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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Inner Strength (04/20/06)
They remain quiet, but always present. Around unseen corners, behind unclosed doors, inside unmarked cars. You may not think much of them; as a matter of fact, you may not think of them at all. They don’t draw much attention to themselves, but they are there. Oh, they are most certainly there.

Furtively, they make the difference: Rescuing the drowning from their wells of despair, plucking the desperate from their rooftops of anguish, and retrieving the invisibles from their banishment to obscurity. They have many skills with which to accomplish these heroic deeds. So many skills they use with their typical aplomb.

It may be a boy sitting isolated and alone in the school cafeteria; a simple visitation and some casual conversation are all that are needed to lift him up from the depths to which he may have sunk in his own mind. Or perhaps it’s the girl in the workplace who is invisible, toiling away in the shadows, never seen nor heard by her co-workers. Some public recognition, some private praise, can be just the thing that illuminates her smile and reveals her once again to the world.

Perhaps it’s the family that comes into the church with walls built up all around. Walls which keep friends, acquaintances and even each other at arm’s length. Some encouragement, edification and the building of friendship, trust and a relationship centered in God can knock holes in those walls, putting in their place gates which can, occasionally, be opened.

It is acts such as these that define our subjects. Willing to risk their own popularity, sacrifice their time and effort, and work to restore what has been lost and damaged; they linger on the fringes, waiting for their opportunities to serve. Their character and strength, molded in the hands of God, give them the fortitude to withstand any criticism or ridicule that may come their way for their selfless deeds.

They are unrecognized, unappreciated, unheard, unseen, unflinching, unafraid and unfinished. They are the UNHEROES, and they exist everywhere in all walks of life. They can be found in our schools, at our jobs, in our churches. These unselfish and unbelievable souls appear when needed most, never leaving unsaid what should be said or undone what should be done, even at great peril to their own reputations.

They are people you’ve met, people you know, people who live in your very home, perhaps. Maybe, just maybe, you might be one yourself. If so, never fear! Your secret is safe with me. I am a silent witness to it all. Some might say I am an “unwitness”.
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This article has been read 1601 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Helen Paynter
04/27/06
You really kept my attention with this - although I found some of the sentences a little hard to read. Who are they? I kept asking myself. Angels? I love the idea of unheroes, and the last paragraph was great.
Daniele Moskal
04/27/06
I agree with Helen's comments, it's a bit difficult to read yet never-the-less the ending is good!!
Debbie OConnor
04/28/06
This is very creative. I love the unheroes! Great message, you can be a hero by doing the simple little things that need doing faithfully. We won't necessarily have the world at our feet like a superhero, but the unhero will certainly receive his reward.

Your style of writing about the unheroes in superhero fashion may throw a few people, but I thought it was great fun.
Jan Ackerson
04/29/06
I could just hear this as a "voiceover" narration to a documentary film. Very effective style! Consider ending it with "you may be one yourself"--that's where the oomph is.
Suzanne R
05/01/06
Great thoughts. It's a bit long for a card, but wouldn't this text on a card be lovely - I've got a friend I could give it to right now - an unhero if ever I knew one.
Sandra Petersen
05/03/06
The first two paragraphs read almost like poetry, especially the images the second paragraph conjures. I like the series of three 'un-'s of the first paragraph.

Your third and fourth paragraphs then shift to those that are being helped by your 'unheroes'. I had a difficult time making that shift; I thought at first that perhaps you were describing the 'unhero'. Sometimes they are unheroes, the person least expected to make a difference.

Varying your sentence length, making longer sentences into two or three may make this piece more readable. Don't lose the connectedness of your words, just make sure that many long sentences don't detract from your message. Your message, by the way, should encourage anyone who doesn't believe he is anything special to become an unhero himself. Thank you for your contribution.
Edy T Johnson
05/25/06
This is a beautiful tribute to all the unsung heroes that nobody notices, except an "unwitness" such as yourself. Thank you for expressing your appreciation so well. Thank you, also, for your comments and insights on my "Better or Worse" prosperity story. You are right, God, like Hallmark, cares enough to send His very best! God bless you!