Alot has been said in the last couple of weeks about Michael Jackson and what a hero he was to so many people. There are people who are devastated by his death. While I feel for his family and his children, I was not personally affected by his death.
That got me thinking about heroes and who some of mine are.
They are NOT Hollywood icons, performers or sports figures. I enjoy watching those people do their jobs, which is entertaining me, but they are not my heroes.
Some of the people I think of when I think of heroes are my ancestors, that gave up everything to join the Mormons and cross the plains in covered wagons.
One example, of the many I could list is Rebecca Willard Turner Workman. As a young girl she traveled from Maine to Nauvoo with her parents and brothers. She lost her parents within weeks of arriving. When it came time to move on she had to leave her beloved older brother behind, because he was handicapped and couldn't walk far enough to travel with the wagon train. Rebecca walked every step of the way from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley. She became the 3rd wife of Jacob Lindsay Workman and had 16 children. Rebecca raised good children despite the hardships she faced and the challenges of living in Utah's Dixie.Another hero would be my Parents
Mom and Dad always gave me room to grow and explore life. They let me make mistakes, and tried to teach me from them. They loved each other and their children, and sacrificed much of what they wanted so we could have college educations and Richard & Leanne could serve missions. Mom always served to her fullest ability when given a calling for church and Dad even though he is not a member fully supported her and us. I've never heard anyone say they didn't like Mom & Dad
Grandpa Donohoo would fit into the category of Hero. After he was in the mine accident he went to school to learn to support his family again. Even though they never had a lot he always provided for the family. He loved his family and after Grandma died young leaving him with a 19 month old baby, he worked hard to keep the family together, never giving in to the suggestions of others to give his youngest children up for adoption.
I have heroes outside of my family too.
One example would be Ralph Dunbar. He was the clerk in the Worcester Branch when I was a little girl. I was very shy and never talked to anyone. Every week he would shake my hand and ask how I was. He would not accept just any handshake, it had to be a firm handshake. He may not have been a hero by the world's standards, but he was to me.
Another hero was Sister Felt. She was an elderly sister in the Worcester Branch. She loved people and needed to be needed. She was my Primary Teacher when I was 9 years old, she really didn't understand which scriptures we needed to memorize and had us memorize the Begats from the New Testament. Despite that she loved us .
Heroes can also be church leaders like Joseph Smith, Thomas S Monson (and the other modern prophets), the Patriots who built the country, and still fight for our freedoms today. And the Men & Women that sacrifice to defend our country, and the families that have to live without them while they are deployed.
"If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report we seek after these things."
Who are you heroes?
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing your stories about such important people!
Excellent post, I concur with all of it.
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