Heroes

On this day in 1912 Roy Rogers was born. Of course he was to become one of those good guy heroes who, with his wife Dale Evans and his horse Trigger, won the hearts of millions. And he was a singing cowboy as well.

There are lots of heroes in pop culture media theses days. Many of the Marvel and DC comics super heroes have made their ways to the silver screen. NBC has the hit series, Heroes, about young people with unusual powers who save the world. Of course there are also the requisite anti-heroes out there... the ones who are tragically flawed (some of them really flawed), yet somehow overcome their shortcomings to save somebody's day.

After 9/11/2001 we seem to have a more genuine appreciation for real heroes like firemen, police officers, and military personnel. And occasionally we hear about the individual who breaks the mold and does the incredible thing nobody expects... the guy who jumps on the subway tracks to save someone, the teacher who donates a kidney to a student, the college student who pulls someone from a burning building, the friend who adopts and raises 7 boys. You know, the stories that thrill your heart and bring a lump to your throat.

It makes me wonder... just what does it take to be a hero? How do you identify heroic deeds? Who are your heroes?