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Top 5 Heroes Of The Week! Special Edition

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We have another first in our Heroes series this week. This is a very special edition that will deviate from the regular top 5, because the story touched me in such a way that it seemed only right to reserve this Friday’s table for only two. This story happened last year, but I am always going to run with something that makes the news? Worthy.

This week’s Special Top 2 Heroes are Bob Kraft and Alyssa Silva. Their story exemplifies hope, faith and our better angels.

I know what you’re thinking. . a New England Patriot as good hero? Two days before the New England Invitational? That there is anathema to the senses of any football fan outside of the 508. But the owner of the New England Patriots is much more than just the “Gate”-keeper to a modern day dynasty. Kraft is also a civic minded mensch whose outreach has helped to make countless lives better.

Alyssa Silva is one of those lives. The twenty eight year old Ms. Silva is a blogger who specializes in creating bold new words like ‘enoughness’. And when she’s not writing, she’s non-profiting (another Silva Special) as an entrepreneur whose mission is to bring awareness to spinal muscular atrophy. SMA affects the motor nerve cells of the spinal cord and inhibits muscle growth. Alyssa was diagnosed with the disease when she was six months old. Doctors at the time predicted she would not live past her second birthday.

Embrace the rough draft. Learn from the edits- Alyssa Silva

Silva has been a frequent guest of owner Bob Kraft at Patriots home games over the years, and last summer she and her family took part in what they believed was a follow up segment for ESPN. During the interview, Kraft and Matthew Slater (Silva’s favorite player) presented them with a handicapped accessible van. These rides do not come cheap, and while her family had been shopping for one, they feared they might not be able to afford it.

Kraft came through with a game winning drive of his own. And it’s easy to see why his organization has been gold standard professional throughout his tenure. Because the Boss? Gives a damn about the people in his circle. Love him or loathe him, that’s how leaders are supposed to behave.

Joy and Pain Can Coexist- That’s when I realized: it’s easy to falter on the false idea that joy can finally enter your life once the challenge has been overcome. But the reality is that joy is ever-present, and despite the discipline and hard work it requires, choosing to see life this way will always be far more rewarding- Alyssa Silva

As for Alyssa Silva, there’s no doubt about her leadership skills. She is twenty eight years strong, with every single day presenting the kinds of challenges most of us take for granted. In a world whose currency is status, hers is the beauty and grace that actually counts for something. The purpose she brings to every single day is one of faith, perspective and a tenacious spirit that has traversed real life odds pretty much her entire life.

We ain’t gonna find a bigger hero come Super Bowl Sunday than her brilliant soul provides. Because winning the day isn’t about trophies and rings. It’s about the ideals you impart for the profit of others, and that is the kind of selfless currency the world needs more of.

That is everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

95 thoughts on “Top 5 Heroes Of The Week! Special Edition”

  1. Marc,
    A very worthy tribute that stands alone on this day. I went to her site and her welcoming “to my little corner of the internet” made me smile because I often use my little corner of the world.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. First off, you quote Lincoln with…our better angels…that told me right off the bat I’d be reading about someone special.

    I’m always in awe of the selfless, those who stop their climb to the top, to notice those struggling.

    Add humility to the mix, and I’d ask to wash her windows. Her take on joy…hear hear. There’s light between the dark branches if we choose to see.

    Susannah

    Liked by 1 person

  3. OK. Fine. Kraft did a good thing. But he still is the root cause of all that is evil in the NFL. You absolutely cannot take that away from me. Never. Ever. In a million years.

    Ms. Silva, on the other hand, is everything that is right with humanity.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mark,

      I wouldn’t expect you to change your stance on him now. Nor do I, by and large. But for the good things, I like to think there is SOME validation. I need to make this world spinning thing worth it, yanno?

      Ms Silva is a gift. And her take on life provides us with the proper perspective. Her talent and joy is humbling and like I said, we need more of it.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. B,

    Talk about hitting this one way out of the park. Sorry, wong sport. Talk about taking that ball and running with it all the way down the field for the touchdown of the week. Way better than a Hail Mary because this was done with intent and not luck. You show tremendous grace when you choose to give the credit where it is due – no matter who or what they may represent in their “normal” life.

    What a beautiful thing for Kraft to do for such a beautiful person. Alyssa Silva is a hero in every sense of the word and yes, a leader by her actions and choices. There is no “woe is me” in this fighter.

    Bravo to you for highlighting these two well-deserved recipients of your heroes of the week.

    Q

    Liked by 1 person

    • Q,

      Imma take this comment ‘o yours in segments, so don’t mind the abruptness of each snippet, but yours deserves as much.

      Wrong sport, same heart.

      SO much better than all that football stuff. Because of the intent, the purpose and the reach. The grace is all hers, beautiful talent and soul that she is . .

      Liked by 1 person

      • I surely don’t mind one whit.

        And yes, wrong sport, same heart and the reason I left it in there.

        Yes. Has nothing to do with football whatsoever. Has to do with the man (and the team). I will allow that she is full of grace and beautiful talent.

        But I won’t allow you to diss yours.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Whit is a good word. When spoken, it sounds exactly like wit. In Philly, it’s used frequently when asked “Do you want that wit or wit out cheese?”.

          Football is a nice diversion, but Silva proves once again that the games and the scores are fleeting and small in the grand scheme of things. Before long, the casual observer won’t remember won the NFL’s biggest game.

          I love the words that she pulls out of thin air!

          Nope, not dissing. I simply believe she charts a course that I- and others- might follow. All respect to someone who has her priorities in order. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          • Hahahahaha!

            It may be a way of life for some (the players while they play, the zealots who live by the sore) but for most of us, we won’t remember who won last year… well, once THAT cycle is broken we can forget more easilty 😉

            Yes! That is wonderful!

            Good. Because I won’t allow you to diss yourself for bringing these beautiful people out for more to see. and admire and hopefully learn from.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Sports really has taken on this ancient Rome dimension. It’s not so much a diversion as a way of life for most. Sure they have their jobs and their families and friends, but I know peeps who drop everything for a game. Everything. Bread and Circuses, I tell you.

            Never. It makes me feel good about myself, and the world around me, when I can write pieces like this. It’s very life affirming.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Bread and Circuses – what a great expression – and yes, I know some who will drop every damn thing.

            As it should be. And then you share that good feeling with us. Winners all around.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Smoke and mirrors is a great expression. And I think it’s applicable, seeing as how too many peeps have the magical ability to care more about sports scores than anything else.

            And do not get me started on the peeps who name their children after athletes. We have TONS of kids named Chase around here, which is a result of Chase Utley, who used to play for the Phillies. It’s. A. Fucking. Sport! And now the kid has to go around with that name forever. Nothing wrong with the name itself, mind you. But what if Utley gets arrested tomorrow in a double murder case? My God, these people have no clue.

            Frothy Fridayyyyyyyyy!!!!!! 🍻

            Liked by 1 person

          • Two great expressions one one comment section! We rock the Casbah! I have a cousin who is so obsessed, he’ll place 4 Tv’s one on top and beside the other to watch 4 games at the same time….

            Oh yeah. Naming a child in honour of someone – sport or actor is a tricky thing. Aidan – I got the name from an actor but not in honour of him… And it isn’t an “out there” name…
            He’ll, I’m sure you didn’t base your son’s name on the horror flic…then again, maybe you did 😉

            Liked by 1 person

          • That’s what I’m ALL about collecting great expressions. Love a great expression.

            And that is why they call them ‘fans’, which is the abbreviation for fanatic. I call it lunacy for laundry, because that’s basically what they’re rooting for. Laundry.

            That’s different. Liam was a consideration for us when we were going over boy’s names. I also LOVED Tamarick, which was a player on the Florida State college team that I had seen in passing. I just loved the name and listed it as a candidate until my then wife was like, “They’ll call him Tammy . . .”

            Nope. I DID always love that name. But the spelling is different. It’s an E for evil in the flick. 😉

            Liked by 1 person

          • You and me both.

            Fanatic about laundry 😂

            It is different. Mick wanted Nigel and I was nope! For me, that name (that I now find cool) represented a tall skinny, nerdy Brit! And I’m sure Tammy would have become cool for a guy 😉😜

            That is true… different spelling saves any evil connotation.😉

            Liked by 1 person

          • True! Think about it. Peeps root for a jersey, because the names and numbers are constantly changing.

            It may have become cool for him, but I’m glad Kim went with Damian. And I chose Arianna, so there’s that. 😉

            It really does! 😉

            Liked by 1 person

          • Exactomundo!!
            Mick chose Austin, I chose Iain and Aidan was potentially Tyler (Mick’s choice) but it was sooo popular. So when I was in the hospital, he had no name for 36 hours! I held a poll – everyone who called voted. My choice of Aidan won! 🤣
            Plus, living in Quebec, any English name gets bastardized in pronunciation…

            Cheers to names! 🍺🍻🍺

            Liked by 1 person

          • Too funny. I was thisclose to accepting it… except, the last doctor’s appointment, a woman came in with her newborn… Tyler. That was it. Even if I held a poll, I was going to choose Aidan!

            Yes! Bring on the brews!

            Liked by 1 person

          • I remember there were so many Tylers and Dylan was another one at the time.

            On that whole sports name thing. Is it irrational to get really annoyed when I hear a kid who is named after an athlete? Because I hear “Chase!” like . . all the time and it annoys the hell out of me. Oh, and it gets better. I worked with a woman who named her son Brady. One guess who she roots for.

            Ugh!

            Brews win! Brews win!

            Like

          • Tyler and Dylan… soooo many – and I live in a French ‘hood! So the Frenchies also use English names (they drive me nuts, calling their kids “Dave” or “Bob” – not David or Robert…

            I dunno if it’s irrational or not but I know that any super popular name bugs me so… Brady – ugh. We know exackery why his name is that…

            Brewskies for the win!

            Liked by 1 person

          • Nah, if my name is David or Robert, it IS David or Robert. Ain’t no condensing those names. That would be akin to adding -bo the end of a name, really.

            It’s so inane. I mean, what if this sort of thing had been in vogue back in the day? Can you imagine how many peeps would have been looking to change their names from O.J.?

            Woot! Woot!

            Liked by 1 person

          • I know. So maybe in a sense, they are not wrong in just giving them the nickname off the bat. It’s just weird to me. Right… add that stupid -bo.

            Oh man! Think of other names that are not quite so great now…

            😀

            Liked by 1 person

          • Dave is okay, but David is just better in my opinion. Dave feels like he would be a chill radio statio DJ whereas David is a buttoned up professional. As for Bob, well . . he’s the alcoholic brother to Robert, who is always getting him out of trouble.

            Moral of the story on that . . don’t be idol worshiping when choosing names. Since, yanno . . idols fall.

            Like

          • It’s so funny. My mother hates nicknames so she gave us short names. Dale, Lisa, Tracy. Not a whole helluva lot you can do with Dale but Lisa becomes Lis and Tracy becomes Trace. And the funniest thing of all, is my mother’s name is Monique and Mick used to call her Mo… she misses that 😉

            Don’t be idol-worshiping when choosing names. Ever.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Lis and Trace are both cool abbreviations of names. They’re lucky. Mo is genuine and sweet, I love that.

            For some reason, my father called me Mickey when I was younger. He wasn’t a sports fan so I can’t blame it on that. It didn’t have to do with Disney. My pops was just strange.

            No, not evah.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Yeah… but Tracy – queen of nicknames, calls Lisa Weezy and I have none… Mo was definitely sweet.

            And how funny that Mick’s real name was Blair and his mother called him Mickey… And had nothing to do with Disney either…

            Liked by 1 person

          • We joke around and call Ari “Ayanya” from time to time. It’s what Damian called her before he could pronounce her name.

            All in all, she made out well as per nicknames. She got Ari and Ari Berry and sometimes Bear.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Cute! Aidan called Iain “Ay-ee” he was often backwards… soup became pous…

            Nicknames can be fun only one I ever got was “Rog” but hey, could be worse.

            Liked by 1 person

    • She is not a “woe is me” individual, at all. I know peeps who play that card, and they have absolutely no reason to behave that way. Silva is a lesson in perspective alright.

      And kudos to Kraft (alliteration anyone?) for coming through bit time for her and her family! This is an owner who puts his money (and his heart) where his mouth is. Almost makes the Patriots likable. I said . . almost. 🙂

      Glad I stuck to the duet, because they deserved this week’s post.

      B

      Liked by 1 person

      • You and I both (know peeps that must woe to all). I think they should take a little look-see into her life so they can gain perspective. Maybe they won’t. Then again, there are always those whose broken leg is worse than your broken body.

        Love your alliteration. He went above and beyond. And yes. Almost. Don’t push it.

        So am I. I would not have wanted these two to be tucked in between three others 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  7. FYI: Just saw a story that you will appreciate – therefore, a possibility for next week’s edition of heroes. Here’s your YouTube search – Gary Woodland surprises Amy from Special Olympics Arizona 2019

    Liked by 1 person

  10. […] their dynastic complex. My first thought was of Alyssa Silva, the young lady whom I featured in a Heroes post along with Kraft earlier this month. Silva and Kraft are friends, and it hurt me to think how […]

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