His Hero

As mentioned below, Jared had to do a project for his English class. He had to answer 3 questions: What is your definition of a hero?

Who is your hero?

Why is that person your hero?

Bring in a photo of your hero.

Here is what he wrote...warning, it's a tear-jerker.

My definition of a hero: a hero is a person who goes above what is expected of them, just to make a difference in somebody's life.

My hero is: Steve Jablecki- My step-Dad

"I picked my step Dad as my hero because of what he does for me and my family. When I was about a year old, my Mom and my Dad got divorced (we had been living in Oregon then). Of course, because I was so young I didn't quite know what was going on, but I know now that my Mom was very hurt. Both of my parents were in a tough time of their lives. My Mom and my Dad both moved and both went back to their jobs. My Dad was at the beginning of his singing career and my Mom was one of the bosses at NorthStar. Also working at NorthStar was Steve. He wasn't a boss or anything, but he worked there. Steve hung out with my Mom a lot and they were very good friends, but then they started going out on dates. Then, finally in New York City, Steve asked my Mom to marry him and she said yes. I was 3 years old.

In 2000, we moved to Cape Cod. After my Mom moved to Cape Cod and my Dad stayed in California, I didn't really think I'd ever get to see my Dad as much as I would like to or ever get to have that feeling of seeing my Dad every day. When Steve came along, everything changed. He acted like a Dad to me. He makes me a better person everyday of my life. Even though I'm not blood related to Steve, he treats me like I'm his son. That's the reason I picked Steve as my hero, because when my Mom and Dad got divorced, Steve stepped in and treated me like his own son. Now-a-days, Steve and my Mom have had 3 kids together. So now it's me, my Mom, my step-Dad and my 4 brothers and sisters. Of course, I do get to see my Dad a few times a year. Me and my sister fly out to California a few times a year, but after that we fly back home to stay with my hero and the rest of my family.

The word hero means a lot to me. It means a lot to me because of all the hero's in my life. You already know that Steve is one, but my Mom and my Dad are hero's to me too. I have a lot of hero's in my life. "

What a beautiful, heart-felt tribute from my 12 year old son. :)