Good Stuff Amidst the Stinkin' Stuff

This is a blog at the intersection of real faith and real people. In other words, real heroes. And good stuff.

Who are the everyday heroes? And what gives them the strength to meet the challenges of life...which are relentless, and largely involve pain of some kind (whether physical, mental, and/or emotional, some combination or all of the above). What distinguishes these heroes from the Royal-Order-Of-Perpetual-Victimhood crowd, what characteristics allow them to meet life head-on, who accept that—as Hope-the-Now-Hefty-Rescue-Cat puts it—"Sometimes you get a lot less kibble than you want."

Life's heroes are best described by the wise and asthmatic South Park fourth grader, Stan Marsh, who said in one episode: “I just realized that there’s a lot of painful times in life so I better learn to deal with it the right way.”

Ba-da-boom! Deal with it! Everyday heroes deal with it—whatever the nature of "it." When they whine, it's not for long. When they cry, the tears are not even enough to float a small canoe, let alone Noah's Ark. Self-pity? Okay, but make it short, as life goes on...my life. And, God willing, I've got living to do.

The notion of a blog devoted to 'good stuff' had its beginnings in the book I wrote about my late wife. it deals with the faith that allowed one of my greatest heroes, Sharon, my late wife, to deal with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—aka Lou Gehrig's Disease. The disease is terminal. Period. The end.

Depressing, huh? No—Sharon managed to smile through a heart-rending journey, one faced in varying degrees and with a multitude of symptoms by more than 135 million Americans with chronic and/or incurable diseases. There is nothing that can so quickly robs patients and loved ones of joy as struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses; or encountering circumstances in life that can, at best, be described as "unfair." Add in those suffering other crises and challenges, and you've covered just about everyone.