Courage, what does it mean for you? I know that it means different things for many people. For me, it means having the strength to push through your fear. I feel that there are many kinds of courage. It’s one of those things that can’t be compared. Lately, there has been a lot of comparing of different kinds of courage. The one comparison that has weighed heavy for me is the courage of a soldier vs. the courage of someone who is a public figure and announces that he is transgender.

Both have courage and both make an impact on people’s lives. A U.S. soldier fights for our freedom. He or she pushes through the fear and puts his or her life on the line to give us our freedom. We can all agree that we are very thankful to every U.S. soldier who has put their lives on the line and those who have given their lives for us. It takes a lot of courage to move past that fear and commit to a life of serving our country. Then there is the courage it takes for someone who is a public figure, who had won the gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics and set a world record in the decathlon, to announce to the world that he is transgender. She too, is impacting people’s lives. Albeit, in a different way than a soldier and why I say that courage comes in different forms. Her courage has hopefully opened the doors for others to be able to live the life they want to live. I am positive that her courage changed the lives for many people. I applaud both and I thank both.  Continue reading →