"A Hero In My Life"......

Most people think of hero's as those who've accomplished great sporting achievements.  I think of them as great player's.  I hero is someone who goes beyond the norm, and shows their true inner being.  The hero in my life is my son Anthony.  My son is a United States Marine, stationed at the United States Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.  He just turned twenty-one a few months ago, but he became a man long before that.

I was a single mom working three jobs to try and make a better furture for my little boy.  He never complained even when I would have to wake him in the middle of the night, so I could go to work. He wanted so much to have a relationship with his father who was a dead-beat dad.  I never stood between them.  I just figured one day my son would see his father the way he truly was.  My son called me one day and said,"God had talked with him". Surprised by this I asked well, what did he say? Anthony said that God told him to forgive his father.  He told me that he did, and put the past behind him.  He brought his father back into his life and the two are now bestfriends.  A hero is someone who steps up to the call and knows what needs to be done.

While stationed in Turkey, my son went out jogging one day.  He told me that he came across an elderly lady slummped over by the edge of the roadway.  The lady was left at the side of the roadway like a stray dog.  People were passing her by without question. Anthony said, this was not right.  He stopped jogging for a moment and then approached the old lady.  With one hand he reached out to her hand.  The old lady looked up at him confused.  She was confused because someone actual stopped to help her.  Anthony with his other hand reached into his pocket and pulled out all the money he had in his pocket.  He placed the money into the old lady's hand. Anthony said the lady smiled from ear to ear with tear drops in the corners of her eyes.  He shared a smile with her and gently patted her on her hands. He then turned away and continued to jog down that dusty road.  Never looking back he knew he did what was right.

Anthony is my hero, because he always puts others first before himself.  He serves his Country proudly and wears his uniform with pride.  At an early age, he has figured it out.  He knows what it means to be a hero.  It's not about one's self or the glory. It's about quietly making a difference in this unforgiveable world.  Anthony is the true sense of what a hero means to me..........Crystal G.