How to Be a Hero :-)...No, really.

My beautiful daughter-in-love Jessica is afraid of ants. She hates them with a vengeance that is hard to overstate . An ant was crawling up the bedroom door (OK, to give her credit, it was a big black ant--and she swears they 1) never travel alone, and 2) always leave an invisible trail so their friends can find them) and she screamed like she was being attacked by a grizzly. "JAKE!!! AN ANT!"

He scurried down the hall, smashed and disposed of the offending critter. If she only could have waited, the little guy is only created to live for 45-60 days, so he was on his way out anyway. :-) "Oh, thank you, Jake!", she gratefully laughed, and all was right with the world again.

When Jacob came back up the hall, shaking his head and smiling, I said, "You're a lucky man, Jacob. The bar for being a hero at your house is pretty low."

Truth is, being a hero to those who love us is pretty simple for all of us. Just do what Jacob did. Take their needs and requests seriously, whether you understand them or not. Don't tell them how they should feel. Respond quickly when they ask you for help. Laugh with them, not at them. Find their quirks charming. And...well, that's a really great start. Try that and your hero rating will start inching upwards.