Super.....man.

That's honestly the only way one can describe Christopher Reeve.  Because above all obstacles, he was always a Man. To me, he was the personification of the definition of the term.  As a child, he astonished me, suspending my disbelief and allowed me to take for granted that a man could fly.  Throughout my young adulthood, he proved to me that no hinderence was an excuse to give up, no matter what the odds. A wise man once said, "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" in reference to another  brightly clad red and blue suited do-gooder, and Reeve took this lesson to heart.

I say this because after his tragic riding accident in 1995, Reeve did not allow his disability to overwhelm him as it would have surely done others of lesser conviction, but instead used it as a catalyst to empower his beliefs and hopes, as well as his efforts in life.  He used his misfortune to bring hope to others suffering...and inspiration to those of us who wanted to help, but wasn't sure where to start.  He became an advocate of those who could not help themselves, and in doing so made me believe that someday, he would walk again.  Because, hey...I'd seen him fly.  Walkin's gonna be a piece of cake for a man who made me treasure every step I take (literally and figuratively) and kept me reaching for the skies, hoping someday....just maybe...I'd be able to grab ahold of them and soar like he had. But, now...after his passing, I have come to realize he's done much better than simply walking....he's risen above this mortal coil and embarked on an adventure that would even make Superman green with envy (hopefully not kryptonite green, though)...the Greatest Adventure of All...that of Everlasting Peace.

And...sometimes still, I reach to the skies myself, like I did as a child... but now with more hope because now I know there might be a helping hand to pull me up.  Literally and figuratively.