Have you ever met a Super Hero?...I have. Do you remember your favorite block of time in your childhood? When I was growing up, I loved Saturday mornings. Why? Because it was the only time that belonged expressly to me. I was very busy in my youth with activities and responsibilities, so I did not get much “me time”. Monday thru Friday? School. Sunday Mornings? Church. Saturday mornings were my only oasis. So how did I spend Saturday Mornings? Watching Saturday Morning Cartoons! I could settle in on the couch with a bowl of cereal and transport myself to another place. Like any other American Boy, my favorite cartoons were… The Super Hero Cartoons! Why? Because Good could defeat Evil in a 30 minute block of time with 8 minutes for commercials! That was just enough time for my attention span and always took me to a great place.
There were 3 Super Hero Cartoons that I cherished. First was the Man with the “S” on his chest, The Man of Steel, Clark Kent, who would jump into a phone booth and come out as, that’s right, Superman. He was faster than a speeding bullet, flying through the air, leaping tall buildings with a single bound… He even had x-ray vision, which I wished for later on in Junior High standing outside the Girls locker room. He used all those powers to defeat the likes of Lex Luthor every week. Every Week I could depend on him prevailing.
My second favorite Super Hero was mild mannered Peter Parker, but you all know him as Spiderman! He would shoot spider webs from his wrist, swing from building to building, and save the girl. Every week he would take out the likes of the Green Goblin and his crew. Every Week he would win.
But my favorite Super Hero was one I know you know. I am going to sing his theme song, and feel free to finish it off for me…(Theme Song). That’s right Batman. Why was he the greatest? First off, he was attainable. He wasn’t an alien from the Planet Krypton, or bitten by a genetically mutated spider. Besides having a bad childhood and being exceeding rich, Batman was just Bruce Wayne in a mask. He was the thinking man’s Superhero. He used his Bat Gadgets to take out the likes of the Joker every week. Every Week I could count on him.
I spent my entire childhood praising these cartoon Super Heroes every week, and I didn’t realize the there was a real Super Hero right underneath my nose every day.
Who was he? Well he also wasn’t an alien from the Planet Krypton, or bitten by a genetically mutated spider, he wasn’t even exceedingly rich.
My Superhero did things like put 8 boys on the back of a pickup truck and take us to baseball practice three times a week.
My Superhero taught me a word of the day every day, so that I could properly pontificate to an assemblage such as yourselves.
My Superhero never missed an academic or athletic competition from the time I was six until I was through College, anywhere in the Continental United States.
My Superhero managed to find another Superhero to marry, so that they could be a shining example to me, my friends, and my community of what a loving, happy, relationship is.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, My Superhero is my father, David Carr, Sr.
On April 10, 2007, My Superhero became an Angel. I was distraught mostly because I was selfish and wanted more time with him. After the funeral, it hit me and I realized that I never asked him what his Super Power was.
At that same time, I was being fitted for the cape. I had a family of my own. I never realized how heavy the head was that wore the crown of Superhero. You see there is no Black and White. There was no Lex Luthor, no Green Goblin, no Joker, only shades of Gray. I was in the battle of my life! Dodging, ducking, moving, only to realize that I wasn’t being the Superhero I needed to be. I became depressed until one day I looked to the heavens and heard the voice of my father. He said to me, “Oginga, my super power was love.”
I present to you that if you love your family as hard as you can and the best way that you can, If you put your family first in your thoughts and in your actions, your love can grow into a super power and you too can wear the cape… So Who’s Your Superhero?
