Grown Up Heroes

As a child I remember looking up to adults and thinking of them as heroes. They could do so many things I couldnt! And then as I got older I looked to those with more vintage still, I recognized that with age came quite a lot of wisdom. But once again this thinking seems to have changed. At some point I seemed to not have become aware of the fact that my heroes were my peers. They are the grown ups that are still basically grasshoppers but the way they lead their lives is so much more.

I want to start with JD. JD is not her real name. I wish it was. She has been someone I have looked up to for many years now. I first met her awkwardly in our apartment, I was unpacking and we said hello from down the hall. It was awful. And now I respect and admire her more than anything. JD has always been strong. She used to be crazy but I think at 19 we all were. We had boys to write letters to and everything changed our world. And then we grew up. She got married. She had a girl that was taken from her and yet her faith and strength never wavered. She was the last person to see me before I moved across the world. And she was the person I cried with while watching scrubs when my world fell apart. JD is inspiring. It doesnt matter what trial she is faced with she always turns to the Lord. She knows how to laugh and cry and has a heart bigger than the grinches post growth. I want to be like JD when I grow up.

I cant stop there though.

I knew Jojo was someone I respected when I first met her. I didnt really know her but she was going off to get married one weekend and I told her if she came back all weird then it was over, I wouldnt talk to her anymore. This would have been an issue as we were coworkers. But I had seen it happen too many times and was tired of having married friends that were basically zombies. So I set the rule. She came back as weird as she was when she left, and I have loved her ever since. She is the one I look to for love advice. Her and her husband have been what reminds me that people are meant to be together. That love happens. But that isnt all, she is selfless. She loves me when I dont know how to love myself and makes me laugh when I want to cry. Jojo is almost a mother of two now but I feel like it should be three as I dont know what to do without her even though she is barely older than me.

I could go on but not for today. In less than 40 days I get to see these two beautiful women. They are all grown up now and I still feel like a child even though our ages span nothing different in the big picture. They are the women that put their families and the Lord first and themselves second. They love unconditionally and remind me that I can I be better.

Sometimes we grow up and realize that the strongest people we know are really just our best friends. I couldnt be more blessed.