Unsung heroes

The road in my literary journey, as of late, has been long, winding, and not without a bump or two along the way.

Since the second week in May, I’ve been participating in book signings for my story (Then a Hero Comes Along) in Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Special Needs.

It’s been enlightening. Almost every person I meet has a story to tell, and has touched my heart in their own unique way.

First there’s “Snake”, the 6′3″, don’t-wanna- meet-ya-in-a-dark-alley, biker. He whisked his bandanna off his head, and taking my hand said: “I just wanna say I’m happy to meet ya. N’ver saw a writer , e’cept some actor playing one on TV.

Tom and Macy were an elderly couple whose story had me in tears. Their daughter was born with severe autism and mental retardation. When she was diagnosed, the doctor urged them to place “Sherry’ in the state home, stating she’d never live past ten. That was thirty-eight years ago. Tom and Macy never gave up on Macy, choosing to raise her at home. “After all, she was our child, not something to be thrown away,” Macy told me. The couple had just buried their daughter a week before my signing in their town. I couldn’t believe the amount of inner strength these two possessed, they were at total peace.

I met Sally a week later. Though she was special needs herself (Asperger’s), the twelve year-old is determined to be a neurologist and find a cure for autism.

There’s too many more people to count, each with their own heroic tale, their faces a picture of the hope and determination they have in their hearts.