Greatness

Unless you have been under a rock or on a deserted island, you know that Roy Halladay pitched a no hitter last night. An amazing feat, made quite frankly even more amazing, by his humbleness shown by his verbal gratitude to his catcher and his team. Yes, in 2010, an amazing athlete deflected the shine of the camera lights to his comrades. Now that is class.

There are others that show equal greatness. They are not athletes. They are not even famous, but for that brief space in time, they take the glare of the bright lights. They say words or take action and in doing so they help others. They help people they do not even know by standing tall and proud, and for that moment, they are head and shoulders above even the most amazing athletes.

Who are these folks? Here are just two.

Chris Armstrong, the University of Michigan's first gay student body president, who said recent suicides by gay teens have led him to talk about his being targeted by a lawyer in the Michigan attorney general's office. Read the story.

Victor Perez chased after a vehicle suspected of carrying an abducted 8-year-old girl in Fresno, California. A construction carpenter by trade until work slowed down, Perez has been recently cutting wine grapes, earning minimum wage. Victor's single action saved that little girl. Read the story.

Ordinary people, doing extra ordinary things.  Roy was amazing to watch, but to tell you the truth Chris and Victor give me real hope and a real reason to smile.