From: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org (good-noise-digest) To: good-noise-digest@smoe.org Subject: good-noise-digest V2 #69 Reply-To: good-noise@smoe.org Sender: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk good-noise-digest Tuesday, June 1 1999 Volume 02 : Number 069 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Heroes [ThePsyche@aol.com] Re: Heroes (Also Copied to the Wilcox List for Obvious Reasons . . . ) ["] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 09:43:06 EDT From: ThePsyche@aol.com Subject: Heroes May I try and start a new thread? I was at a *duty* luncheon the other day. I was not looking forward to it and I even groused about it to my best friend before I left. It was the kind of event where you are seated at a round table of 7 or 8 other people who are either there out of professional responsibilities or planned the darn thing and you eat salad and sip iced tea and talk about what it is you all do and hopefully you find a common thread. ( how is that for a run on sentence?) They always have speakers at these functions. Being that I am in the early childhood field, the topics revolve around children and early education programs: children's brain development, accreditation of programs or some other rather dry topic. Have I mentioned yet how happy I am a went to this luncheon? I ate my salad and ended up eating my words as well. The speaker was a woman, a rabbi from a local temple and her message was simple and clear. We are spending so much time nurturing the mind and the body of our children, but are we really nurturing their spirits? Who are the children of today looking up to? She spoke of who children view as their heroes: the sports arena, the comic book caped crusaders and the super heroes of video games are who children most often name. She wanted us to consider who we thought our heroes were...as children and today. So, my query to all of you is just that.....who were your heroes and who are your heroes? I won't make this post any longer than it already is, so under separate post I will share the heroes and heroines of my life, the ones who engage my spirit. John Gorka is one. David Wilcox is another. Let me leave you with these words from a favorite John Gorka song. Sorry, but it is a good fit. HEROES They say that when it comes to choosing heroes It's best to pick the ones who aren't around If you choose among the living You tend to have misgivings When your hero lets you down He might have a bad night in your town And so I will not name my heroes And I'll keep my distance when I can But if time should bend or break them I hope I won't forsake them If by chance they need a friend Or need to walk on ordinary ground God knows it must be tough to be a hero To wake up in a heroes state of mind They say it's hard to be heroic Much easier to blow it When somebody's watching all the time And you're dancing on the thin edge of a dime They say it's hard, so hard They say it's hard, ain't it hard If someday I'm mistaken for a hero I only hope it's after I am gone Some of us are heroes Some of us are zeroes Wannabes who never were the one But who is who when all is said and done ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 18:45:35 -0400 From: "Steve McGraw" Subject: Re: Heroes (Also Copied to the Wilcox List for Obvious Reasons . . . ) Thanks! What an excellent way to "start a new thread"! Of course, both David Wilcox and John Gorka are heroes of mine, also. On many occasions I, too have been in those situations where I thought I was going to be "bored out of my gourd", only to be proven wrong as I learned so much about the world, and myself, in the process. As usual, your intelligence and insight come shining through with this post, and I agree with you and the lady rabbi, of which there is also one here in little old Roanoke, Virginia who is equally impressive in her strength, wisdom and courage and who is another of my heroines, but that's another story . . . One of my heroes is an uncle who, in many ways perhaps unbeknownst even to him, served as a father figure for me when I was growing up in a somewhat "father-deficient" and dysfunctional environment, is retired from the U.S. Air Force after having traveled the world over (frequently with his family) and completing two tours of duty in Viet Nam during the worst of it, and has always been solid as a rock when I have needed him. Today, he and my aunt live across the street from me since from them I bought the land (at the same price they had paid for it) where I later built my house, and although I don't see them as often as I should, it is comforting to know that such strong, truly heroic people live so nearby. Thanks for giving me the opportunity briefly to relate the story of one of my many heroes, "just an uncle and his wife, my aunt", on this beautiful Memorial Day. Steve McGraw - -----Original Message----- From: ThePsyche@aol.com To: GOOD-NOISE@smoe.org Date: Monday, May 31, 1999 9:46 AM Subject: Heroes >May I try and start a new thread? > >I was at a *duty* luncheon the other day. I was not looking forward to it and >I even groused about it to my best friend before I left. It was the kind of >event where you are seated at a round table of 7 or 8 other people who are >either there out of professional responsibilities or planned the darn thing >and you eat salad and sip iced tea and talk about what it is you all do and >hopefully you find a common thread. > ( how is that for a run on sentence?) > >They always have speakers at these functions. Being that I am in the early >childhood field, the topics revolve around children and early education >programs: children's brain development, accreditation of programs or some >other rather dry topic. > >Have I mentioned yet how happy I am a went to this luncheon? I ate my salad >and ended up eating my words as well. > >The speaker was a woman, a rabbi from a local temple and her message was >simple and clear. We are spending so much time nurturing the mind and the >body of our children, but are we really nurturing their spirits? Who are the >children of today looking up to? She spoke of who children view as their >heroes: the sports arena, the comic book caped crusaders and the super heroes >of video games are who children most often name. > >She wanted us to consider who we thought our heroes were...as children and >today. > >So, my query to all of you is just that.....who were your heroes and who are >your heroes? > >I won't make this post any longer than it already is, so under separate post >I will share the heroes and heroines of my life, the ones who engage my >spirit. > >John Gorka is one. David Wilcox is another. > >Let me leave you with these words from a favorite John Gorka song. >Sorry, but it is a good fit. > >HEROES > >They say that when it comes to choosing heroes >It's best to pick the ones who aren't around >If you choose among the living >You tend to have misgivings >When your hero lets you down >He might have a bad night in your town > >And so I will not name my heroes >And I'll keep my distance when I can >But if time should bend or break them >I hope I won't forsake them >If by chance they need a friend >Or need to walk on ordinary ground > >God knows it must be tough to be a hero >To wake up in a heroes state of mind >They say it's hard to be heroic >Much easier to blow it >When somebody's watching all the time >And you're dancing on the thin edge of a dime > >They say it's hard, so hard >They say it's hard, ain't it hard > >If someday I'm mistaken for a hero >I only hope it's after I am gone >Some of us are heroes >Some of us are zeroes >Wannabes who never were the one >But who is who when all is said and done > ------------------------------ End of good-noise-digest V2 #69 *******************************