Hero #2

In the past it's always been uncomfortable to me to hear someone say, "they are such an angel!" or "she's an angel in disguise!" or other such likening of a person to an angel. It felt like an intrusion into a realm that was not mine to speak of. But, recently I came across a scripture where a woman was speaking of King David and she says something like this, "he was as an angel of God, comforting me"! This surprised me and then I found a couple of other scriptures that were similar. So, that got me thinking of my Hero #2. She's a woman who I have known now for many years. I sort of inherited her kindness by way of the library. She had been a volunteer there for many years before I became the librarian at our local library. So, when the librarian retired before me , I inherited this dear soul's kindness. Her name is Gloria. How could I tell on this blog of how her kindness has affected me? She has shown me what selfless love is. She is old enough to be my mother, and she has even referred to her love for me as if I were her daughter. It's because of her selflessness and kindness that I call her my Hero #2. A long time ago, she was driving with her two little children, a son and a daughter, when a drunk driver hit her head on. Her daughter was instantly killed and her son only survived because he was laying down in the back seat. I had known Gloria for years before she even told me that! She comes and visits me often at the library and at my house and is so concerned about me. What's going on in my life, who's having babies. When Baby Elijah was stillborn, it affected her deeply and it came to my mind at the time that I knew she would gladly have traded places with me to ease my sorrow. When my family is going on a trip, she will bring us snacks for the road, she remembers The Dad and my anniversary and she NEVER comes to see me empty handed. And it's not that she brings me stuff that impresses me. It's that she thinks AHEAD of what would please me and remembers my favorite flowers and candy. I have a saying, "when I grow up, I want to be Gloria!" Her selflessness, goodness, kindness and heart to comfort me is "as an angel of God". She'll never read this blog, or maybe I'll bring it up at the library next time she comes in, arms laden with thought-filled treats; but still I am thankful to have this dear woman in my life and I know that God brought her my way to teach me lessons on how to become a selfless woman and give of myself to others! I love you Gloria!

Hero #1

My first thoughts tend toward a brother who has been gone for many years although his dear, faithful wife is still among us. Bro. Charles Keeling, known to us all as Bro. Chuck. That taco hording man with the motto of "you can eat as many as you want here but you can't take 'em home" holds a dear place in my heart as a hero who in his life was an illustrious warrior of the cross of Christ. Another song reminds me of his life:
A faithful old vessel, stands in the harbor,
Bravely it's fought, many battles at sea.
It's a proud symbol of freedom and justice
Each battle scar stands for great victory.
Battle scars from the struggle,
Battle scars from the strife,
Battle scars from the conflict, it's faced in this life.
And when the battle's over and we lay our armor down,
We'll exchange these battle scars for a glorious crown.

I hold Bro. Chuck up as a hero in my life because of his preaching that I was able to hear each week when I was young in the faith. He lived " judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet" (Isaiah 28:17) and taught it each week from the pulpit. His talks were long, and my children were being born and were little babies at the time I got to hear him. But what I heard transported me to a place where I saw the picture of what God's plan of salvation was from the very beginning of time until Christ brought true peace on earth. Even now, I know that those were the days of my illumination; days that I will always hold dear. Yes, he was just a servant of God; God could have opened any other Brother's mouth and poured forth such words of life, but the eloquence he spoke with came directly from the throne of grace and I will thank God for it until the day I die. He was a man I admired for his achievements and noble qualities.

Heroes

I lay in bed last night, not able to sleep for some reason again. My mind wandered around in circles and for some reason I thought about heroes. The dictionary defines a hero as such:
1 a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d: one that shows great courage 2 a: the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work b: the central figure in an event, period, or movement 3 plural usually heroes: an object of extreme admiration and devotion

There are heroes in my life that aren't mythological or legendary. They aren't a principal male character in a literary or dramatic work. But I still consider them heroes. So for today, I'm thinking about the heroes in my life. People who I've looked up to for strength and guidance, people who I've striven to be more like; most often they haven't even known it. I love this song by my favorite singer/songwriter Paul Overstreet. I couldn't find a video of him singing it, but here are the lyrics. I hope the words make you think about someone who is a hero in your life!

Heroes Song by Paul Overstreet