For the Everyday Heroes

This message of gratitude isn't for Dick Clark, Roger Ebert, Robin Gibb, Steve Jobs, Donna Summer, or even for heroic Patrick Swayze who fought a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer.

It's for the everyday heroes like you who silently suffer from some ravaging illness that endeavors to break you down, body and spirit--cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, cystic fibrosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, AIDS, renal disease, PCOS, arthritis, mental illness, and countless others.

I know you endure difficult days. I know you struggle to stay positive, even to be heard. So often you're misunderstood. Sometimes you feel alone. And sometimes the illness gets the best of you, and you wonder if you’ll find the strength to endure another day. Nevertheless, you call on your courage and become a hero in your own home, not on camera, not for the world to see, and certainty without the adulation of adoring fans. On your own, you fight a quiet, dignified battle against a formidable, unseen enemy.

In doing so, you move and inspire me.

I may not know you personally, but I understand your pain, for I’ve seen the people I love, my family and friends, fight such battles in the face of crushing pain and devastation. As I admire them, I admire you. To me, you're nothing short of amazing, a larger-than-life hero.

I write books about strong characters who possess great strength, determination, an indomitable will, and the courage to keep struggling against the odds--characters like you.

And I can only create them because of you.

You see, when I think about Brandon Hawthorn who's determined to fight against adversity and build a transatlantic shipping line when everyone is telling him it’s impossible, I'm thinking about you. And when I write about Desiree Thornton who hopes to become a respected artist at a time when painting was off-limits to women, I'm also thinking about you, drawing on the strength of your epic spirit.

Because you're the real life hero or heroine in my mind, the one with the true courage and steely fortitude to keep fighting to prevail, to survive, even when the battle seems impossible.

So I'm taking this moment to thank you for inspiring me and to remind you that your battle is worth fighting for. I want you to know that you’re not alone and that you touch others in the daily trials you face. You may not know it, but you lend strength through example. You teach others how to live with courage and faith, how to deal with adversity, how to overcome obstacles. Being so, you deserve some well-earned honor and praise.

And I pray for you and hope, with everything in my heart, that good things will come to you, a cure, a new medication, an enlightening discovery, a good day, a moment of hope, a reason to stay positive, and lots and lots of love. May you be greatly blessed.

Please feel free to share your story about your struggle.

And please share this message of praise with your friends and loved ones. Let them know they aren’t alone.

© 2012 Bobette Bryan. All rights reserved.