Here in Australia, summer is usually a time for celebrations. Long days spent with family and friends, having bbq’s and going to the beach. This summer though, many communities have been devastated by bush fires. This summer, we have needed, more than ever, ordinary, everyday people to stand up and become heroes in their community.
Ordinary, everyday people with no experience in these areas have volunteered to put their lives at risk, helping the fire brigades to control the fires. Rescuing neighbours, helping them to evacuate, while they watch on losing every material possession and life they built in their family home. Assisting them to find emergency housing, food and safety at a moments notice.
There is a hero living in every street in the neighbourhood, he could be the one who takes out the garbage early every Tuesday morning or maybe the one who spends every Saturday driving the kids around to weekend sports.
If we look a little closer, we see that the hero’s amongst us are everyday people, willing to fight and stand up to give us the courage we need to continue and the hope to survive.
We never know when life needs us to stand up and be the hero. To be the support for others. There are no fancy degrees or prior experience needed to be the hero in someones community. We just need to remember that the hero’s are everyday people, just like you and me.