We often hear about heroic firemen, policemen, soldiers and others who do great deeds in spite of their fears and adverse circumstances.
But the greatest heroes are hardly ever mentioned, seldom given credit.
I tried to be a hero once, risking my life to climb the mast of a wildly rolling supply vessel in a hurricane, to secure a loose tower that would have come crashing down, endangering the vessel, its crew, and those we served. It took about half an hour. Compared to the real heroes though, it wasn’t much.
I am referring to the single Moms whose heroism continues on and on continuously for many, many years. They give and give more, often without encouragement, sacrificing their own happiness for that of their children, They often do so with little or no thanks, confronting their fears, their hopes, and their lonliness in the darkness of the night, alone, and often with no one to help. Then they rise, and do it again.
They get up, go to work, and do their job. They come home, and care for their family. They do this day after day, week after week, year after year. They give many hours, every day. Their continuous sacrifice and courage put a half hour hero like me to shame. They have been heroes so long, that most of them just think of it as a normal day.
While their childless friends freely enjoy their play and recreation, The single Moms are taking care of the kids. I can’t recall any of those I knew complaining about it. In economic decisions, they do without, that their children can enjoy a comfortable life, then hide their sacrifice, that their kid’s happiness not be diminished. They give the love and guidance that often, literally , saves their kids lives, saves them from neglect, saves them from sadness, saves them from an unloved and lonely existence.
I have seen these heroes in many places, and I have seen quite a few of them right here on MD. They have my greatest respect and admiration, and I wanted to express that to them today. I can’t help them in a material way, but I can recognize that they are, in fact, among our nation’s greatest heroes.
I give you my admiration, my respect, and my thanks..
PS I used the word Moms, because so many single parents are women. These thoughts apply equally to single Dads.
Thanks for reading my thoughts.
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read more blogs!
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silksox

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Jun 29 @ 7:01PM
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As usual...ttom..your wise blogs are a joy to read.
Silk
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edthepoet

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Jun 29 @ 7:07PM
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Yes, single mother do have it very hard and there are more of them then men.
Anybody who is a single parent has it extra tough.
Though I am divorced, my ex has always been a great mother, so I have never had to feel the pressure of what single mother go through.
Now, I do take great pride in raising my daughter to high standards as anyone can tell by my blogs about her.
So three cheers to all the single mother's.
You get a kudo for this blog
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ceecee1952

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Jun 29 @ 7:59PM
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ah yes... to those who fall from exhaustion the sacrifice that all parents (single or not) make for their children is to be commended and done single handedly is a hard road...I know nice write and encouragement to all.
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RainSongSpirit

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Jun 29 @ 8:42PM
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nice post
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missliss78

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Jun 29 @ 8:47PM
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More wonderful thoughts from a very wise man. Thanks for sharing & honoring those single parents in our world.
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Tiramisu4u

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Jun 29 @ 8:49PM
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Bless your heart, Tom...This was a beautiful blog.......
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Jacksonboy

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Jun 29 @ 10:15PM
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I appreciate the single Mom's too Dude.
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bardnsage

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Jun 29 @ 10:45PM
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Thanks,,,,
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sweetxy

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Jun 30 @ 8:33AM
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But the greatest heroes are hardly ever mentioned, seldom given credit. This is true Tom . Thanks
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ttomtarr

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Aug 2 @ 9:05PM
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EPIBLOG - I got several private emails from single Moms on this blog, and their comments were all pretty much along the same lines. As my favorite single Mom, Sweet Thang, said,
I never thought of it as a sacrifice, i wanted to do that for my kids. Like I said, Heros !
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