Unlikely Hero

She doesn’t have the most gorgeous face and flattering body, but she tries to keep up with herself. Her hair isn’t shiny and full of body, but straggly with grays starting to show. She doesn’t get manicures all the time because she doesn’t have time to worry about the details. She doesn’t wear the latest trends and suiting colors, but she’s comfortable in her worn and holey jeans. Her hands are not soft and warming, but weathered and worn out. Her face is not flawless and full of make-up; wrinkles and lines have begun to set in. Her shoes are not in season, but she makes her worn out tennies last. Her grammar is not exact, but she gets her point across. Her job is not a doctor, but a minimum wage sales clerk on night shift. Her car is not the most shiny and sporty set of wheels, but the gas mileage in her rustic, outdated car is helpful. Her house is not the biggest and most luxurious, but it fits her all the same. It is not the cleanest and show worthy, but she knows where everything is. Her family is not perfect, but torn apart and tired. Her first true love is not supportive and left her when that test came back positive. Her daughter is not always happy with her; she says she’s never around. She says she loves her and always will, even in the roughest of all times. All they have are each other; a first grader and mom age 29. She works late nights to put food on the table and keep her daughter warm. She prays every night for all the blessing she can find. She looks at her daughter just home from school, kisses her, sees that beautiful smile, and sighs. “I love you, Mommy, you’re the best.” She takes her daughter in her arms, and the world she beholds. Heroes can be imperfect you see, love can mold wonders. She is not the perfect person, but a hero in her daughter’s eyes.

Jennifer Aldren