A Hero

I think I may have found a new hero. I've had many heroes in my past. The first I remember was Batman when I was a child. You know, Adam West. The origianal Batman from the television show. Soon Spiderman caught my attention on Saturday morning cartoons. Soon it was on to sports stars...Bart Starr, John Havlicek, and to this day I consider Ted Williams the greatest baseball player of all time.

But a whole new genre of hero has emerged. His name is Dave Alexander who in sports terms is an ironman. In other words, he competes in triathalons. These are the guys that bicycle several miles followed by a long swim, topped off with a marathon run.

You would notice Dave. He's 5-foot-8, 260 pounds, not exactly but the body size of these super athletes. I can identify with him in at least one respect. Even though I've never come close to completing even one leg of a triathalon, he resembles me in the size department. I've often said that I have the body of a 19-year old. I'm just stretching the heck out of it.

Alexander has estimated that he's finished close to 300 triathalons, causing his doctor to scratch his head in disbelief. Dave is 65-years old, has thinning hair, failing eyesight and his stomach gets bigger by the day. Still, he is still "fit" despite his chunky size.

He attributes his endurance to persistence. At one time he was completing two triathalons a week. A hero if ever I saw one.

We all have our heroes. Young people today tend to think of entertainers, older guys may look to military figures or someone they may have known.

Whoever is your hero, I hope Dad is on the list, hopefully at the top. We need dedicated Dads, Fathers who will set a positive example for their children. We need a Dad who loves his wife, who leads the family spiritually, and is the rock of the home.

Proverbs 13:1 says a wise son heeds his father's advise. We would be wise to listen to Dad,or if he has gone on to be with the Lord, to remember what he told us. And always listen to your Heavenly Father.