Heroes

There are two types of heroes in your life - personal and professional. One person can encompass both roles, but in my case, there are two.

My professional hero is my dad. All through his work life, he's been recognized for his achievements and rewarded. When I was very young, he started working for a cable company in small-town BC as a technician. He climbed poles and fixed people's cable when it went out, performed maintainance and generally was the go-to guy for all of the grunt work that needed to be done. Gradually he moved up in rank and stature. Today, after years of hard work (not that it's over, mind you), he's become the Chief Operating Officer of the western division of the biggest telecommunications company in the country. He's always been someone that I can look to as a source of inspiration and guidance in my career. He's among the last generation that earns their glory the old fashion, "American Dream" way.

My personal hero is a guy I've worked with for a few years in a small Internet Service Provider. He was the Helpdesk Trainer and I was working on the phones with customers. His hero status has nothing to do with the work, however, as that's just the place I know him from. What makes him a hero is his wife and daughter.

When he met his wife-to-be, he was young (about 21) and just starting out his life, all full of piss and vinegar, ready to take on the world. He was the youngest of all his siblings, but it would soon become clear that he was the most grown-up. He met this girl, went out on some dates and liked her very much. He wanted more. The catch is, all this time she was pregnant, but that didn't stop him. See, not only did he like the girl, he loved her. When she had the baby, he fell in love a second time and adopted the child as his own. Today they got married and at the ceremony, he wept for joy.

This man is the most selfless man I have ever known. He sacrificed so much for this girl and his new daughter. In this day and age where a man is measured by the size of his bank account, he has shamed us men by putting all that aside and giving his all for the sake of love, honor and nobility. When I look at them, I see two people who are going to beat the odds and be together for the rest of their lives. Nothing is going to stand in their way.

Andy and Amanda, I salute you.