MY HEROES contest submission

THIS IS FOR THE MY HEROES CONTEST SUBMISSION

As defined by Merriam-Websters dictionary online
Main Entry: he·ro
Pronunciation: 'hir-(")O
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural heroes
Etymology: Latin heros, from Greek hErOs
1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage


Well, this is the hard part....I have 2 heroes! So, I am going to write about both of them, and I am going to submit an entry for each of them.

So, who are my heroes? They would be none other than my beautiful daughter, Jasmine and my handsome husband, Jonathan.

Why are they my heroes? Jasmine is my hero because eventhough she was conceived at a bad time in my life and wasn't planned, she has brought so much joy to my life. I have always known I wanted to be a mother one day, but when I found out I was pregnant, that was the last thing on my mind. I had just filed for divorce from my extremely abusive ex-husband. I had left him and was attempting to start a new life. I had just enlisted in the U.S. Navy, in fact I was at MEPS (where they process you into the military) in Montgomery, Alabama with my recruiter, preparing to leave out to boot camp the next morning, and that night before I was given a pregnancy test along with the other females as part of our required physical exam tests. I soon found out that my life would change in so many ways. I was going to be a Mommy. I didn't know what to do when I found out. I cried. I was scared. I wanted a baby, but I didn't want one with my ex. I wanted to get away from him. I didn't want him in my life anymore, but now I was having a baby by him, and I felt like I'd never get away. I didn't ask for the baby either. Conception was FORCED on me...yes, I do mean FORCED. I had all kinds of feelings inside of me, but during it all, deep down inside I felt pride at the idea that I was going to be a mother. I had created a life even if I wasn't trying. I never once thought about abortion or adoption because that is not something that I could do. I finally realized that I could do this...I could be a single mom and be the best single mom that I could be. I was scared and didn't really know what to do since the Navy disqualified me that night and sent me home the next day. I really wanted to be in the military. (Now, I don't know why I wanted that...lol). I realized that the discipline, the pride, and the achievements that I dreamed of creating in a military life, I would now be creating in a single mother life! The day after I got dismissed from the Navy processing, I went home and cried and told my mom I was pregnant. After crying all day and night, I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to dry up those tears and be strong for both me and my baby. I went to Gadsden State Community College the next day and got all the paperwork I needed to apply to school for the following semester for the Licensed Practical Nurse program. I wanted to be a nurse, and that was what I was going to do in the Navy, so I figured I could still do it...pregnant! I filled out the paperwork and then applied for acceptance into the nursing program. I got in!!! I was so happy! I knew I could make it through school even if I was pregnant. I was doing this for my baby! I wanted to give my baby the best life he or she could have. I wanted my baby to be proud of me! Not only did being pregnant with my child push me even harder to want to achieve my goals, but it also pushed me to want to get away from my abusive marriage. I filed for divorce in the state of California, but it didn't go through because he did not file his paperwork like he needed to, so I had to file for divorce in the state of Alabama. I finally got my divorce completed by the time my daughter was 2!!! A few months before my divorce was final, I GRADUATED nursing school and took my licensing test, which I passed the first time! I not only achieved my goal of completing nursing school while being a single mom to a new baby, but I also got my divorce right after that. Everything I have done in my life to both better me and to make our lives safer, I've done for my daughter. She is my hero because, although she doesn't realize it yet, she saved my life in so many ways!!!

My 2nd hero is my husband, Jon. Jon and I met online kind of by mistake. One day, after I had moved to Kansas and didn't know anyone here, I was searching through local online personals mainly to just meet friends. I had totally sworn off men and relationships because of all the abuse I had gone through in my marriage and also in a relationship I was in after my divorce. I was not interested in meeting men to date. I just simply wanted to meet people to talk to mainly online when I had time to kill. As I was searching through a site called plentyoffish.com, I realized that I just wasn't interested in anyone that I came across, until right as I was getting ready to get out of that site, I saw a profile of a guy who was stationed at an Army base here in Kansas. What caught my eye was the fact that 1) His picture he had on his profile was a picture of him several years ago. He had long hair and looked like he was only about 17 or 18. On his profile, it said he was 25, so I totally thought he was lying...lol! 2) The main thing that I was interested in though was that it said he just finished Army Basic Training. Having gone through Army BT myself in 1998 @ Ft. Jackson, S.C., I was curious to find out where he went and if he liked it. So, I emailed him, not expecting a response at all. To my surprise, I got an email from him. That one email lead to a friendship that went from strictly online to telephone, to a month later meeting in person. As we chatted, emailed, and talked, I never once had in my mind to meet this guy. I thought he was just like all the other guys, and I really didn't want to try to give him a chance in fear that he's be another idiot or abusive to me and my daughter; however, something in me kept telling me, this guy IS different than the other guys. I kept telling my innerself how wrong she was! My innerself kept telling me how wrong I was! I decided after a month of communication that I'd just take a chance...what did I have to lose afterall? More than likely, he wouldn't like me or I wouldn't like him, so I took that chance. He ended up driving 3 hrs. from his base to come down to meet me and Jasmine at the mall. Boy, was I wrong about him!!! He was such a gentleman and so fun to be around, and he really cared about my daughter's well-being. (After only 30 mins. of us visiting, Jasmine got extremely tired and cranky, and he was willing to let us go so I could lay her down for a nap...and he drove 3 HOURS just to see us for 30 MINUTES.--of course, I didn't let him go!). I soon realized after us dating for just a few weeks that he was NOTHING like the other guys. He respected me and Jasmine. He was kind to us. He enjoyed doing things with both of us. He enjoyed playing toys and games with Jasmine. Jasmine loved him to death! More than anything, he NEVER disrespected either of us nor tried to hurt us. He never tried to force himself on me. He was just a total gentleman. I never thought I'd ever trust another man until Jon came along. Jon showed me that I was worth loving, caring about, and respecting. He showed me that love wasn't supposed to hurt. He showed me how a woman was supposed to be treated. He showed me that I could have both a best friend and a boyfriend in him. He was there for me when no one else was. He was there for me when I needed him or when Jasmine needed him. He was truly the man I always dreamed of but didn't think existed. He made me and Jasmine so happy and made us feel so loved. Jon is my hero because he proved to me that I COULD trust again. He allowed me to love him, just as I allowed him to love me. He gave me back what others had taken from me....pride in myself and happiness! And for that, I will always be grateful!

So, to my daughter and my husband, I say THANK YOU!!! I love you both so much!!! You are my heroes!!!