Ladessa Sullivan

God & everything and everyone under. I'm also thankful for the opposition, for without it I wouldn't have found the strength that I now embody. In my opinion most heroes go unrecognized. I'm thankful for the people who pick up the trash or work the fields when others feel that it's demeaning. I'm thankful for the people who volunteer in their community, teach, adopt children, raise foster kids, take a doggy bag when they leave a restaurant and hand it to someone homeless instead of throwing out a perfectly good meal. I'm grateful for the people who send out smiles to strangers everyday of their life. The people like myself who greet every new introduction with a sincere hug. Heroes are those who give a damn when it seems that no one else really cares. They tell you that life is hard but worth the fight. They challenge the world around them, ask the questions others have been programmed not to ask. They dedicate their life to the little things like raising children, being single parents, feeding others before they fed themselves. Heroes do God's work and would do so even without the pay off. Heroes spread the word with the desire of growth and not destruction. There are heroes everywhere. The people who read my poetry and told me that it impacted their life. The members and administration of my forum community who contribute without pay. The people who just understood even though they couldn't relate. The people who sat & listened to me play & sing without ever making a sound or trying to chime in. The child outside who fell in love with a stray cat and secretly feeds him every day. That man at the grocery store who told me to keep my head up without the intention of asking for my phone number. The lady down the street who is raising 6 of her grand kids. That stranger who stood up for me because they refused to stand idle and watch a wrong. The woman who reached out to me like a sister. The man who reached out to me like a brother. The person who gave me compliments without envy. The person who accepted my compliments while staying humble and gracious. The soldier that fought or died for a cause he didn't necessarily believe in. The "cock blocker" at the club who pretended to be my man to get that monkey off my back! The woman who invited Hurricane Katrina victims to live in her home and she didn't know them at all. The man or woman who volunteered to help victims of a natural disaster. The people who send money to charity even though they are living check to check. That couple who stopped to help someone who's car had broken down on the side of the road, while everyone else just drove right by. The person who would date a burn victim for reasons other than pity. The person who sung that song for the whole world to hear, because they knew that there was someone who needed to hear that it was going to be okay. The person who wrote that book to feed the mind of the person who was hungry for knowledge. The poet or artist who gave me a chance to see the world in a whole new way. The pets that bring joy to someone's life, aid the sick, elderly, or disabled, and or fill the void of loneliness. The person who fought and stood by what they believed in regardless of the antagonism & resentment they received. The ghetto prophet who highlighted the ugly truth in a way that the world could not ignore. The ex-prostitute, disease survivor, gangster, drug addict who now does seminars or charity to aid in the prevention of someone else going down that same dangerous road. The list just goes on and on. I'm a hero, you're a hero, we might all be a hero to someone somewhere at some point in time. -Ladessa Sullivan