Heroes

Now, in my eightieth year, I am free to name my heroes:
Carl Jung for his handling of myth;
Immanuel Kant for his recognition of antinomies;
Charles Darwin for grace in the face of opposition;
and William Sloan Coffin for his holy war.

But the greatest hero to me was Thomas Flood,
who in this company appears a nobody.
He was both my mentor and friend;
the smartest, most ethical man I ever knew,
and certainly the most loving and kind,
and, of course, the toughest.

He lived a life of service to his fellow men,
be they African-American or Hispanic,
young or old, male or female, addict or just out of prison.
If poor, they had his attention.
Neither churchman or committed Christian, he bore no grudges;
instead was a forgiving man.