Made to Be A Hero!

From an early age, my boys have all possessed the desire to be a hero.  Their imaginations might have been  stirred through the comic book characters of Batman, Spiderman and the likes that are now being re-born on the movie screens recently.  Others might be pulled into the hero mentality through the Lone Ranger or Matt Dillon.  Each male has this gene born in them to protect and defend.

Through the years, my five boys have all dressed up as a superheroes.  One was Bibleman with the Sword of the Spirit and the Shield of Faith.  Benjamin and I built him a Batman Cave (click to view) from our closet.  They would come to save the day through their play.

 Year 2000 - my 4th and 5th child in entry way of our home

Most grown men still want to be the hero for their families.  In a society that bashes males, it is hard for the men of today to be celebrated as doing anything right.  The shows on television always depict males as idiots...they are a source of laughter, not a source of pride.

In the last couple of years, my husband has been hit with some very hard life curve balls.  His worldly identity has been shaken...his spiritual identity stands strong.  As we have hashed through what we did and didn't do right, he would say, "I just wanted to be the hero!"  His heart for his family is undeniable, as life just didn't quite go according to his plans...but God's plans are still being worked out.

Yesterday, I needed a physical hero.  Our move had left me both tired, physically and emotionally.  I think I fought it emotionally on every turn.  I packed the house up and overloaded my brain.  As I was getting ready for a date, wanting to look nice for my hubby, I realized I couldn't find my jewelry.  I don't have much, but what I have was bought early in our marriage and possesses extreme sentimental value.  I had somehow overlooked where I had placed my small, treasured jewelry box.

Calling him in a panic, he just calmly replied, "we will find it, don't worry."  I put the worry aside for the wonderful evening...not wearing my piece of jewelry.  The next morning, anxiety had settled in as I frantically searched the house.  We called the movers who had moved a couple of our large furniture pieces, including the dresser where I last remembered putting the jewelry box.  No, they didn't have the drawer containing my precious jewelry.

I hate to say it...but I lost it.  I started crying.  Hopelessness set in.  I couldn't understand why I was losing one more thing, hadn't the last few years taken enough?  Was it so horrible that I still had these couple of pieces of jewelry?

Calmly and steadily, my husband continued searching, with encouraging words to "not go there and we would find it."  I stopped looking, the wind in my sails were gone and I collapsed on the couch.  When I finally gave up, (now isn't that always how it works), he shouted, "here it is, in the bottom of this box!"

My Hero!

He didn't correct me. He just held me as I cried over seeing my pieces.  As the memory of when he gave them to me so many years ago flooded back.  He forgave me for my meltdown saying, "you have been overloaded... it is fine!"

I met him at church last night and the first thing I said was, "thank you, you are my hero!"

I think our society might spend millions of dollars to see superheroes on the screen, but maybe we need to acknowledge the real heroes.   The ones who daily serve their families.  The ones who provide, even when they don't enjoy their jobs.  The ones who go to all their children's events and take time away from their own pleasure to serve as fathers and husbands.

My Hero carrying Batman, who had given out from a long day and scary ride at Seaworld...a mighty task when batman weighs 50 pounds.

How do you celebrate the hero in your life?  I am going to celebrate mine.