A friend of mine posted the following on her status: " RIP Dennis Hopper and Gary Coleman. . .sad losses of people that have enriched our lives." This made me think about the many unsung hero's that have enriched my life. I can't say that Dennis Hopper or Gary Coleman enriched my life. I know them as actors, couldn't really tell you what movies or shows they starred in, and I mean no disrespect to my friend who posted the comment. In fact I'm glad that she posted the comment, because it made me think of those who are unknown, unrecognized, not celebrities, who have enriched my life.
There are several men and women who have been a part of my life through the years, who to the world are unknown, but to me are hero's for many different reason. When they leave this world behind, the nation won't grieve, the newspapers won't mention their names, other than to post an obituary, time will march on, and a new day will dawn. In my heart of hearts, they will forever live in a special place for the unsung hero's that they were. In some cases still are.
My mom comes to mind. Life wasn't always easy for her, but she made sure that my brother and I were cared for, had a place to live, food to eat, and that we knew that we were loved. I often think about our lives as children, and where some would say that we had a hard life, I would disagree. Describe hard? If you mean we were poor, our cars were more often broken down than in operation, we didn't always have a lot of food, but we had a good life. I have great memories of my childhood, and difficulties enrich us, make us stronger, and help us appreciate what we do have. My mom is an unsung hero.
Have you met my Uncle Carroll? No, well that is your loss. He has always been there for my family. When I was a child, he made it possible for us to have a place to live. He struggled to support his family, he had enough love for Aunt Mary, their three girls, and for my mom, my brother, and for me. Then because he loved us, he shared his life through interesting stories, funny jokes, and thoughts, and today as he faces one of his greatest challenges, living with Parkinson's, he is teaching us about courage, facing adversity, and keeping a positive attitude. Not that it is easy, but because it is necessary.
I think about Aunt Mary. She is lovingly caring for Uncle Carroll. She helps him have a better life, when life is not easy. She continues to care for all of us, thinking of others, putting herself last. Will her life be one to make the headlines? Probably not, but that doesn't mean she hasn't enriched our lives. Uncle Charlie cared for Aunt Bell through her difficult illness, and then had to learn to cope without her. How do you move on when someone you loved for so many years has gone on? The world didn't know about the ache in his heart, or in the hearts of their children, but it was there, and it remains there today.
Grandma Lewis was a gentle, loving soul. She raised eleven kids, and somehow kept her sanity. Knowing those eleven kids, I'm not sure how she managed to keep her sanity. I often think of her leaving Hattiesburg. Mississippi, worrying that by some miracle Uncle Ross had not been killed at Normandy, and what if he came home, to find them all gone. I know she had the flag,the letter of condolence from his commanding office, his watch, with the broken face, the time forever stopped at his time of death.She had all of that, she held it in her hands, but a mother longs for the death of her child not to be true. In leaving Mississippi for New Mexico, she left the home place of her child, who she would never see again.
The day came when Grandma was free to travel, and travel she did. Always a suitcase was packed and ready. She traveled by car, bus, train and plane. When she died, we all grieved. We still miss her laughter, her crochet needles clicking, the homemade pillowcases, the shrimp salad, the chitlin cornbread, her wisdom, her love for all of us bratty grandkids. The world didn't know her, the newspapers didn't print all her wonderfulness, the nation didn't cry, but to us, she was our unsung hero.
Uncle Ross gave his life at Normandy. He was just another causality of WWII, but to our family he was a hero. The world didn't know that he had served his duty that night, and was longing for rest. They didn't know that his comrade was a scared young man, and that Uncle Ross took the young mans turn, which cost him his life. When the world looks at the cemetery at Normandy, they see thousands of white crosses, but when our family looks at Normandy, we see the name, Ross A Lewis PVT 105 MED 30 DIV, Mississippi, July 7, 1944. An unsung hero who died in a foreign land across the sea.
There are many more, and I'm sure that as you read this, you will be thinking of who they are to you. The unsung hero's, the unknown, the unrecognized, those who have enriched our lives, loved us, still love us, give us courage, share their wisdom, help us understand what really matters. For me, the list is endless. I'm glad that my friend posted the comment, and I'm glad that her comment reminded me that I have much to be thankful for, and there are many who have enriched my life, and who continue to enrich my life.
Cretia
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