Everyday Heroes
You don’t need to be a professional athlete or as well-known as Oprah or Tony Robbins to be a hero. This blog is dedicated to two everyday heroes I find truly inspiring and who have directly shaped my life for the better. There is so much good in the world. I believe we need to refocus our lens to magnify this good and spread it.
Greg’s Story: Be the Change
Greg’s story in the book, “Rescue Road.” But until you get the chance to read or listen to the book (which I highly recommend), here’s a short summary:
“For years, Greg Mahle struggled to keep the last of his family-run restaurants afloat in Ohio. When it finally closed, he was broke and unsure what to do next. Then a stranded van-load of puppies changed his life forever.”
Journalist, Peter Zheutlin, joined Greg as he traveled from Ohio to the Gulf Coast on his journey to bring hard-luck dogs from the deep South to loving “forever families” up north looking to adopt a pet.
In his lifetime, Greg has driven more than 1 million miles to rescue thousands of dogs from hunger, abuse, and neglect and give them a second chance at life and love. Now that’s awesome!
Talk about living a life of service. Talk about following your passions and living your dreams. Talk about kindness, courage, and compassion. To Greg Mahle and all the volunteers who help support this cause, keep lighting the candle, guys. The flame grows stronger every day!
Light the Candle
My grandmother, Marge Soller (2/25/1932 – 1/1/2013) was truly an amazing soul. All my life, I remember my grandmother being in a wheelchair, and yet, I never once heard her complain. She was kind, gracious, fun-loving, patient, and appreciative. But perhaps my mom, Lyn Wize, said it best.
Here is a poem my mother wrote about the character of my grandmother that pretty much says it all…
Mom,
It’s been fifteen years since the results of the test,
The doctors confirmed that my mom has MS.
Without even thinking – How can this be?
Her response to this illness was, “Thank God it’s me.”
“And not one of my children or even their father,
For them dealing with this would be so much harder.”
A wheelchair is necessary at all times to go shopping,
But at home she’s still able to keep things hopping.
One of her favorite things to say,
Is the famous expression, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
At times there are setbacks which she handles in stride,
My dad always there with his love by her side.
Her courage and spirit are sometimes hard to believe,
To be like mom is what I hope most to achieve.
I get a bit teary-eyed every time I read that… It’s crazy for me to fathom: “Thank God, it’s me.” Seriously, when she was just diagnosed with MS, she thought, “Thank God, it’s me.” That’s Mental Fitness on another level!
However, not only have my grandparents fought MS together (yes, I include my grandfather as her primary teammate in this battle as well), they also both lived through the great depression and raised four amazing children.
My grandpa fought in the Korean War and working multiple jobs to provide for the family. In his retirement, he came to all my sports events and taught me golf. I’m not joking when I say he came to “all” my events either – he was there for every single one.
My grandpa passed away two years prior to my grandmother. His back gave out and his body was too worn down to repair. My grandfather spent over two decades physically carrying my grandmother to the bed, the car, the bathroom, in and out of her wheelchair multiple times per day and he never complained either. That’s love, my friends!
This is what it is to be an everyday hero. It’s having the courage to be a light even when times are the darkness, and to live a life that exemplifies the change you’d most like to see in the world!