Hero Of the Week

I began this column last week as a way to tribute deserving individuals for going above the call of duty. While watching the nightly news, I became disturbed when I came to the realization that every story they ran that night involved violence, suffering or worse. While the story of this weeks hero involves violence; his heroic actions were selfless and should be commended.

The person I chose for Mommy Maestro's Hero of the Week is Stephen Tyrone Johns. Johns was the security guard who was fatally shot this week at The Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. In an ironic twist, he actually thought the shooter needed help getting through the door, so he held it for him just before being shot to death.

Since the purpose of this column is to talk about the greater spirit of people (in this case Mr. Johns), I will not speak any more of the shooter or his views.

While the story is disturbing, it comes with a valuable lesson. It may be a bit cliche, but let's face it: life is short. There is no way of knowing when we walk out that door in the morning if we are are going to return at night. There is no way of knowing that the kiss we left on our child's forehead will be our last. There is no way of knowing if our actions today will leave lasting impressions for years to come.

Mr. John's left behind an 11year old son. He was quoted as saying: "He was always there for me when I was down or sad."

Thank you Mr. John's for leaving a lasting impression on us all.