When most people think of heroes, the usual Superman or Batman are usual the first people to come to mind. Most heroes are after pictured as muscular, young guys flying around in capes and have amazing superpowers. Although my grandpa is the complete opposite of the stereotypical superhero, I consider him my modern day hero. On April 10, 1942, my grandpa, William Leon, also known as Bill to his family and friends, was born in Mobile, Alabama. When he grew up he married my Meme and together they raised my father and my aunt. Years later, Bill divorced my Meme and married my grandmother a few years after the divorce. They have been together ever since and continue to love each other just as much as the day they were married. Even though Bill may look like an ordinary seventy five year old, retired man who spends most of his days golfing, he is actually a hero in many ways. My grandfather, Bill, is a modern day hero because of generosity to help anyone in need, loyalty to his family and friends, and his wisdom in knowing how to look at the positive side of things.

My grandpa, Bill, is a considered a hero because of his generosity to help anyone in need. Ever since I was a baby, I can remember my grandpa always being there to lend a helping hand to everyone in my family. The most vivid memory I have of his generosity was when he helped my dad, brother, and me to build a wooden fence around our camp in Mississippi. Although Bill was almost seventy years old, he did not hesitate to come help us build a fence for about three days. He was always there to lighten up the mood when we were all becoming aggravated with each other. Even when he knocked his head into a nail sticking out of a post, he refused to stop helping us and argued that we had to finish the fence. To this day I can remember how happy he was to help us build that fence and never asked for anything in return from us. He does not hesitate to help anyone in need, especially his family, because he loves to the see the joy in people’s faces after they have been helped.  He has shown me that generosity is not about helping just family, but also people I do not know. My Grandpa’s generosity makes him a hero to me and inspires me to always be open to helping others and never asking for anything in return.

My Grandpa’s trait of loyalty makes him a modern day hero because he is always loyal to his family and friends. Loyalty is very important to my Grandpa because he believes that no matter where I might go or what I might do, my family will always be there to support me. Bill never fails to show his loyalty to his family and friends through both actions and words. He has always been there to support my brother and I at our soccer and football games, dance recitals, and award ceremonies. I can remember being very nervous during warmups at my first high school soccer game until I looked up into the stands and saw my grandpa wearing his signature “Noodle” baseball cap. The look of joy and pride that was plastered all over his face gave me the confidence to play my best in that game because I knew he was there to support me no matter what the score was.  Although he has a rather large family, he still makes time for all of his children and grandchildren whether it is by spending the weekend with us or just going to eat lunch. My grandpa has learned that through the years people may grow old and forget many things, which he often does, but people never forget their family. His loyalty to always support his family and make time to visit with them shows that he is a modern day hero.

My grandpa’s wisdom to always look at the positive side of things also makes him a modern day hero because instead of focusing on the negatives he has learned that there is more to life then the negatives. When my father was my age, my grandpa was very strict about everything, always stressed out, and very uptight. Bill used to always come home angry because of something that happened at work and would be aggravated all day long. It was not until his kids were grown and having children of their own that he realized that he should not spend his entire day being aggravated at something that happened in the morning or night before. Instead, he decided to focus on the good things that come out of every bad thing that happens to him or his family. I have strived to be more like him everyday because of his contagious joy that is always around him. No matter where he his, as soon as he walks into the room, everybody wants to talk to him because of his positivity. He has always taught me to never focus on bad things that happen to me such as getting a bad grade or losing a soccer game. Instead, he teaches me to keep my head up and try harder on my next test or give a hundred - ten percent effort at the next game. My grandpa’s wisdom to always look at the positive side of things portrays his trait of wisdom and makes him a modern day hero.

My grandpa’s generosity to help everybody, loyalty to his family, and wisdom to look at the positives of life, make him a modern day hero. He has always been generous to everybody and is always willing to help anybody who needs help. He encourages me to help others everyday and never ask for anything in return for helping someone. Bill is always loyal to his family and friends because he knows that many people will come and go, but family will never leave. He inspires me to stand up for my family and always treat them with love and respect because my family will always support every decision I make. Lastly, his wisdom to look at the positive side out every situation makes thankful for the little things in life and rarely ever angry. His wisdom and positivity inspire me to strive to be like him everyday and make me always try to have a positive outlook on life. All three of his traits, generosity, loyalty, and wisdom, make his a modern day hero to me even though he may be the complete opposite of the average, young superhero.