A Hero is...

 Someone Who Believes in You

Yesterday we had our Primary Program in Sacrament Meeting.  Of course it was wonderful with all the cute kids singing and just being themselves.  Each of my kids had a special part.  Logan said something about how prophets help guide us, and Jorja and Jillian each sung a song in a small group.  I was proud of them!  However, these weren't my favorite parts of the program.  I was so touched by what happened between a boy and his mom.

This boy is Jillian's age and will be graduating from primary next month.  This boy also struggles with stuttering.  Instead of every child having a small speaking part, two kids would introduce a theme and then another would give a two-minute talk.  This boy was assigned to give a talk.  He worked so hard at not stuttering, trying to keep it under control, but not completely succeeding.  I silently cheered him on, knowing that he was doing something he probably didn't want to do, knowing that he was probably embarrassed, knowing he was trying to finish it quickly and sit down.  He gave a good talk and stuck it out through the end.  After he said "amen" he turned to look at his mom, who, as a primary teacher, was sitting with her class on the back row of the choir stand.   She did not just smile at him.  Her entire face lit up and she glowed with pride as she nodded "good job" to her son.  He continued to his seat and sat with relief.

It was such a simple act, but one that showed acceptance, confidence, and love.  I have often thought about the importance of knowing that someone believes in you.  There have been many times in my life where I have been faced with a daunting challenge, yet knowing that someone believed in me helped me get through it.  Sometimes it helps to lean on someone else's confidence in you until you can supplant it with your own.  That is what I saw in this look between mother and son.

We are taught that we need to bear one another's burdens.  That does not mean you take the burden away, since great strength comes from conquering our mountains.  However, showing you have confidence in another person's ability is inspiring and helps that person reach higher mountains than he or she thought possible.  Those who truly and sincerely believe in someone else -- and show it -- are vital to the success of that person.  It is those people who become heroes.

We all have heroes.  Not the celebrity kind, but those who have made a difference in our lives.  Those who inspired us to better ourselves, to climb a little higher than we thought we could.  I can tell you now that not one of my heroes did not believe I could not or would not succeed in life.  I knew, and still do know, that they believe in me.  Does that make the climb any less challenging?  Not necessarily.  But it has a positive domino effect that in the end leads to success.

In this month of thanksgiving, I am grateful for my past, present, and future heroes.  You inspire me, you lead me, you believe in me.  For that I thank you.