My Heroes...

Growing up, my heroes were the "Duke" boys of Hazard County....

Partially because they were just sooo cute....but honestly it was that they raced General Lee through some wild mazes and jumps, most always escaping the evil Boss Hogg and his troops. Between the ages 5-10, they were my heroes. I had a nightshirt of the Dukes, I named my pet turtles after them, and I had a few General Lee cars. And everyday out at my grandparent's farm, my cousin (btw, also a girl) would pretend we were Bo and Luke Duke....Pa had a junkyard with a few rusty cars in it. We'd spend hours jumping through the windows pretending to race over dirt roads or jump ponds to make the great escape.

OK, I've grown up a bit and my heroes have changed over the course of those years. This past weekend we were involved with "I Am a Hero Games". This is a field day for kids with special needs. This event always makes me stop and think about who my heroes are. So, today I want to recognize my family....how they are heroes...

So, my first Hero goes to Matthea, my daughter with Cri-du-Chat. This is the first time she ran without her "Buddy" holding her hand. She did trip and fall at the beginning of the race, but got up and with encouragement from her "Buddy" and from the other bystanders she ran to the finish line. She LOVED this day!

Matthea running the 50m with her "Buddy" from TAS. Uwe is in the back cheering her on to finish.

My second hero goes to my youngest daughter, Megan. She's five. This could have been a day where she could have complained and whined about not getting to participate with the other kids, but she didn't. In fact, she helped out by holding the flag with her friend. She loved cheering for the kids as they ran across the finish line.

Megan doing her "job" with her friend. (she's the one with the blue pants)

My third hero is Marcus. This guy is just growing up way too fast for me. (I know, all parents say that!) He was a runner for this day. That means he took score sheets to the score table so that they could be recorded on each child's certificate. Again, not a complaint about having to help out.

Marcus going around checking for finished score sheets.

My fourth and final hero is my husband. Without his vision for "I Am a Hero Games" this day would not have happened. He and his friends plan these events and put them on, not just for our family but for other families with special needs children. They created a day where the kids can be kids and the parents can be parents no matter the disability.

Uwe talking with a mom before the games began.

"I Am a Hero Games" is a day to celebrate life.

For one morning, a child with special needs...

is cheered for not shunned

is praised, not scolded

is adored, not despised

is a Hero, not a "Nobody"...