This weekend, I went to the memorial service for a man I have known for the past 15 years. His name was Les Davis and he was born in 1921. Les served in the Army Air Corps (now known as the Air Force) and enjoyed more than 50 years of marriage to his wife, DonaLeigh. He has five children and five grandchildren. He had visited every continent except Antarctica.
But most importantly, he was a great role model.
While I was at the memorial service, I was reminded several times of the people in our lives we admire and look up to.
For many, these people are celebrities or athletes. Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods grace the walls of the bedrooms of many teenage boys; their younger counterparts probably admire fictional characters such as Batman. Teenage girls usually look to actresses,such as Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston.
But what about the people we meet every day? Teachers, friends, family members or just regular people you meet or hear about — these are the real role models.
When I sat down to think about role models in my life, I started out in a rut. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how blessed I was to have so many daily heroes in my life.
There was my third grade teacher, Ms. Wheatcroft, who gave up her lunch hours daily to help me with my mental math so that I could finally pass the addition and subtraction tests and move on to multiplication just in time for fourth grade.
Many of my friends amaze me daily. As a graduate student, I know several students who picked up everything and moved to Arizona, not knowing anyone, just to go to school. They are brave in a small way, but to some of them, that small way is monumental.
My sister is raising her four kids alone while her husband is away at basic training for the Army. When my husband and I visited them in Colorado over Easter, I was blown away by just how much she does every day to care for those kids. Being a parent is a job that never ends — to all parents reading this, I salute you for all of your hard work.
These may seem like small things — teaching a student addition and subtraction or being a parent — but they are the foundation for the big things we all do. They show us that we can all do great things and give us hope for what the future holds.
Who are your role models? Who in your life has done great things, though they may seem small even to them?
Les Davis did great things, both big and small — and that makes him someone worth admiring.
Janne would love to know whom you admire and why. Let her know at
janne.gaub@asu.edu.