This is a passage from the book, Still Me, by Christopher Reeve.

***

When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked, “What is a hero?”

I remember the glib response I repeated so many times. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences–a soldier who crawls out of a foxhole to drag an injured buddy to safety. And I also meant individuals who are slightly larger than life: Houdini and Lindbergh, John Wayne, JFK, and Joe DiMaggio. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles: a fifteen-year-old boy who landed on his head while wrestling with his brother, leaving him barely able to swallow or speak; Travis Roy, paralyzed in the first thirty seconds of a hockey game in his freshman year at college. These are real heroes, and so are the families and friends who have stood by them.

Posted in inspirational quotes 13 Comments »

Happy Friday, fellow travelers!

Today promises to be a spectacular day, as I’ll be visiting New York City for the very first time ever! I’m a fairly well-traveled person, having been to Brazil, Hong Kong, and several countries in Europe… but I’ve never been to “the big apple,” and today I get to go with the most wonderful guide, Nadia!

I don’t really know what to expect. I guess we will visit some of the must-see spots in town, maybe ride a subway, and eat a giant slice of pizza while watching a mugging or two. Who knows? Anything can happen in NYC.

Posted in Fellowship Fridays, friendship, happiness 19 Comments »

Today we are on the road again, for day 2 of our adventure, and super excited because we’ll be meeting Nadia and Jacob this evening!! We are taking pictures as we go along, and I hope to be able to upload a bunch of them when I get the right combination of internet access and time.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share this picture from Jeff’s farewell lunch with his team from work… the work he’s not going back to! Here he is “riding off into the sunset” on a statue of a donkey at the Mexican restaurant. I thought it made a nice addition to my post about my horseback riding misadventures, as it makes me look like the dignified one!

Posted in family, Life, travel 16 Comments »