When thinking of heroes, the first person to come to my mind would have to be Linda. She’s one of those people who, in a world that is so corrupted, manages to lead a pure life despite her hardships. Now you’re probably wondering how I met Linda. Linda was my small group leader (a religious group) in both 7th and 8th grade. She, in fact, has been teaching a small group for 7 years. As our small group leader, Linda was responsible for leading a bible study, which has a specific message, and helping us discuss the topic. To me though, Linda was more than just a small group leader that came on Sundays to teach you about God. Linda cared about each and every one of us as an individual and was always interested in our lives and how she could assist. Linda is my hero because she is dedicated to helping people, organized despite her schedule, and a great listener.
Linda has devoted her life to caring for people and getting them through problems they may face. Her reason is because she wants “Girls that age (middle school students) to feel that they matter.” She wants every girl to feel that they have a voice in their life and not get stuck behind the crowd. Linda does this by always being there when you need her and always taking time to consider everyone’s opinion. When I’d arrive on Sundays, Linda would immediately come up to greet me and begin asking me how I’ve been. This to me shows that even outside her family she cares and wants the best for everyone. Not only does she care but also to Linda, “…it’s a priority!” To me this is shocking! Linda puts her volunteer work before her full-time job! Not only does Linda have a small group to take care of, she also has a family of her own. Linda has a husband named Dave and two kids in college: Erika and Scott. To some, this may not seem like a big deal, but I have to disagree. Most of us will sit here complaining about how we have so much to do, but not Linda. She enjoys leading a small group so much that she scrunches it into her already hectic schedule.
Despite how perfect Linda’s life may seem she endured hardships growing up. The hardships she has endured have helped her become who she is today. It’s a type of motivation for her knowing that she can be there for young girls who might not have a “perfect” life. In fact, Linda’s dad died when she was twelve. She has overcome so much in her life and has managed not only to move on, but also to become a role model for girls struggling with similar problems! Every Sunday, Linda openly discusses about the problems of the world and how, as Christians, we can try to stop it.
Linda is also an extremely punctual person. Her house is always very neat and tidy. I don’t see how she manages to keep it clean when she is so busy with her full-time job and her volunteer work. To me this is an accomplishment in itself. Linda also always manages to be early to everything unless otherwise specified. In fact, for my interview I arrived a few minutes early to find Linda already inside Panera Bread. Despite all the chaos in her schedule Linda always manages to come well-dressed with her shoulder length blonde hair combed perfectly. During small groups in 7th and 8th grade, she would always make sure to keep us on track which wasn’t always easily with about 15 chatty girls. One of her traditional quotes was “Good segue” whenever we’d get off tack somehow leading to the next topic. Linda would always have the ministry’s lesson plan printed off for us along with points already in her head that she wanted to make. She was always able to link our lives back to the message and help us focus on what we were supposed to that morning.
Another thing I admire about Linda would have to be that she is always interested in what you have to say. She is one of those people that would rather listen to what’s going on in your life than brag about her own. In fact, at my interview I hadn’t seen Linda in a while and she was interested in all the updates in my life. Linda uses her listening skills to help you solve problems in your life. With Linda’s hardships growing up, she thinks that she impacts people with family problems more than most people. She uses her listening skills to achieve her goal of making girls around the middle school age to feel that they matter! During the times I was around her during small group, Linda was always eager to hear what everyone was struggling with and ways she could help them. I find this amazing considering that some mornings you just aren’t in a good mood or are tired, but Linda always managed to find that passion.
I believe Linda has impacted me a lot along with many other girls over the years. She’s one of those people who you can’t ever be mad at. Linda is a person that you can always count on. This means so much in this world where so many people are fake or not trustworthy. To have someone that you can trust to tell anything is just marvelous. Her impact was mostly by example showing how if you followed God, your life would be better and more satisfying. Linda is not only my hero, but she is also a role model. Throughout her life, she has impacted so many people, which is something I hope to do during my lifetime.
The qualities I’ve described above are all reasons why I look up to Linda and the reasons she is a hero to me. I want to thank her for being a part of my life and being the impact I know she loves to be. Linda does so much in influencing the people around her in helping them to live a Godly lifestyle. To sum her up Linda is a well dressed, working mother, who leads an out-of-the-ordinary life! When describing herself Linda answers, “I just love people!” and it shows in all that she has done.