Most people think super heros are guys with big muscles that belong in the movies. Able to fly through the night into crime-riddled cities. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Able to stop speeding trains with the snap of a finger. A great concept dreamed up by money-hungry, yet creative souls, huh?


My Mom was none of those things. Your Mom being your super hero? What a cliché, right? But, in my case, it's true. Or was.


Mom didn't have any super powers. Well, maybe she had eyes in the back of her head. She had to. After all, she raised seven children. She always knew what was going on. She always knew whom was doing what. She always saved us from dangerous situations. Almost always.


She had endurance out the wazoo. She barely slept when I was growing up. She was up into the latest hours of the night - cooking, cleaning, doing laundry. She wasn't perfect but her home was. She made it perfect for her husband of almost sixty years. Perfect for us kids and our friends. Perfect for her grandchildren and even her great-grandchildren.


This woman. This woman gossiped. This woman laughed. This woman cried. This woman worried. Just like the rest of us. She was just an ordinary person. She was extraordinary. She was beautiful and kind. Her smile was warm and inviting.


Most people who admire a super hero practically worship that particular person. I didn't worship Mom but I worship Jesus Christ, just as she did. She taught me that. She knew. She believed. Her faith was her legacy. I am thankful to her for that. For so many things.


No, my Mom had no super powers ... but wait, maybe she did. Maybe she still does.


Her super power is LOVE.