Jessie-In NH awash in anticpation of Malice Domestic!
Breaking news! Here are the winners of the books from yesterday’s drawing. It was such a great response that I drew a third winner! Keep an eye out for future giveaways! The winners are: Jill @Bonnjill, Sharon Forrest, and Stephanie Clark! Thanks to all of you who entered!
We continue to celebrate the release of Sherry’s latest book, A Good Day to Buy.
As Sherry mentioned yesterday one of the themes of the book is heroes. In your opinion, what defines a hero and who are some of yours?
Edith: That’s a thought-provoking question. For me heroes are the quiet people working selflessly to help others. A woman in my town has been tireless in her efforts to run a food pantry and soup kitchen, which, sadly, more and more people need to use. Our local women’s crisis center has quietly helped many women extract themselves from abusive situations and find a better life for them and their children. My late friend Richard was responsible for planting a thousand trees locally over a ten-year period, to both beautify and clean the air. Those are my heroes.
Barb: On the day of the Boston Marathon bombing, if you were a victim, and you survived the blast, you lived. This to me is the most extraordinary thing. I don’t mean to minimize in any way the challenges faced by the survivors, but the amazing work of the first responders on the the scene, the volunteers in the medical tents, the medical and non-medical personnel at the eight Boston hospitals where victims were taken, and the ordinary people on the street who ran toward the carnage instead of fleeing, still takes my breath away and makes me a weepy. Fred Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” The helpers are my heroes.
Sherry: Wow, Barb! That is so beautifully said I think it’s a drop the mic moment! In A Good Day To Buy Sarah is called a hero and she doesn’t like it because she doesn’t feel like she is one. And maybe that is the strongest indication that you are a hero. Many of the people Barb mentioned would say they were just doing their job or that they were just doing what anyone would have. I think all of us have a bit of hero in us. It might not be something huge like saving someone’s life. Sometimes small things like listening to a friend or helping a neighbor are heroic.
Jessie: One of the things I believe defines a hero is a willingness to take on risk. For that reason immigrants are amongst my heroes. I am in awe of those who leave familiar lives, languages, customs and families to start lives in far away lands. No matter what motivates them to strike out I admire their grit and determination and am so grateful for the richness they add to all our lives.
Julie: I am having such challenges with this question! To me, heroes are folks who do something brave, not because they aren’t afraid, but despite the fact that they are afraid. Heroes aren’t athletes, or titans of Wall Street. Heroes are the folks Barb mentioned. Heroes are the folks our society holds in disdain who still leave the house every day, and try to live with dignity. Heroes are the folks who do what they can do to create the change they want to see in the world.
Liz: Wow, you guys have all said this so well. For the past seven years I’ve worked with Safe Futures, an organization that is working to end domestic violence, and every single one of the people involved there is a hero. They work tirelessly, they work endlessly and they put the survivors and those in need of help first, no matter what it takes. Someone who is that committed to a cause for good is truly a hero.
Readers: Who are your heroes?
My heroes are my cousin Alan and his husband Bill.
Tell us why, Reine.
It’s difficult for me to think or write about, because he died recently, and I cry thinking about him and the rejection he experienced his whole life particularly with family and his first choice career path of priest. His mother abandoned him in infancy to be raised by his aunt. We grew up near each other, were in the same class at times and were close friends. We swapped clothes and shoes. Because his church rejected his call (that he talked about since childhood). He loved his church so would not change, he chose the profession that welcomed him and became a noted expert on historic interiors and grounds. He would have made a great priest. This rejection, however, seemed to empower him to be himself, and he came out. He and Bill married legally when Massachusetts made same-gender marriages legal. They were happily public with their new status despite the distance it caused with some family members he loved most. I wish I had been more like him.
Reine, thanks so much for sharing your story of your beloved cousin with us! The bravery to keep being yourself in the face of rejection and to remain a loving contributor to your community is altogether heroic. I am so sorry for your loss and so pleased that you shared your memories of Alan with us today!
There are so many heroes out there in the world doing good things, saving lives, freely volunteering their time and efforts to make this world a better place.
My personal hero is my husband. He’s my greatest champion and my best friend.
Awesome.
Reblogged this on Hobby Reads.
Thanks, Kensington!
I definitely agree with Sherry.
You never know how a simple, “How are you today?” or a “Can I help you with that?” will mean to the person on the receiving end. I just read a story this morning (and I can’t find it again) about a teen named Jamie who saw a crying man sitting alone near a bridge. The teen sat down beside him and asked him if he was okay. The man was out of work and scared about supporting himself and his pregnant girlfriend.
The teen kept talking to him for two hours when the man dried his tears, thanked the teen, and went to leave. The teen called out and gave the man his cell phone number and told him to call again if he felt alone and wanted to talk. The man did call a few weeks later to tell the young man that he’d been working up the courage to kill himself when Jamie approached him. That Jamie had changed his mind and that he saw good things for the future now and how grateful he was for that. Then he told Jamie that they’d found out the baby was a boy and they were going to name him Jamie after the young man.
Jamie is a hero. He saved a life just by asking someone how they were. He didn’t even know it. Heroes are everywhere if we want to see them.
This brings tears to my eyes! Thanks for sharing it!
Tears here, too, Aimee. Sniff.
It’s hard to add to what you all have already said. Must be why you are the writers. I’ll just give this post 5 out of 5 stars. 🙂
Aww. Thanks, Mark.
I agree! It’s lovely!
Everyday I read about everyday people doing some brave thing that restores my faith in people but leaving me to wonder what I would do if I’d find the back bone . I only hope so. My hero is my mom , born in 1907 to a Native American father and a Irish American mother, born with only one hand. Orphan at 10 but overcame everything life handed her. My mom fed anyone that was hungry and paid bills for people that had their heat shut off. My dad was in the Navy and we didn’t have a lot but always had food a home and my mom would say If you eat what I’m eating I’ll be glad to share. .People used to say there was a mark on our garage but I never found it.
Beautiful.
What an amazing story, Ruth! Thank you for sharing it with us!
My heroes are all the good folks who do small heroic deeds no one ever hears about. And my specific hero is my husband of 42 years, who twice was there for me in life threatening situations and kept me sane through them. I am so blessed.
That is lovely, Ginny.
That is so wonderful!
Aw, that’s easy. My dad. My mother’s mind was overcome by schizophrenia when I was nine. It could have torn our family apart. My dad didn’t let that happen. He took care of our mom, even when everyone told him to have her committed, and he took care of my brother and me. I know now how much Mom’s medical bills cost him but he never let us feel insecure about money or anything else. He was our rock. I still can’t believe he’s gone.
What a brave, heroic man! Thank you for sharing this — it gave me goose bumps.