A Tribute to the Everyday Heroes

by Ashlie Kauffman

          A hero.  According to Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, it is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.  Close, but not exactly the picture I had in mind.  To me, a hero is a person, man or woman, girl or boy, who, in some way, makes something or somebody better.  There are heroes everywhere you look, but to often they go unnoticed.  Here are a few, just off the top of my head, that have stood out to me in the past.

          I admire Alyssa Fernall.  She is in my English class, so I see her most everyday, and most everyday I am amazed at her heroic ways.  There is no one below her.  She has always had a smile for every person, and a special way of making that smile mean a lot.  She also has the courage of a person twice her age.  Its hard to understand, but sometimes getting in front of a class of peers and reading something as personal as Sunsets can be the hardest thing in the world.  Alyssa, I admire you.

          I admire Kelly Kauffman.  She is my mother, and a wonderful mother at that.  At thirty-five years old, she has seen more tragedy in her life than anyone ever should.  When she was thirty-three, her husband of twelve years had an aneurysm, and unexpectedly died.  They had four children at home, me being one of them.  She could have crawled into bed and never had to face the world again.  If she had no one would have blamed her.  But she didn’t.  She was brave, strong, encouraging, inspirational.  She was a mom.  It is true that our father has never been forgotten, but we have been able to move on with our lives and be happy in the new ones we live.  And that is mostly because of the great mom we have.  Mommy, I admire you.

          I admire the students of Westford Academy.  Yes, all you out there, I am in debt to you.  I was new to the school, new the town, new to the state.  I knew nobody, had nothing.  Yet from the very first day here I have never felt alone.  There was always one of you to help me out, introduce yourself, calm my fears, be my friend.  When I needed you the most you were there.  Some of you have not been as friendly as others, but each and every one of you are part of this school.  This school made me feel welcome.  Westford Academy, I admire you.

          I admire Ashlie Kauffman.  She is around a lot, and I don’t always understand her, but thats all right.  She is a just a normal girl, who crys and laughs, talks and yells, sleeps and eats, and goes to school.  She has friends, and then she has people who don’t like her every much.  She has a family and a nice house on Danley Drive.  She has seen a lot of stuff in her life, but thats not what matters to her.  She has a sometimes unpleasant past, but she doesn’t live in it.  She just lives from day to day, laughing, crying, sleeping, eating and going to school.  And she survives it all.  That in itself is a great feat.

          I admire lots of people and lots of things.  There are tons of heroes out there, you just have to know what a hero is to find them.  A lot of you don’t even realize the impact that you make on the people in your life.  I want to leave you with this thought.  If the simple, kind people in life are remembered and  classified as heroes, how are you everyday meanies sticking in peoples minds?