My Husband is a Hero

Dear Neighbor:

I know you think you're the neighborhood hero after calling the city health department and falsely reporting that we had a rat-infested landfill in our backyard. We know you feel that everyone should mow their lawn with a ruler and a pair of manicure scissors and think we're criminally negligent for mowing our lawn every week and a half instead of every three days. But before you try to come up with something else to call the city about, let me tell you something: MY HUSBAND IS A HERO.

My husband is the most hard-working man on the face of the earth. He currently has a full time day job as a phlebotomist and is a volunteer firefighter. Between his full-time school schedule and three 12-hour shifts at the fire station per month, he finds time to serve his church. My husband always puts his family first and very rarely thinks of himself. Before our daughter was born, we found ourselves in a tough situation when Bryan was laid off from his job. He went to work as a garbage man even though his skills and experience far surpassed what the job required. Always trying to better himself, he was quickly promoted to a driver. I don't know too many men willing to sling trash for six months just to take care of his family. My husband's job skills and aptitude were far above what that job required, still he was willing to do anything to take care of us. He is still doing whatever he can to make sure his wife and daughter have everything they need and knows that it takes work and dedication. It is his hard work and dedication that is making him a success and earning an associate's degree. It is his hard work and dedication that is leading him right into paramedic school. You see, my husband doesn't just live for his family, he also helps people. He will always help people regardless of who they are and what they need. He is constantly learning all he can so that he can be a better help to those in need. He also knows that the horrendous schedule he has now won't just help others but help his family as well. My husband is a hero.

So, my dear neighbor, while teaching is a noble profession, you should know that you will never do as much work in a lifetime as my husband will do in a year. There are no summer vacations for him. The only break from school he gets is the 2 or 3 weeks between semesters. He works weekends, he works nights and he works holidays. You should also know that despite your malice towards us for having a little peeling paint on our house, you are still our neighbor and we subscribe to the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. My husband's heroism may not match what literary educators define as heroism, but he is a hero. What makes him a hero is that he is a husband and father that lives to put his family first.

Go ahead: keep stressing about a lawn that isn't mowed every 3 days or a few misplaced bricks on the back patio bringing your property values down. But we'd like to think that you don't hate cops, spit on war veterans or dream of peeing on the 9/11 Memorial. Be human and cut my husband some slack. He works hard and he deserves it.

Sincerely,

The Wife of a True Hero