Amazing Work Done Inside

What would you do if you had only three days left to live? Would you help yourself or help others like my hero did?  My grandpa would not give up helping people when he was sick or dying. His passion in life was to help others -- that's why he is my hero. You could see other characteristics in him that made him a greater hero, but my grandpa was a man whose heart was filled with encouragement, patience, and determination.

The first reason I looked up to my grandpa is because of the encouragement he showed. My grandpa loved encouraging people, especially my grandma, in various ways. My grandma would always be stressed out about work to the point where she was beating herself up and crying every day. He did not like seeing her live her life like this, so he would help as much as he could. Just to help her out, he would do some of her work, take her out for a meal, or even take a little day trip with his bride. That's all he had to do to relieve her stress.  Another example is when my grandpa would help those in need. He absolutely hated seeing homeless people or anyone struggling in anyway. The reason for that was because when he was young his family was close to being homeless and they struggled in lots of ways that no one should have to go through. My hero loved reading scripture to people to cheer them up and brighten their day. That is what he would do to cheer himself up in tough situations. Also he would listen to people’s stories, much like a counselor would, to show them that someone loved and cared about them. This was the way he showed encouragement towards others.   

The second characteristic he showed was patience. Taking time to talk or listen to people was a big purpose he had in his heart. My grandma had a hard time listening to my grandpa about what to do for work. He would take time out of his work day to go over and over it until she understood it. Besides that, he enjoyed listening to people spill out what was on their mind.  The things they had on their heart made him want to help them even more. He couldn't even believe some of the stories they were telling. The stories made him want to have them live at his house because they were too painful to hear and go through. One family had lost their house, they were living on the streets for about a year now. The mom couldn’t work and the dad was only working at a grocery store. The family was struggling a lot. That is how patience spewed out of my hero.

Determination is the last characteristic my hero showed. You can tell God really put this trait in his heart. My grandpa never  -- and I mean never -- liked to give up. Sickness is one thing that never stopped him. Like most people, he kept doing his thing like he wasn't even sick. As well as that, dying never stopped him. When he was three days close to dying, he would not rest (though he knew his body needed it). In his mind, others were more important than himself. After getting out of breath every time he moved, he couldn't take it anymore. He has tried his best, but just had to stop. Then one day later, all of his good friends and people he loved and cared for got a devastating phone call that “he had passed”. His whole family kept getting these calls about how he had impacted their lives from not giving up. His Determination really impacted others.   

My hero taught me a lot the last few years he was alive. He encouraged me to help others and take time with people in tough situations. My heart really changed from being selfish to being considerate like my grandpa. Lots of people's hearts were changed because of his impact on others. I would not be the same now if it wasn't for him. I can not match up to the kindness he showed through encouragement, patience, and determination.