Heroism 101

admin — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:42:00 -0500

Mark Lerer, a freshman at the State University of New York in Rockland, has a tendency to run out on his classes. "It's okay with my professors," he says. "They just prefer that I sit near the door."

Why the permissive attitude? Mark's a volunteer firefighter with the Rockland County Fire Department, and at 19 is one of the youngest members.

"You're never off duty," he explains, adding that he sometimes has to skip out on his job at a waiter as well. "Everyone understands that the firehouse is my top priority."

"I've Got to Get the Driver Out!"

admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:18:02 -0600

"I don't know why you're trying to control my life!" I yelled. "I'm not doing drugs like some kids. I'm not going out and getting drunk every night. Why don't you just leave me alone?"

The truth was my parents had good reason for concern. The only classes I was passing in high school were country-and-western dancing and athletics. At home, I fought constantly with my parents, breaking their rules by staying out until 4 a.m.

When Life Turns on a Dime

jbloustein — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:46:50 -0600

When Valentine’s Day approaches, we think of romantic love.

But that’s not the only kind, as Alice Hennig would point out.

She was 17 when her family moved to a new area in Edmonton, Alberta. One cold Sunday afternoon in February, her parents were entertaining some relatives, and Alice decided to visit a friend from the old neighborhood.

Am I Dreaming?

admin — Wed, 01 May 1985 13:22:00 -0500

With our four little children and two visiting nieces to tuck in, bedtime that night took a long time. Over each drowsy child I said a prayer, asking God to watch over them.

Later, when my husband and I went to bed, I lay on the edge of sleep, lulled by the innocent noises drifting down the hallway: deep-sleep sighs, the mumbled words of dreamy conversations.

Blizzard Buddy

jnalewicki — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:31:07 -0600

Nothing had prepared me for the heavy snowfall in Denver, Colorado, when I moved there in 1982. A Christmas Eve blizzard was one for the records. My car was blanketed in snow that morning, so I took the bus to my job at a department store in the mall.

The Great Doe Rescue

mcherkezian — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:52:11 -0600

There’s something I’ve heard people say about local television news: If it bleeds, it leads.

In the six years I’d been a helicopter pilot for News 9 in Oklahoma City, I’d learned that’s true. Every day, it seemed, we reported on some pretty tough things. Three-alarm fires. Car wrecks. Tornados that flatten houses.

We would get the best footage we could and then move on. The most I could do for the people on the ground was pray for them, and sometimes I wondered if that was enough.

You Changed My Life, Spirit

admin — Tue, 01 May 2007 08:04:00 -0500

That cold, drizzly February day I stood in the mud at a Vermont farm, trying to find the right horse for a client. At least, that's what I was supposed to be doing. Instead, I was wondering how long I had to live.

Six to 12 months, the doctor said, because my cancer wasn't responding to treatment. I was only 25. I wasn't ready for my time to be measured in months.

Barney's Gift

jbloustein — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:25:41 -0500

Sarah looked out her kitchen window and sighed.

Last night’s snow lay in foot-deep marshmallow drifts. To some it was beautiful; to Sarah, snow was a hardship. Now the front steps and cement sidewalk would need attention.

Today was Christmas. Sarah saw it merely as one more bleak and lonely winter day. No Christmas tree peeked out the front window. No light winked a cheery greeting and no gaily wrapped presents were to be found in her home.

Flyaway Home

jbloustein — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:20:58 -0500

What would you do if you spotted an injured bird by the side of the road? Would you stop and try to rescue it? Just keep going and assume the next person will help? Or would you call someone?

In New York's Hudson Valley, that someone might very well be Suzie Gilbert, who has made healing and releasing wild birds a way of life. After moving away from the big city in 1990, her passion for animals—feathered ones in particular—led her to volunteer at the Hudson Valley Raptor Center, where she cared for injured birds of prey.

Cattle Dog to Receive Special Award for Administering CPR on Owner

batch — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:05:29 -0500

One dog went above and beyond the call of duty after she witnessed her owner collapse at work.

Jim Touzeau was in his glass factory in Tinana, Australia, when he suffered a heart attack and collapsed on the floor. Upon seeing this, his cattle dog Teka ran over to him and began to jump up and down on his chest with her two front paws.

She also reportedly barked in his face, which caused Touzeau to wake up.