Portrait of a hero
Throughout history, certain people have been looked to as heroes for various reasons. Sometimes great politicians and those who have played a significant role in the leadership of America are considered heroes: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan. Great military leaders are often lauded as heroes: Generals Robert E. Lee, George S. Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Douglas MacArthur.
Too often, great athletes are put up on a pedestal and touted as heroes, simply because of their athletic prowess. Some, however, have exhibited personal qualities which make them more deserving of the honor: Roger Staubach, Nolan Ryan. Maybe there is an outstanding teacher or school principal who comes to your mind when you think of heroes. Or perhaps it's the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to make our towns and cities and highways safer: Fire Fighters, Police and Highway Patrol officers.
I would suggest to you that all heroes have one thing in common -- no matter what particular heroic deed they may have performed, no matter what particular reason is given for their being considered a hero. When you break them down to their lowest common denominator, all the reasons are basically the same. A person is considered a hero because he or she has MADE A DIFFERENCE -- a positive difference -- in someone else's life.
Several years ago, I attended the funeral of a man whom I had never known personally. This man's son was a good friend of mine. Mr. Carpenter had spent most of his life serving the public in various capacities with the Texas Department of Public Safety. He had been a Highway Patrolman and had worked with the Texas Rangers. At the time of his death, he had been retired from the Department for several years.
When I walked into the church building where the funeral was being conducted, there was not a seat to be found. Hundreds of people had turned out to pay their respects to this man. There were many uniformed officers present, representing Police agencies and Highway Patrol districts from across the state. At the graveside service, a ceremonial DPS unit gave a 21-gun salute, and a lone bugler played "Taps".
Why all the pomp and circumstance? Why the huge crowd of people? There is one simple answer. Many people felt compelled to pay their respects, and to give honor and tribute to the memory of Mr. Carpenter, because he had made a difference in their lives. Mr. Carpenter was a hero.
My Dad spent twenty-four years teaching high school down in South Texas. He was one of those teachers who genuinely cared about every one of his students. He often spent extra time tutoring students who needed some additional help. He loved learning, and he loved people, and teaching gave him the perfect opportunity to combine those two passions.
His love of people extended beyond the classroom walls. He was constantly looking for people to meet, just for the sheer pleasure of meeting them and learning all about them and their families. He absolutely loved people, and they loved him right back.
My Dad died rather suddenly of cancer in December of 1989. He and my Mom were living in Georgetown at the time, just north of Austin. I will never forget one particular family I met at my Dad's funeral. He was a fairly young man, probably mid-thirties, with a wife and two or three children, one of them just a baby. They seemed like just plain ordinary folks, but they had driven four and a half hours (one-way) on a Saturday during the holiday season, to attend my Dad's funeral. When he introduced himself to us, he said that my Dad had been one of his teachers in high school, and had made a big difference in his life.
During the weeks and months following my Dad's death, cards and letters poured in from everywhere, with story after story of people whose lives had been deeply touched by my Dad's love and his overpowering enthusiasm for life. In my Dad's death, I made the rich discovery that not only is he MY hero, but he had been a true hero to hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people through the years, simply by making a difference in their lives.
Quite often people who knew my Dad tell me that I look just like him. My Mom often reminds me that I even act like him, and have many of his mannerisms. I cannot think of a higher compliment than to be told that I remind someone of my Dad. He left a legacy of love and concern for other people that I hope I can carry on in some small way. I doubt that I can make as big a difference in this world as he did, and that's OK. His are pretty big shoes to fill (both literally and figuratively!). I just hope and pray that perhaps God will use me in some small way to make a positive difference.
I challenge you to do the same. Look for ways to serve other people. Figure out how you can make a difference for good in another person's life. It may not be some big, news-worthy service project that captures the headlines and makes the six o'clock news. It may just be tutoring a second grader in math, or reading to a kindergartner once a week, or taking a hot meal to an elderly person, or just sitting and listening to an old-timer talk about "the good old days". You can make the world a brighter place simply by loving people. I truly believe it is that simple. And, who knows? You just might end up being someone's hero!
Paul O'Rear is just an ordinary guy who lives in Waxahachie, is married, and had two kids.