Wednesday, July 30, 2014

An Ordinary Hero: My Cousin Judy

Judy and I  hanging out back in the day.
I had assignment back in high school to write about an ordinary hero in my life. I chose my cousin Judy who has the biggest heart I know despite the fact that she’s missing part of it.

I’m headed home for the weekend to help my parents paint their house (which I’m sure will yield plenty of excellent blog material), so I figured I’d start kissing up now and share this for everyone. In all seriousness, I’m still lucky to have someone like Judy in my life. It’s been really special watching her raise her son Kevin with her hubby Michael. Her banter with Kevin reminds me a lot of ours back in the day and you can tell how much the two love each other.

So thank you once again Judy for being awesome and I’ll see you soon!*

*I’m well aware that this post will not prevent you from making fun of me…nor should it!

I never left Judy's side (even to blow out my birthday candles).

My Ordinary Hero

Of all the ordinary and unsung heroes that I know, my cousin Judith deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Judith has overcome incredible odds to become the kind, warm-hearted person she is today.

At birth, Judith was faced with an uncertain future. A section of her heart was missing and she had to have a pacemaker put in. It didn’t stop her from always being there for me when I needed her.

After Grandma Cassidy passed away, Judith started babysitting us after school fulltime. She’s generally an incredible person, but she really shines when she’s taking care of children. She never complains and seems oblivious to how important she is to other people.

Judith does a lot of volunteer work while balancing a schedule that includes school, work, and spending time with her family. She always puts her needs behind her families’ and the children she takes care of. I’m pretty sure that she’d do her job for free if she didn’t have to pay bills.

So that’s why my cousin Judith is an exceptional example of an ordinary hero. I wish everyone could be acquainted with her in some way.

Judy and I more recently.