Heroes inspired and fascinated me since I was a very young girl.  A hero, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a “man (or for me, also a woman) “who exhibits extraordinary bravery, firmness, fortitude, or greatness of soul; a man (or woman) admired and venerated for achievements and noble qualities.” Living in a small farm community, heroes surrounded me.  These heroes bore little resemblance to the sports figures or celebrities that many young people admire today.  No, these were the quiet heroes who endured some hardship, disaster, disability, or tragedy with an unyielding courage and grace while enduring their pain or adversity. My parents constantly talked about our local heroes:  Parents of children who died tragically; a farmer hurt in an accident, but continued to farm in spite of the disability; a husband lovingly caring for his wife with multiple sclerosis; a wife raising her seven children after her husband died suddenly; a farmer’s family who suffered because of economic disasters, such…