StewMama Says: A Hero of a Hodgepodge

Wednesday is here, and it's time once again for the fabulous Hodgepodge hosted by our friend Joyce. Be sure to click on the button to pay her a visit, and join in the fun!

1. Americans will celebrate Labor Day this coming weekend. Do you know what we're actually celebrating? (without consulting your friends Google or wikipedia, ahem) What's a project you're currently 'laboring' over?

Ohhhh, it's so hard not to consult my friends Google and Wiki. :) We are celebrating all the working folks here in the good ol' U S of A. Our church used to ask each of us to bring an item representing the work that we do to the alter for a blessing on Labor Day Sunday.
I am helping on a committee at church that is working on getting a website launched. While it is not actual 'labor' it is taking a bit of effort to get it done. :)

2. Labor Day also signals the unofficial end of summer for most of us...what summer food will you miss the most? If you're in the southern hemisphere feel free to substitute winter for summer.

My favorite summer food is corn on the cob, but this summer, due to the drought, it was hard to come by. I think we only had it one time. It will make me appreciate it even more next summer. I'll just share some photos showing the deliciousness.

Son Andrew, circa 1987, enjoying some corn on the cob.

His three, Matthew, Haleigh, and Ella, enjoying the treat some 25 years later. I call this series 'corn row.'

3. A well known proverb states, 'It's easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission.' Your thoughts?

I agree with it, for the most part, especially when it means taking initiative. Initiative, in the Sunday School world means, "seeing what needs to be done and doing it." Have you ever been on a committee that discusses things to death? In that case, I'm very willing to take the risk of needing to ask forgiveness, especially if it means making progress on the task at hand.

4. Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic....which hat would you most like to wear?

This one is hard, but I will have to say food critic. Maybe a dessert critic. But that may be an oxymoron.

5. When you were a kid, who (besides your parents) was your favorite adult?

I have written about my Mamaw before, and she was definitely a favorite, but the first to come to mind when I read the question was my Uncle Bill. He was in college when I was born. I was the first grandchild, and, of course, the cutest and smartest thing ever. Lol. Of course, I'm pretty sure I was his favorite as well.
He called me Sue-bo, and he started a tradition of giving me boxes of Cracker Jack to match my age for each birthday. He wrapped them up in clever ways, to disguise what was inside. Now Cracker Jack may not seem too exciting to most, but I looked forward to that special gift each year.
He played the guitar, and our song was "Froggie Went A-Courtin'." He would change the line that says, "I'll have to ask my Uncle Rat" to "I'll have to ask my Uncle Bill" when the froggie asks Miss Mouse to marry him. I didn't know for a long time that the song wasn't really written like that. :)

He taught me to play the guitar, and I still have the 12-string he gave me. He is playing it in the picture below, with Jonathan, age 3, who got a toy guitar for Christmas that year. When my kids were born, Uncle Bill became a great uncle. But I told him he had always been a great uncle. I miss him.

6. The astronaut, Neil Armstrong, passed away last week. He was regarded as a hero by many generations of people all around the world. Do we still have modern day heroes? What makes someone a hero?

The picture below is of my grandson, Matthew, meeting Neil Armstrong last summer. Matthew is very interested in space exploration, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet a real hero. Of course, with the changes in the space program, little boys might not get to grow up to be astronauts any more. Neil Armstrong is a Purdue grad, a proud Boilermaker, and was back on campus for the National Football Foundation dinner.

I think kids today look up to athletes, singers, and movie stars, and while that can be a good thing in terms of motivation for setting and reaching goals, I'm not sure those individuals should be classified as heroes. I think a hero must do something brave, something to make a difference in his or her own life or the lives of others. Heroes might be those who serve in the armed forces, fire-fighters, police officers, the woman who wakes her elderly neighbor when the house is on fire, the bystander who selflessly comes forward to assist someone in trouble, or the person that perseveres under the most difficult of circumstances. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and can receive national attention or quietly touch only those near to them.

7. I never get tired of __________________.

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