Cover Road:Cover - Teen Ink

heroes
16
Grandmother
Anna Purviance by Barbara Purviance, Bucyrus, OH
Anna married Jerry when he had nothing but
25 cents, an old 1941 Cadillac, and a full
tank of gas. “Now that’s trusting in the
Lord,” Jerry later said. “I had no job, no money, and
no sense, but we were happy.” Anna was a schoolteacher
and Jerry had recently returned from World
War II where he served as a radio operator on a
B-17. Starting a marriage with so little was going
to be difficult, of course, but neither Anna nor Jerry
knew the struggles that lay ahead.
The young couple lived with Jerry’s mother,
Sylvia, until their first son arrived. When 9-pound,
red-headed Steven greeted the world, Jerry was a
student at the University of Tennessee, and Anna
had to take time off from teaching to
care for the newborn. Jerry moved his
family into an inexpensive house that the
young couple shared with mice that
roamed freely in the walls and floors.
When Steven was 18 months old, his
parents were finally able to afford a nice
home in the country. “I don’t know who was hap -
piest the day we made our trip and left ‘the dump,’
as we had called the old house,” Anna later said.
The family spent the next 14 years in that home
before moving to a bigger house. During that time,
Anna went back to teaching until their second son,
Mark, was born.
Anna and Jerry worked hard to raise their boys
properly. Steve was extremely intelligent, but his
parents often pushed him too hard. With Mark, it
was much easier. Anna said that Mark had been “a
cuddly, loving child from birth.” The years passed
blissfully, and eventually the boys headed off to
college. It was during these college years that the
true struggle began.
During Mark’s sophomore year at Asbury
College in Kentucky, he received a letter from his
father that Anna was sick. “I’ve had a bunch of
problems relating to your mother’s health. I’ve not
had much time for anything but existing. It should
When you hear the term
“hero,” you might picture
Superman lifting a bus or
Spiderman spinning webs from his
wrists, battling villains with ultrasuper
powers. But not all heroes are
mythical – some exist, right here,
right now, everywhere on the planet.
It doesn’t take laser eyes or flying
abilities to qualify as a hero. In fact,
there are no specific standards to
meet; it’s about the way people live
life, their accomplishments and
goals, and what they do to impact
others.
With that in mind, knowing the
true meaning of a hero is like seeing
the world in a whole different perspective,
or putting on glasses that
immediately clear the blurriness.
Heroes are all around us. Some risk
their lives every day for our sake, and
Teen Ink • APRIL ’09
I never knew
she was a
writer
be no surprise to you that her condition is gradually
worsening,” Jerry wrote. “I don’t see any outward
signs of healing. She has a good appetite, a sweet
disposition and smile, and no pain or discomfort
as yet.”
The letter was dated January 20, 1982. Nine days
later, on Mark’s twenty-first birthday, Anna died.
Mark was so distraught that he attended her funeral
in jeans and a raggedy T-shirt. Jerry hasn’t wished
his son a happy birthday since; he doesn’t think
Mark was ever really happy on that day again.
I never met Grandma Anna, and I only remember
seeing Grandpa Jerry twice. During my freshman
year in high school, I wrote a letter to him in hopes
of learning more about my family. Now,
years later, we still write to each other.
Grandpa Jerry is an outstanding man, a
World War II veteran, and a devoted
Christian. But what about Anna?
One day I was searching for something
in the basement. In an old box filled with
my father’s things from college, I found Grandma
Anna. I never knew that she was a writer, but
there she was, alive in dozens of stories scrawled
in notebooks and published in newspapers and
magazines. Anna’s stories were about life, friends,
family, and God.
One of her stories tells about a trip with Jerry and
her sons to an old house in the woods. Although the
house had been abandoned for years, the excellent
workmanship had left it in perfect condition. On the
walk home Anna wondered, “What legacy am I
leaving? When someone views the work of my life,
what will they see? Will my life be nothing more
than a trash pile of selfishness or will it be a treasure
of love and concern for others?” I wonder if
Anna knew when she wrote that that she would be
leaving her family so soon. However, it is certain
that she left the treasure she hoped to, and I found it
in that box.
While reading through the contents I was amazed
Teen
Rachel Joy Scott by Jessica Huang, Brooklyn, NY
for that we give them our thanks.
Yes, the traffic cop who gave you a
speeding ticket is a hero; it’s his job
to prevent accidents that might lead
to serious injuries and death. Firefighters
and soldiers stationed in Iraq
are heroes, facing constant danger
with bravery and honor.
My hero is Rachel
Joy Scott. I never knew
her, never talked to her,
never laughed, cried, or
joked with her. Her
story, though, is what
makes her unique.
Rachel was a intelligent
young woman full of ambition
and dreams of becoming an actress.
Rachel was anything but selfish,
going out of her way to reach out to
the less fortunate, spreading her kindness
everywhere.
Rachel was
killed in the
Columbine
massacre
When a student was bullied and
tormented for being handicapped, it
was Rachel who stepped up and
shielded him from further harassment.
When a suicidal teenager was
ready to take his life, Rachel was
there to befriend him and prevent a
death. When a stranger
walked into McDonald’s
to find shelter from the
cold, Rachel did not hesitate
to buy a meal for him.
Touched by her sympathy
and love, lives have been
changed by Rachel Joy
Scott.
Unfortunately, on April 20, 1999,
Rachel was one of several victims
gunned down in the infamous
Columbine massacre, a shooting at
a Colorado high school that claimed
12 lives and injured 23. It is truly a
at Anna’s brilliance, eloquence, and complete
devotion to God. In one of her pieces, she wrote
about slowly waking after an operation. As she
“struggled to consciousness,” Anna wrote, “I overheard
the recovery room personnel discussing me. I
learned then of the malignancy. I was stunned, but
God reached down and gave me peace.” Even as
Anna neared the end of her life, her faith never faltered.
“Illness may be the only way we will slow
down long enough to listen to God,” she wrote. “We
can struggle and strain and never know the blessing
that God has in store for us. We have to surrender
all of ourselves and wait on God.”
Nearly everything I know about Grandma Anna I
learned from the contents of that box. Slowly I am
piecing together a picture of my grandmother, using
these letters and stories. Even though I never had
the privilege of meeting her, I know that Anna lived
a life worth remembering; now I can give it the
remembrance it deserves. Anna’s writing has shown
me the kind of person I want to be and the kind of
legacy that I want to leave. ✎
Photo by Quinn Burton, Lubbock, TX
heartbreaking tragedy that the life of
this teenager, who had such a good
heart, ended amid hate and violence,
but Rachel’s legacy of love hasn’t
died. Throughout her life, Rachel’s
actions have helped countless others.
It was her wish to start a chain reaction
that would spread peace and
compassion. If everyone continued
Rachel’s efforts to make a positive
difference, society would definitely
change for the better.
It wasn’t the way Rachel was killed
that found her a place in my heart – it
was the way she lived, her accomplishments
and goals, and what she
did to change others’ lives. She might
not have superpowers, but one thing’s
for sure: Rachel Joy Scott is and
always will be a true hero. Her deeds
will never be forgotten. ✎
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