Brittany Lenhart

The light that is a hero (my facebook)

HERO DEFINITION:
A hero is someone who shows you the light. The light of a better place. Where the world is whole, the hatred is gone, the fighting is done. A time when, "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, they shall study war no more." They are a sneak peak of that bright future. The future time where everyone will live the way heroes do, selflessly, generously, and most of all wholly.

Big sister, little sister (google images)

IS HAVING A HERO IMPORTANT?
It's important to have a personal hero, someone to look up to as a positive role model, and to see a person with the qualities you want to have. It's also important to find a personal hero, because the more you see what you want in a hero and a person, the more you find yourself, and discover who you are and who you want to be. It's good to be able to love yourself and who you are, while still looking up to and improving yourself to be who you want to be.

The smiling, beautiful Brittany (Brittany's facebook)

A LITTLE ABOUT BRITTANY:
Brittany Lenhart, my angel. She is a Senior in college at Indiana University. She has been a camp counselor at Goldman Union Camp Institute for the past 4 years. I met her in June of 2007. She was my cabin 7 counselor. We were the "Cabin 7 Spice Girls". We had so much fun that summer, playing games, hanging out, participating in programs, learning about each other, and just bonding as a whole cabin in general. Every night before we went to sleep she would sing us the Sh'ma (the most important prayer in the Jewish religion) and The Babysitter. This became a staple for our cabin. The Babysitter is all about how these two little girls look up to their babysitter and want to be just like her. They think she is the coolest person ever. She treats them like little sister and loves them. But then she has to leave for college and they are devastated. She has been playing the role of my "babysitter" since that summer, the summer of 2007. This year she was supposed to come back to camp, but she can't. She has been having persistent headaches and the doctors can not explain them. So she has to have tests done and studies taken on her so they can figure out what is wrong.

WHY BRITTANY IS MY HERO:
Ever since the day I met Britt, she has always had a smile on her face. She is such a positive, fun loving, exuberant person. She has given me someone that I want to model myself off of. A person I strive to be like. She has shown me the type of person I want to be. I don't think I have ever met a single person who doesn't like Brittany. She gives me support, advice, and all the love in the world. I love that she always finds the positive in any given situation. She always gives people the benefit of the doubt. She keeps her Judaism at the forefront of her mind all the time. She always knows what to say. She makes me feel special constantly. She has inspired me to do what I love, to follow my heart, and to live my life to the fullest. She taught me that no matter what happens I will always have me, and I will always be able to look inside and find my light. She has taught me that some things just aren't important, and to not "sweat the small stuff." She taught me that it's not the situation, but how you handle it that defines you. She showed me how important personal reflection is. She taught me how to laugh, and sing and dance like no one is watching. She taught me how to have fun with life and how to express myself in a countless number of ways. She has taught me so much, and inspired me in so many ways I can't even explain. But I know I will always have a shoulder to lean on, a crutch, and a support in her. And I know that forever more, she will be my hero.

Maggie(left) Brittany(right) (taken at camp by Brittany)

HALL OF FAME:
I know for a fact, that Brittany has impacted so many more lives than just mine. She hasn't saved a city from a giant robot, or dinosaur, but she has taught me about me. She has made such an impact on so many people, that may not even know how much she has impacted them until later in their lives. She inspires people to be the absolute best they can be. Brittany is a one of a kind soul. She has a special glimmer inside her that shines all the time. And no matter how bleak things seem, she can always find that light and illuminate it one hundred times. She is THE perfect example of a hero in my mind. Heroism isn't just about physically saving someone's life, or over coming a terrible situation, some times its just about being that glimmer of hope. That little sparkle or shine that you can barely see sometimes, but you know she's always there.

INTERVIEW:
*(I interviewed my daddy)*
1. Are personal heroes important? Why or Why not?
A: Yes they are, because it gives someone a person to look up to and set an example.
2. Who is your personal hero?
A: Bob Stone (his father)
3. Why are they your hero?
A: Because he is so giving, caring, loving, ethical, and family focused.
4. What qualities make a person a hero?
A: integrity, giving, caring, loving, strong, courageous, honest, and supportive
5. Do you think you have some of the above qualities?
A: yes
6. Do you feel your life is effected by your hero today? If so how?
A: absolutely. because i model myself after him.
7. Do you see yourself as a hero?
A: no
8. How do you strive to be like your hero/ follow in your hero's footsteps?
A: by following the example that he set for me and act how i think he would act in life situations
9. When you were my age did you ever think you would grow up to be someone's hero?
A: no
10. How do you feel about being my hero?
A: flattered, proud, touched, surprised, and satisfied.

INTERVIEW SUMMARY:
My dad is someone I have always looked up to. Someone who I have always aspired to be like. I want to follow in his footsteps just as he has followed in his father's. His hero is his dad, as is mine. I know that he sees his dad in the brightest of lights, and I know that his dad will always be there for him. Just as I know my dad will always be there for me.