerful team. We often joke that we’re the “Wonder Twins” because we ebb and flow together so fluidly…most days, that is!

Heroes are everywhere. Perhaps it’s the guy who makes sure you get all of your grocery bags and your three kids into your car safely. Perhaps it’s your server who chases you half-way out of the restaurant to make sure that you get your leftover piece of birthday cake. Perhaps it’s the person who finds your wallet and returns it to you intact and refuses a reward.

I’d like to introduce you to some individuals whose lives have either reenchanted the world or are in the process of doing so…those who make this crazy world of ours just a little bit better and a little brighter for the rest of us. Heroes to me. Perhaps they are to you, too.

Here are several faces that stand out among the crowd…

Bill Penzy of Penzey’s Spices
I love Bill Penzey of Penzey’s Spices. The company’s philosophy that those who cook are a community of “One” who believe that cooking is an expression of their love for others is right-on. This progressive and inclusive company’s catalog and website is chock-full of the pictures and stories of people who do one thing and do it with zest…cook!

There’s no room for bigotry, hate-speech or intolerance in this kitchen.

Read more: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/billsnote.html

Burners Without Borders
Following the 2005 Burning Man event in the Black Rock Nevada, several participants headed south into the Hurricane Katrina disaster area to help people rebuild their devastated communities. They called themselves Burners Without Borders (BWB). As the volunteer numbers grew, they focused their initial efforts on rebuilding a destroyed Vietnamese temple in Biloxi, Mississippi. After several months, that job done, they moved to another needy Mississippi community, Pearlington, to continue to work hard — gifting their time — to help those in need. Over the course of eight months, BWB volunteers gifted over $1 million dollars worth of reconstruction and debris removal to the residents of Mississippi.

Current projects range from rebuilding the Lower Nine Head Quarters in New Orleans to helping to transform a dome into a Ghanian school.

Read more at: http://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/

Walter Cronkite, Jr.
On July 17, 2009, Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. died. He was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962–81). During the heyday of CBS News in the 1970s and 1980s, he was often cited in viewer opinion polls as “the most trusted man in America” because of his professional experience and kindly demeanor. He modeled how to reconcile one’s humanity and compassion with the need to maintain journalistic objectivity.

The Folks at Sprang
Recently Sprang, a Dutch company, introduced Ecofont, a new font designed to use 20% less ink during printing. The trick is in the teeny tiny holes present in each letter, which reduces the amount of ink needed to print your documents. When you use this new font, you will use less paper and less ink leading to less ink cartridges/garbage in landfills. You can download and use it for free with the click of your heels online at:

http://www.ecofont.eu

And last, but not least…

Harry Patch On July 25, 2009, Harry Patch died. He was 111 years old and one of the few still alive today who could tell the first-hand account of what it was like to fight in the trenches during World War 1. To many, he was a hero.

So let’s get the conversation started. Who are your heroes?

Best to all of you this week,

Chris