Real Heroes

With all the constant news breaks of golf legend Tiger Wood's apparent driveway accident, it's no wonder our children have such an unhealthy attitude of who they should look up to. This is so apparent when they see their parents glued to the TV when ever a movie star or worshipped athlete is caught up in unfavorably and questionable situations.

Children learn through actions not words. Words can go so far but it's the daily actions of adults that sets the standards for children to pattern themselves after. So what does it say about this new generation that we are raising, when all they see is how the wealthy can bend the law to accommodate their "hero status"? What is a real hero anyway? Someone who can hit a hole in one everyday? Someone who has broken all baseball and basketball records? I think not.

As a kid in the 50's a real hero was a fire fighter, police man, the President of the USA. We idolized Tarzan and Superman. We looked up to TV fathers like Sheriff Andy Tyler, Ward Clever and John Walton. These were wonderful figures for children to conspire to.

Now with world wide media coverage and multi-million dollar contracts our children are seeing a new range of super heroes. Heroes where adultery, crime and even murder are easy crimes to commit and get away with. It's like we all have blinders on when it comes to these figures, where they have a complete different set of "rules" then the average American.

Woods was allowed to evade police questioning three times till the police gave a press release stating they found no wrong doing on Wood's part. How would they know if they never questioned him let alone performed a drug or alcohol level test on him? Also, when the police showed up at the scene did they not check to see if all the doors were damaged to the extent that a slim, lightweight woman would have to smash the back window with a handy golf club she just happened to have found near the accident and drag her husband from the front of the SUV all the way through the back to get him out? Man, it sure sounds fishy to me?

Our children need to see what a "real hero" truly is and they're not hard to find. I saw one in action yesterday at Wal-Mart. I was coming out of Wal-Mart trying to locate my car in the freezing rain when I heard the terrible familiar sound of metal hitting metal. Looking up across the big parking lot I saw lots of people standing around with their cells phones and looking across the lot to the nearby interstate highway. There in the medium was several cars piled up upside down and on each other. There were men everywhere, either from the accident or from pulled over cars. They were running to all the cars and trying to stop the massive line of semi's as they came up on the wreckage. These guys were "real heroes".

As I watched and prayed no one was killed I caught a glimpse of a woman coming out of the store and she just dropped her two bags on the ground and started running to the highway. The freezing rain just cut through you but she kept going. She crossed the large parking lot, crossed over the outer road and then climbed the steep ravine to the wreckage. The speed she was going could only tell me she was in the medical field. A nurse or a doctor I thought to myself as I watched in amazement. I got a lump in my throat as I watched her in action. She was a living, breathing, true hero, rushing in to save someones life.

Real Hero's have nothing to gain by saving or improving the lives of others. They don't do any of it for the glory or money. They do it because something deep inside them tells them to do it with out second thought to their own well being. To put some ones needs ahead of themselves......Heroes, in every sense of the word.

There are everyday heroes among us. We should honor them, not our athletes or movie stars. Heroes who give blood, volunteer, save lives. They are all around us, these silent heroes. They come when we are sick, hurt or homeless. They come in every age, size and skin color. They are REAL HEROES!

So remember the next time you look up to someone that little eyes are watching you. Take time to visit a fire station. Point out to your children the important and sometimes dangerous job our police force, military force and rescue force has. Show them respect and your children will have a new hero to look up to......you. Let your heart swell up for the real heroes in this great nation....The all American Hero!!! Aunt Onie