Heroes

We've been talking about heroes in class this week, and it got me thinking about the concept of heroes. We had a discussion on different heroes in books and movies, but I started to think of who my heroes are in real life. I remember in 5th grade, our writing assessment was "Everyday Heroes". We didn't right about athletes or celebrities that are our heroes; we wrote about the people that have an impact on us everyday.

While I was thinking about who my heroes are, many ideas came to mind. I thought of parents, who I think are heroes to most of us in one way or another, friends, my brothers, and other relatives. In fifth grade I wrote about one of my best friends at the time, and I also wrote about my younger cousin. One thing that I think really defines a hero is someone that can look at the positive in life and have an unselfish desire to help others. 

One person stuck out in my mind as someone who really is an everyday hero. My Aunt Lynn lost her husband to cancer about ten years ago. At the time, they had two children: one was 5 years old, and one was 2 years old. Obviously, this was an extremely tough time in her life. It was very difficult for Tanner, the five year old, because he was aware of what was going on. Lynn took him to Camp Hope here in Wisconsin, where some of her family lives. Camp Hope is a camp for children who have lost a close family member. It was beneficial to Tanner, and Lynn went on to start a Camp Hope in California. She organizes all of these non-profit camps for children and makes a difference in many lives. Lynn is just a great person and has a way of making everyone happy around her. She has raised two, now three, great kids.

I think of Lynn as a hero because she has gone through a lot of difficulties, but she has turned them into positive things. What do you think defines a hero? Who is a hero of yours?