A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him.—Matthew 12:35 (NIV)

When you think of a hero, do you think of a strong man with supernatural powers in a movie? 

My hero wasn’t like that. His strength was in his character and his power came from God. 

As a young child, he contracted polio, resulting in one side of his body shrinking enough to put him off-balance and forcing him to walk with a limp. But that inconvenience never stopped him from doing anything he wanted to do. Today, he might be called “handicapped,” but that word hadn’t been invented yet, especially in his mind. 

He rode a horse, then traded his horse for a car. He became an itinerant teacher in his county, sometimes traveling by boat to get to his students. When he left the country for the city, he became an accountant in the business office of a major university. As he grew older, he suffered the pain of arthritis but never complained. He loved going to work each day, thankful for the opportunity. 

His wit attracted friends, and he made sure anyone he met left with a smile on their face. That’s how he won my mother, with his sense of humor, solid character, and integrity. 

To his children, he was the man who could fix anything, build birdhouses, and keep his yard and cars well maintained. Surprisingly, he taught many people how to waterski, even though he never waterskied in his life. 

What gave him his positive outlook on life was his faith in God. In church every Sunday, he praised God with his baritone voice. 

He was our father and our hero.