Those Among Us- The Ones Who Remain Nameless With Their Gifts From The Heart...

An exceptional carving by the big guy, similar to the one delivered to the second man in the story.

My dear late mom used to say that she wanted no credit of any kind for whatever she did on this earth. She did not believe that we should seek recognition in this life for the good works that we do. She wanted her rewards to be in Heaven.

There are others among us having similar thoughts.

While writing this column, I've been thinking about two men and a wonderful woman who all declined recognition for what they have recently done for others in life. While I would have loved to tell you their names, they all wanted the deeds of their lives to remain private, and so they shall be.

Their deeds, however, commend their names to the heavens.

No doubt about it, my one friend's a BIG guy, towering above most of us in stature. Having said that, I would quickly add that his heart is both physiologically and spiritually about as big as it gets! This guy not only represents a vital part of the pulse of this city. He often measured it!

See, he's a retired fireman and a former paramedic, as well as a former Navy man. Over the years, he's had the opportunity to save lives. Lots of lives. More importantly, though, for the purpose of this column, he's helped hundreds of other people young and old to do the same by conducting life-saving courses for Scouts and for so many others.

These days, it's a common fact that life-saving training saves lives. What you or I do in the moments when a friend, loved one, or even a stranger on the street develops a medical emergency can make the difference of life or death. Every Boy or Girl Scout learns basic first-aid, and this has helped the Scouting community be of invaluable service through the course of countless disasters large and small.

Scout leaders are very aware of their responsibility to inculcate numerous aspects of specialized training into the lives of their Scout troops. This guy has quietly been a Scout leader for many years in our community, having served a number of area troops both in leadership roles and with their training.

A Lakewood resident, this man and his family raised their children in our community, and his entire family has been active in many aspects of Lakewood living. Also, you may have seen him at the Berea fairgrounds at the County Fair, helping with the many aspects of the Boy Scout exhibit, and especially with teaching the skills of wood carving. To say that this guy's a carver would be an understatement indeed. He claims to be able to find wood spirits hidden in old branches and logs. From these logs come stunningly life-like images of Native Americans, trolls, and other fascinating objects under the hands of his remarkable creativity.

Recently he created a beautiful carving from a piece of Linden wood taken from a tree that had to be removed from the property of another good friend of mine in Rocky River. That friend and his father had planted that tree when he had been a child. During a recent hospitalization, the man had expressed the hope that something could be made from a part of that tree, as a remembrance to his father.

On a muddy, rainy day, the big guy and I trudged out to the tree, where he found a suitable branch, and the carving was done. Needless to say, my other friend certainly appreciates his new totem treasure!

As with my first friend, the totem recipient too did not want any publicity, even though his life has been dedicated to serving others in so very many ways.

Oh yeah, there's this great gal too... who's also been helping the Rocky River friend out. Whether with going places or doing things for him--this gal's really special in her own right, as well. She's another one of those types of people who want to be nameless with their good deeds. She also represents one of those special people whom this column is all about.

When it comes to caring, these warm and open-hearted people represent the best that the pulse of any city has to offer. They represent just three more reasons why this old world of ours continues to be a very special place indeed.