#3 Heroes for the Ages (A Memorial)

    Today I want to ask a question. What makes someone a hero? Is it a great feat they have done that shines on for them? I would like to talk about my hero today as I show some special cards.

    When I was born, my parents were told that I would never walk. My dad worked and worked with me for years. He was determined to prove those doctors wrong. At the age of almost four he had succeeded and I began taking steps. It went so well that I played softball for sixteen years on knees that were not supposed to work. 

My dad worked hard to support a large family. I had 5 brothers and sisters so times were often touch and go when it came to finances. My dad worked third shift and rotated his sleep schedule. If the kids had something in the morning, he slept in the evening and vice versa. He was always there to keep us straight and support us.

When my parents took us shopping, if we were good, we got our choice of a drink or a candy bar. We only lived eight miles from town so it's not like we couldn't have waited until we got home but the reward was ours. I always opted to get a pack of cards instead. Usually the cards were cheaper so my parents didn't mind. I would get something along the lines of Star Wars, Dukes of Hazzard, Baseball or whatever jumped out to me at the time. This was a time when cards were found in the candy section at checkout in the grocery store.

I was amassing a great collection. Each birthday and holiday, my list consisted of mainly one thing, CARDS. I didn't care what kind. I just wanted any I could get my hands on. There was no such things as card shops so my parents always hit the yard sales and flea markets but every Christmas, there was a shoe box with loose treasures and packs waiting for me to explore.

    My dad would get frustrated by how much time I spent in my room sorting and cataloging and organizing my collection. I was always finding new ways to sort and display them. Dad felt I needed to spend more time outside. At the time, I felt like he didn't understand me.

    My dad's main love was hunting and fishing, But he had a love of wrestling and NASCAR. With the later, I think he loved the wrecks more than the race itself. Later, I found out he was a big fan of the speed. He was known to see if a car would go as fast as the spedometer says in can. Because of this love, he found racing bottles; Dale Earnhardt Sundrop bottles, Richard Petty Pepsi bottles and so on. He became obsessed with them. He and my mom found some racing price guides and started looking at prices of the cards. They asked "have you seen how much this card is worth?" and I would pull it out and say, "you mean this card." They were shocked that I had them.  After that day, he spent less time telling me to go outside.

    What happened next really shocked me. The next Christmas, I opened gifts and found more cards than normal. First was a complete set of 1989 Bowman, then a complete set of 1990 Topps. Finally, I opened the prize possession, a twelve card case of metal 1988 Topps Gallery of Champions. All the best players cards from 1988 reproduced as metal replicas. It was the greatest thing I had seen. I still keep it in it's original box and only pull it out on special events. I thought how my mom had outdone herself this time but I was mistaken. It turns out my dad had saw a contest to win them at a gas station he frequented. I don't know how much he spent but he won those sets for me. To this day, I cherish those sets more than most cards I own. Not because of value but because my dad showed how much he loved me and wanted to give me something he didn't agree with but knew it would make me happy. He passed away a year ago and I miss him alot.

     

    That's what makes a hero. Doing what you do to make someone happy. Going above and beyond what you understand because it's what they like. I challenge each of you to find someone this week and make their day. Like the pay it forward story, one good deed is all it takes to be a hero to someone else.

    At the bottom of this post is the checklist for these metal cards along with the back of one so you can see it . I hope you enjoyed this memory lane post.

    Who is your hero and why. Let me know in the comments.