To the Praise and Celebration of Heroes

To the Praise and Celebration of Heroes
By Dino R. Federico, June 2006


he·ro [hrō]
(plural he·roes)
n. 1. mythology legendary man with superhuman powers: in classical mythology, a man, especially the son of a god and a mortal, who is famous for possessing some extraordinary gift, for example, superhuman strength
2. remarkably brave person: somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown great courage, strength of character, or another admirable quality
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

cour·age [kúrrij]
n . quality of being brave: the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


You ARE a hero
When you are faced with a decision of wrong or right,
And you choose to do right.

You ARE a hero
When you are challenged with a decision to be responsible, or not,
And you choose not to shirk, avoid, or escape.

If you have learned the depths of your fears,
And have learned to replace your fears with YOUR courage,
Then you are heroic.

If you have been assaulted by the fears of others,
And have learned to shield yourself with faith, hope, and courage,
Then you are heroic.

When you realize you ARE your own lighthouse,
shining brightly in the midst of dark and angry skies,
And when you experience others around you responding to your light
by glowing a little brighter themselves,
Then you will have no more need of the word hero.

And then you may come to realize that as you dwell upon, within yourself,
the praise of your courage, this in turn will fuel the never ending celebration of YOU, (The Hero).