I know, there will be a billion Blogs about Charles Ramsey and his heroic actions which freed 3 women after 10 years of captivity...
I am struck by the normalcy of our hero. How he recounts eating his Whopper when the scream came from the house next door and going into action so rapidly that the sandwich was still in his hand when he started to kicking at the door.
I am moved by his emotion that he had lived next door for a year and hadn't freed them, even though he didn't know.
I am stunned that he is already turning down a reward, wanting it to be given to the freed hostages.
I wasn't surprised to hear him say he was Christian... although hearing Wolf Blitzer site the Good Samaritan parable to typify him caused me to raise an eyebrow at Wolf.
Not that it doesn't fit. I'm not here to deconstruct the parable and how this tale matches up.
I think Mr. Ramsey wouldn't agree that it fit. He doesn't feel he went out of the way to run to the rescue.
I wonder what he would have said if someone had told him that by days end he would be a national hero.
I do want to call a note of caution. Mr. Ramsey is a normal human being. 'Just like you.' as he said at one point. Don't be disappointed if we find out how fallible and human he is. Let's just remember that he did the right thing in an ordinary moment and is now an extrordinary individual. And he still seems to be the man who jumped on his bike one day to get some Burger King for lunch just before his life changed, possibly forever.
Thank you, Mr Ramsey. Heroes sometimes appear to be few and far between. You do a good job reminding us that normal people can be heroic too...
God Bless you...
HAND!!
