Episode II: Attack of the Blogs

I am sitting watching the Jags final preseason game, and my thoughts are wondering.

If you faithful readers did not know, Michael Vick earlier this week was arrested on some pretty disgusting charges. I am not going to repeat the charges in this blog...but it has made me think about the heroes that we looked up to as kids...who did you look up to when you a kid?

For me, I looked up to football players. My first favorite playesr was Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys. They were the best at their time (the seventies). Later on in life, I really looked up to Emmitt Smith, and even later than that Danny Wuerffel. Emmitt and Danny were really good role models...up standing people, good Christians...amazing players...the best at what they did...but were they really heroes? I was even going to name my first born male after them, Daniel Emmitt.

Emmitt and Daniel were heroes to me up until 2001. That is when the definition of role model and hero changed for me. That is when I met a 14 year old boy in my brand new youth group named Cameron.

When meeting Cameron for the first time, he seemed like a normal kid. Liked to get in a little bit of trouble, like to surf, and he loved to spend time with his friends, and laugh. But on Sept. 16th, he let us in on his act of heroism. Cameron had cancer...the terminal kind. He was dying, and sadly all the chemo, and all the treatments in the world were not going to help him. Over the course of the next 5 months I saw this brave young man still fight, and fight, and fight. He lived every day to its fulliest. Even on his last days, he wanted people around to just enjoy their time with him. He passed away Feb. 2002. You see Cameron was a true hero...because he lived his life and was kind, and loving in the worst of circumstances...he is what I would want my son to be...that is why when I am blessed to have a son, I will name him after my hero, Cameron.

I never lost a youth group kid before then...and I sometimes I wonder where he would be right now...in college...surfing full time, or just spending time with family and friends.

God, I know I do not say it as much as I use to, but thank you for bring Cameron in my life. Thank you for showing me who and what a hero truly is.

Your Eternal Bud,

Chris