I'll Be Brave

I read an obituary of a young boy who passed away from the effects of Leukemia. I was deeply touched by one particular phrase that, I'm sure, was written by his mother. There were a few words that the young boy uttered while he was still alive and those stuck out to me the most. "I'll be brave." I am touched that through the five rounds of chemo that this young boy endured he would look into the eyes of his parents and tell them that he would be brave.
I have a renewed commitment to face life 'head on' and brave through all that is given to me to endure in this great life.

A story, of our time, reminds me of the bravery displayed for fellow human beings.

"During fighting in Somalia in October of 1993, two United States Army Rangers in a helicopter during the firefight learned that two other helicopters near them had fallen to the earth. The two rangers, in their relative safety aloft, learned by radio that no ground forces were available to rescue one of the downed aircrews. Growing numbers of the enemy were closing in on the crash site.

The two men watching from above volunteered to go down to the ground (the words they used on the radio were to “be inserted”) to protect their critically wounded comrades. Their request was denied because the situation was so dangerous. They asked a second time. Permission was again denied. Only after their third request were they put down on the ground.  Armed only with their personal weapons, they fought their way to the crashed helicopter and the injured fliers. They moved through intense small arms fire as enemies converged on the crash site. They pulled the wounded from the wreckage. They put themselves in a perimeter around the wounded, placing themselves in the most dangerous positions. They protected their comrades until their ammunition was depleted and they were fatally wounded. Their bravery and their sacrifice saved the life of a pilot who would have been lost.  They were each awarded posthumously the Medal of Honor, their nation’s highest recognition for bravery in the face of an armed enemy. The citation reads that what they did was “above and beyond the call of duty.”

I was taught truth from the time I was very young. My parents saw that it was important, and vital, that I be taught the difference between right and wrong. They allowed me to stumble and fall, in order that I might learn eternal principles that would eventually and absolutely bless my life. When I fell, they were there by my side, to help pick me up and direct me in the direction that would bring me the greatest amount of happiness.
I understand that life has its challenges. Those will make us better. My desire is to be all that I am destined to be. Bravery is one of those characteristics that I would love to master. It is God-like in the purest form.
That young boy taught me a valuable lesson that has deeply penetrated my heart, today.
When all is said and done, I want it to be said of me that I was brave!