From my huddle of everyday heroes, I select three.
Ed has been in a wheelchair for forty years, a victim of polio. He was stricken just months before Dr. Jonas Salk developed the highly successful vaccine. Ed is not bitter; he does not blame God or anyone for his condition. He goes to his office in a special van. He is a gracious gentleman ? a joy to be around. Ed is the most courageous person I know!
You would never guess that the slender lady in floppy, ill-fitting clothes and a crazy-looking hat was a retired college professor with a Ph.D. But when you get within smiling distance, you realize you are in the presence of a remarkable person: bright, caring, and committed; a practitioner of her faith. Although never married, she is in love with her large family, her church, and the community. Wherever there is need, sorrow, or joy, Dorothy is there with the appropriate response. She is the "Mother Teresa" of Ashland, Virginia.
Carl's father was a coal miner. He did not have an opportunity to attend college, but he and his wife saw to it that all three of their children did! After a hitch in the Navy, Carl spent years working at a frozen food distribution center in our nation's capital. His wife is dead, and he now lives alone. He is active in his church. His children are a source of pride and joy. And why not? The daughter is a college and seminary graduate and pastor of a church. Both of his sons have master's degrees and are certified public accountants. What a family!

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