According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary the definition of Hero is as follows - a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability; b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d: one that shows great courage.
The first name that pops into my head when I hear the word Hero is my husband, Drew. He wouldn't much agree with that, but those of us who are so privileged to have him in our lives very much think that to be the case.
The second name that pops into my head is Martin Luther King, Jr. Talk about an amazing human being who was driven by passion ... He was passion personified! Not only did he give one of the greatest speechesof all time but he retaught an entire generation how important love and peace are, not to mention the fact that he won the Nobel Peace Price. That's what makes him my hero. He was driven by the same things that drive me ... love, life, peace, family, God.
I have an application on my iGoogle page that gives me a quote from MLK, Jr. everyday. And as you can imagine, everyday when I get on my computer, I am inspired by his words, his life, his passion ... inspired to lead a revolution, inspired to see things from a different point of view, inspired to show love when I really want to rip someone's head off ... but I digress ... the quote for today reads as follows:
"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."
Again, his words are so inspiring to me. Love is the most important life force. Without love, what do we have? Hate is easy but Love take courage. I want to live every moment of my life out of love, which is super hard for me. My first reaction used to always come out of a place of hurt and pain. I didn't used to care who got hurt in the process as long as it didn't end in more pain for me. That's not the case anymore. I still do react like that more than I'd like to admit, but something inside of me has changed ... it's Love. It's the influence of love around me that has stirred the love inside of me to grow. Love has awakened a part of me that I didn't even know existed because it was being strangled by hurt, pain and hate. MLK, Jr. said it accurately here ... hatred truly does darken life and love illuminates it ... life becomes brilliant, exciting and fulfilling when it's lived out of love.
I really wish I could have met Dr. King. I would have really enjoyed learning at his feet and experience his passion first hand. But I have the next best thing, Drew. His ability to love, his compassion for others, and his passion are infectious. His presence changes people. It's the craziest thing! He inspires and awakens emotions inside of people that that had no clue were even possible. He challenges growth without even realizing what he's doing. It is a direct result of Drew's influence on my life that has allowed me to make the changes within myself that have been made.
I want to surround myself with other Heros ... other people who inspire and challenge me to be the best person that I can be.
