I fall in love. A lot. Doesn’t take much, actually.

Smile. Make me laugh. Buy me a drink, and my heart is yours.

Kidding, Hubs. My heart only belongs to my Sunshine, and anyone who knows me, knows, I am INTO my Hubs!

But I am drawn to people who wow me—with their stories. But not just any ordinary story. The stories that magnetically captivate me are the ones that involve a hero. Especially when I’m listening to the details. And find out that the hero of the story is standing in front of me. 

I’m not talking about people who like to brag about their wins, the guy who coordinates his tie to go with his medal or the gal who gets offended when you don’t recognize her, cuz she’s famous, and don’t you feel out of the loop for not knowing her? I’m referring to that person you’re chatting with that doesn’t even realize he’s a hero. That’s the person I love.

I met such a fellow in New York City on Movement Day2012. And the funny thing is, our first conversation had nothing to do with heroism, unless you’re a Bulls’ fan and you’re into D. Rose and last year’s All Star Team! Which we both are. I met Jim Mellado on Movement Day and from the steps of the escalator all the way to the Grand Ballroom, we simply chat about our beloved Chicago Bulls.

When Movement Day commenced with Tim Keller’s reflective and challenging closing talk and Mac Pier’s send off comments, the crowd of close to 1400 attendees dissipated rather quickly. But the talkers remained. Those folks that like to get one last good conversation in before returning back to life… back to …

Anyway, I’m one of those types. Looking for one last opportunity to connect with someone before I head back to Long Island, kindergarten Mommy moments, and tucking my princesses in bed. There is still one person I really wanted to meet. He’s actually the only person I had hoped to meet when I came to the city this morning. Richard Sterns, CEO of World Vision, and one of my heroes. If you haven’t heard of him, he’s the guy who runs the organization that fights against Childhood poverty around the world through child sponsorship. And he could be doing anything with his life, but he chose this. And I think that is so cool. Not to mention, super heroic in my eyes!

So anyway, I’m standing around the Grand Ballroom, scanning the stage area to see if he’s still around. I have a little fan fever and still hope I get a chance to say hi! But I can’t really see him, so I let it go. Another time. Maybe.

Just as I’m deciding which LIRR train I should try to catch, I get a text from the Hubs:

“Wanna go to a Bulls’ Game for you birthday? D. Rose should be back by then?”

I text back, “Of course! How much?”

“Done.” Hubs knows better than to tell me the price. I’ve jinxed one too many dates with my budget-minded approach to life. I always say we make a good team. He makes sure we have fun. I make sure we don’t go broke! It works.

I’m laughing to myself about the text when I turn and Jim Mellado is standing two rows behind me, chatting with a woman who works with Mac Pier at the New York City Leadership Center. I have this itch to show him the text. I think he’ll crack up, and if he had any doubt about this Bulls’ fan living in New York, he’ll definitely believe me after reading hubby’s words.

So I make my Raj move and interrupt his conversation with Dee-Ann, “Hey Jim! I don’t mean to interrupt, but I just have to show you this text I just received from my husband. I think you’ll appreciate it!”

He takes my phone, skims the words, and immediately starts chuckling. Project “share the moment” a success! Then I decide to stick around and join the conversation since the two of them are talking parenthood. That is something I can relate too, even though the ages of their kids are different from mine. Mine are still “little” while they each have kids in high school and college.

As Jim talks about raising his girls, I feel an instant connection to him and his wife’s approach! They are into raising strong girls! He pulls up a video on his  iPhone, actually two, of each of his daughters lifting weights. The kind you see lifted on those weight-lifting contests by burly men! Wishing I had an iPhone at that moment so I could share some videos of my girls doing pull-ups and push-ups! Oh shwell.

But I let Dee-Ann and Jim know that I am so into that. My girls play ball, run 5K’s, rock-climb walls, and kayak against fierce winds. Okay, the last part is an exaggeration, sort of. I don’t even mention the kayaking bit. But I’m thinking about it and how cool it is to meet a dad who came to the crossroads of parenting and had to decide, do I influence my girls to go the cheerleading route, or … Well, the weight-lifting clips answered that question.

Slowly, the laughs and anecdotes and exchanges of tidbits of personal info between the three of us takes a turn down a road I didn’t see coming. I mean, who does this at a first meeting? I guess when you click with someone, you find yourself free to share openly. But in general, people stay guarded when they’re strangers. There’s little incentive to be vulnerable or share the whole truth. But once in a while, you meet someone who doesn’t play the game. The “keep it light, and keep it polite” so no one gets involved and no one gets hurt. We all do it to some extent. I mean you can’t be best friends with everyone you meet.

But when Dee Ann asks Jim what he thinks about girls and choosing colleges, the conversation gets down right gritty. And as Jim shares openly about the challenges of raising strong young women, Jim is no longer this big, important, guy labeled “President of the Willow Creek Association.” He is simply a dad… concerned for his daughters, walking with them through the good times and the bad.  

Jim and his wife are raising leaders in their house. Kids who are growing up and inspiring others. By sharing their stories.

And Jim, come to find out from a mutual friend, has a heroic story of his own. Had lunch with Juampa and his wife Rachel the Sunday after Movement Day, and he tells me that Jim actually saved his son’s life when a powerful riptide nearly drowned the both of them during an ocean swim back in 2007. Jim decided at that moment to do whatever it took to keep his boy alive. So he swam underneath him and lifted him above the water while he held his breath. For way too long. But it worked. His son survived, and as a consequence Jim endured temporary kidney failure, went through dialysis, and only recently has been able to run marathons again. The guy competed at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 as a Decathlete. Found out all these details only recently.

Hear the story of the near-fatal beach day for yourself on YouTube!

Part 2: Here the story for yourself!

Which I am really glad of. Because when I met Jim, he was just a man to me. A Bulls’ fan. And a cool, dedicated, very wise dad.

So yes, I fell in love on Movement Day. A few times, actually. With the hero in Jim. The hero in Rick McKinley. The hero in Jay Pathak. The hero in a few others too.

And after all the story-telling, my phone buzzes with a message from my supervisor. My volunteer duties are not over yet. I’m asked to accompany Jim up to the book-signing room. Where, wouldn’t you guess, none other than Richard Sterns, is standing around shooting the breeze with a few folks. The room is relatively empty. So I make my move.

I walk up to Richard Sterns and invite myself into the conversation when I hear him say something like, “I tried to come across as African, but they weren’t buying it.”

“If you had just chosen Indian, we would have let you in!” I’m not the shy type as you already know, and if my brown skin opens a door, I walk in.

He laughs, I introduce myself, and we have a really nice conversation. Rich shares about a couple of upcoming books he’s working one, one that he’s co-writing with his wife! Then he asks me about my writing. He even hears my elevator pitch and we have a good laugh. He wishes me luck and he’s off to dinner. Got to meet my first choice hero after all. But walked away from Movement Day more than moved. 

Because, as I told Mac that evening, I love hearing the stories of men and women who are living out their dreams. Changing the cities around the world. And living for something beyond themselves.

Even more so, I love hearing a hero’s personal journey. Because heroism starts at home. These are the moments that inspire me.

To dream bigger. Love stronger. And then move. And make it happen!

***
Have you fallen in love lately? Met a hero? Heroine? Someone in your life inspire you recently? Do share! I’d love to hear about it!!