Every child has heroes, Superman, Batman, Cat Woman, and such, but my hero is different. Just like every hero though, my hero had strengths, weaknesses, secret identities, and powers. My hero taught me many things, but one of the most important things he taught me was that nobody was perfect. Not even him.
On Sundays, Orval Sutton was a Reverend at Crooked Creek Baptist Church. All of the members of the church adored him and his family. They treated us, his grandchildren, as if we were celebrities. It was nice really. "There goes Orval's granddaughter." Someone would say. "Look how cute they are." Another would boast.
Grandpa had his fair share of not so secret identities. On Sunday's he was a Reverend, on some days he was a golfer, but everyday he was a Grandpa. Grandpa had his strengths and weaknesses. He could golf an amazing game on a Saturday afternoon, and then give a preach on Sunday the knocked the audience off their feet. He could fix any bad day and turn into a spectacular one.
One of Grandpa's weaknesses was his diabetes. Grandpa turned it into a strength though, he did not moan around and complain about it, he got up and did stuff. He tried hard to be the person he was before the diabetes. Grandpa did not die of diabetes, he lived with it.
Heroes had powers and Grandpa had many. One was his singing. He could cheer up the saddest kid by singing them a song. He had a cheerful, old voice, and the last time I heard it, even though it was hoarse and cracked some, it was still the most beautiful thing I ever heard. He sang with his heart, and his heart sang with him.
Batman's costume included a black cape, so did Grandpa's. Grandpa wore fancy black suits for speaking, weddings, and funerals, with a black cape like Batman's. Grandpa's costume was not complete without his smile, and when I close my eyes I see that beautiful smile.
A hero is role model, a helping hand, a friendly smile, and my Grandpa is an example of all of that. This story is not about how perfect he was, but about how he was just one of us, an exceptional one of us. He had his strengths, his weaknesses, his battles, and went through things that everyone goes through. But he managed to stand tall and proud throughout it all, and thats what matters. Grandpa said "Don't sweat the small stuff, because it's all small stuff", and he was one Reverend who lived by what he preached. I am proud to be his granddaughter, and I want him to proud to be my Grandfather.