Hero Moments?

A burned cake. "Oh I think it's burned," she said, tasting  a piece of the cake, "I guess I was in a rush. What do I do now?" She went to a colleague and discussed the situation. She had a made a cake for her leaving work party. Finally the party took place. She had decorated the cake in the colors and logo of the company. Everyone remarked how creative and well designed the cake was. "Nobody said anything about the taste," she said. She made strength out of weakness.

I got a flat tire on the main highway. I heard the wheel bumping over the asphalt, and knew the tire was completely flat. Pulling over to the shoulder, I got out of the car and confirmed that the tire was flat and needed to be replaced. I hauled out the tire-changing tools and got to work, but the shoulder was so narrow that every time I bent down to turn the lug wrench a car came speeding at me. I was risking my life to change a tire. I put away the tools and turned on the engine and drove as fast as I could. A few minutes up the road was the entry to a large factory. The driveway was large, wide and set far enough away from the road for me to change a tire. I pulled in, with smoke rising from my burning flat tire. As I applied the tools, a security guard from the factory took interest. He saw me strain as I tried to loosen the bolts, getting up on the lug wrench push my full weight down. The bolts didn't move. He stepped forward, abandoning the gate he stood, and quickly ...

We learn a lot about people from the stories told about them after they are gone. An old man that lived in the building next door died a little over a year ago. My wife told our son. "Oh him," my son said, "you know once when I was angry, I slammed the door and ran out of our apartment. I was hiding downstairs near the cars, and he saw me. I think he was waiting for someone to pick him up and drive him somewhere. He looked at me and yelled 'Get back in your house, listen to your mother and father.' And because of him, I ran back inside." She went to comfort the family that was mourning their father. She told this story about the old man next door, and everyone cried. He was a man that cared.

Three years ago, we arrived at the hospital when my wife was already in labor. The security guard let us drive right in to be as close to the entrance as possible. I parked the car and went around to help her out. "No, its too much, I'll have the baby here," she said. I needed to help her out, get her up to the delivery ward, and move the car back out to the parking lot. I tried to reassure her that she could make it, but she wasn't ready to step out of the car. I looked around and saw an old man getting into another car behind us. They had a wheelchair. I asked if they still needed the wheelchair, and they let me take it. I tried to help my wife into the wheelchair. Then an older woman appeared. She helped my wife into the wheelchair. "Where does she need to go?" "Upstairs, second floor, to the delivery room." I moved the car back out to the parking lot. I came upstairs and found my wife in the delivery room. A few minutes later we had a...

Life will go on as long as there is someone to sing, to dance, to tell stories and to listen.  This is a quote from Chief Oren Lyons ,  a Native American Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. He is an everyday hero. And we’re told, as long as there is one to speak and one to listen, one to sing and one to dance, the fight is on. So that is hope. To not give up. To try, and to use reason. Peace Maker said, “I’m going to throw your weapons of war into this hole.” He uprooted that great tree and instructed all the men to bring their weapons of war and to cast them into this hole. That was the first disarmament. And he said, “I’m not going to leave you unprotected and helpless.” And he gave us the great tobacco plant. And he said, “This will be your medium to speak to me when you need to.” And he gave us a very special plant, which we still use, still speak to him with. We believe. And I think as long as we’re doing that, there is...

Looking to sell your home? They say when you add a swimming pool to your house, it doesn't add to the property value but it helps the house sell faster. So also it goes for experience and age. It doesn't necessary make you smarter, but you see the problems faster. And that's the value of experience and age.

I heard a nice insight today. The same hot water that can boil an egg and can also make a potato soft. It's not the hot water that makes the difference, it's the same hot water. But the material that the these items are made from that makes the difference. That's the same thing about life. It's not the outside influences that make us who we are, but are own inner constitution - what we're made of - that's what will determine how those outside influences shape us.