President Samuelson Praises Unsung Heroes

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    By Becky Brock

    President and Sister Samuelson began this semester with a devotional encouraging students to be grateful for today and to look for heroes in the BYU community.

    Sister Samuelson spoke about enjoying each day and the experiences that accompany it.

    “An appreciation of each day and of life is dependent upon your ability to notice the things that make up those 24 hours,” Sister Samuelson said.

    She recalled a trial from the beginning of her marriage that changed her perspective on life. She said she used to always look forward to the weekends and not enjoy the weekdays until she said she realized, “each day is a gift from a loving Heavenly Father”.

    Each day will bring new emotions but Sister Samuelson said, “Such it is for you that it needs be that you experience days of sorrow as well as days of joy to prepare you to one day return to your Father in Heaven”s presence.”

    President Samuelson geared his talk in a different direction; he spoke about heroes.

    At the beginning of his talk President Samuelson asked, “Who are the unsung heroes here at BYU that deserve our recognition and acclaim?”

    He then gave a short list of his own heroes from ancient scripture to fellow BYU faculty members. He mentioned admirable characteristics of these people and why he or she is a hero.

    For modern-day heroes he said there were seven BYU characteristics to describe them. The first is a hero is a nice person. Secondly, a hero has high professional competence. Third, a hero is a self-starter. Fourth, the hero loves BYU. Fifth, a hero is an authentic person in the way they live and serve. Sixth, they are wise and generous enough to serve and work with BYU. Finally, a hero is satisfied with making the lives of others comfortable.

    Then President Samuelson said, “I encourage you to make your own list of heroes … You will be surprised how many are among us.”

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