uniquelyyourscraftjournal

Dear Fellow Journalers,

“Our favorite heroes and heroines live forever in their stories and in our memories, cheering us forward in our daily lives and presenting splendid tales of the valor and indomitable spirits that are a lasting testament to our cherished values.”

Paul Colella

Stories connect us. Have you ever listened to an older person talk about their life and the things and events that shaped their lives? We honor active-duty and retired service men and women during this month and pause and remember the acts of courage of those who sacrificed their lives.

“Real American heroes don’t wear capes. They wear dog tags.”

“G” 11/12

I often wonder though, about the teenagers of today. Have they any heroes? I wonder if the adulation shown to movie stars and music and TV personalities is hero-worship? I’m at an age now, maybe because of Grandparent status, that I wonder, and to be honest, worry about the future our “L” will be living in.

While thinking about this subject I surfed the web dictionary for a definitive description of what a hero is:

“remarkably brave person: somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as great courage or strength of character
somebody admired: somebody who is admired for outstanding qualities or achievements
main character in fictional plot: the principal male character in a movie, novel, or play, especially one who plays a vital role in plot development or around whom the plot is structured”.

A tall order being a hero.

I always thought of who we now call “First Responders” as heroes. The firemen and policemen who rush into peril when everyone else is rushing out. For those of you who watched any documentaries or news programs after 911 you know who the heroes were – ordinary people some of them, just helping out.

There is a web site that I found recently: http://www.stageoflife.com

This multi-generational global community writes and shares their life stories. It’s like an on-line journal read by everyone. The question “Who is your hero?” was part of their ongoing Teen Writing Contest. The number one hero, was, you guessed it – their MOM. The winners of the essays are readable on the site, but I wanted to share the other hero choices with you because my faith has been restored. They are listed in no particular order:

MOM
My parents
Grandparents
Brothers/sisters
other relatives
Member of the military (read the post “My heroes are the men and women of the Armed Forces” by BetweenMe&U)
Famous person
Friend
World Leader
Teacher or Coach
Character
Member of a group (lifeguard, person with disability)
Everyday person

So the inevitable questions are: Who is your hero and do you know their life story?

~Sallie

P.S. Thanks to my guest bloggers “G” and Paul Colella and MaryBeth for their help with this post.

Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given

To Sallie and uniquelyyourscraftjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

You may reach Sallie at uniquelyyourscraftjournal@outlook.com

A Good Read

21 May 2014 Comments Off

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Like all of you, I am constantly seeking out inspiration to write and create. I recently found a book that I want to recommend to you. The title is “Dreaming from the Journal Page” by Melanie Testa.

This is a really good book for journalers who are new to this media. Some of the topics are paint, color, techniques, drawing and challenges.

The author goes into great depth on all subjects. I especially liked the way the author “talked” to the reader. It was like having a conversation with a person who really knew the subject but didn’t talk down to you.