Who Is Your Hero?

Do you have a personal hero? Tell us about them. It doesn’t have to be perfect to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Your Everyday Hero: Donnie And Tracy W.

My hero would definitely be my parents: Donnie and Tracy Wheeler. I love my parents so very much! My parents are very important to me. They’re always there for me when I need them the most. They’re always supporting me in everything I do. My parents are not only my heroes but they are also my role models. They’ve taught me so many things. One thing they’ve always stressed to me is hard work. My dad especially because he wants me to be the best I can be at everything. When my sisters and I say we’re bored he always says, “You know girls, you can always go and play basketball. Hard work is always a way to get better at anything.” My mom also teaches me about hard work. When I was little, my mom went back to college. She was always studying and doing homework. She worked so hard to get her nursing degree. I have learned so many things from that experience. Like never quitting because HARD WORK always pays off in the end.

When I was in seventh grade, I moved to Bowling Green Jr. High school. I wanted to play softball, but the only team they had was high school softball. So when I heard it was going to be really hard to make the team, since it was a high school team, I decided I would practice with my dad everyday that I could to help be prepared for try-outs. Usually I would have cross-country or basketball practice after school, so I would have to practice after my school related sports. My dad and I worked very hard; we would practice every fundamental to softball. Soon try-outs came. The next day at school,I was a nervous wreck!! The office called me to the office and said “Congratulations, you made the JV softball team.” I was SO excited!!! I called my dad and told him I made the team, and he said “I’ve always told you hard work will pay off, and it did!”

The next year’s try-outs came again. My goal that year was to play varsity. So again my dad and I worked together. I was also getting hitting and fielding lessons with a private teacher. And when try-outs came I felt really prepared. The following day, they called my name down to the office again. As I walked in they said “Congratulations! You made the varsity team!!” I could not believe it! I called my dad again and he said “I knew you could do it! You worked as hard as you could. Now you have to work hard to keep you spot! But I KNOW you can do it.” My heart was pounding with excitement!

Hard work is something I value very much in my life. I think you shouldn’t have something handed to you, you should have to work for it. You should always want to work for something because you can have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Hard work will always pay off in the end.

Submitted by Lexie Wheeler