A Night with Brad Meltzer, Alexandra Reeves, and Family

A little over a year ago I attended my first book signing event with Brad Meltzer. I documented my night that evening, and I had a great time meeting Brad and hearing what he had to say. I was very moved that night and became inspired to work harder towards my own goals, and to help others the best I could. In my life I have been shifting through the good, the bad, and the ugly to find out who I want to become. What I've found is that thinking about who you want to become is easy; the hard part is putting in the work to become that person. Since then I have continued to do my photography and share my writings with others through my website. I have also since then started working on a novel for nearly the past year. The part about success I took from Brad that evening was that there is no easy path or sure fire way to become successful. There is only one simple way, and that is through hard work and perseverance.

Very powerful pose here.

So fast forward to this year, a new venue, and a new book from Mr. Meltzer. Tonight's event was about his latest book Heroes for My Daughter. When my son was born this past November I purchased his book Heroes for My Son, and I wanted to bring it in for Brad to sign as a gift for him. For any parent that has not read either book I have to suggest that you pick up and read it to them today! Seriously...Go! Not only does it teach great lessons for your kids, but it contains very important lessons for everyone of any age. One of the most touching moments from his book are how ordinary his final heroes are...his parents and grandparents.  

Much more relaxed.

This to me was such a great way to end the book, because lets face it, for most of us our parents have been there everyday of our lives teaching us literally everything we know. The amount of hard work and sacrifice our parents have done for us really doesn't become apparent until we ourselves become one. Since becoming a father I have a brand new appreciation for everything that my parents have done for me. What was most striking to me about what Brad had to say was that I finally got it. In fact everything I have ever needed to know I have already learned from my father, mother, and grandparents. They had already taught me these valuable life lessons I just needed to finally understand it. 

The evening was very touching as Brad started out talking about what he wanted his daughter to learn and take from this book. And he mentions that there is one word in particular that he uses over and over again through out the entirety of the book, and that word is fighter. Because he doesn't want his daughter to be a princess in distress waiting for prince charming to come save her. He wants her to become a fighter and to stand up for herself, to take on the bully, and stand for what's right. And with that he then introduced the inspiration for his book his daughter Lila. In fact not only was his daughter present but both sons and his wife as well. It was family affair and Brad put it very eloquently, "what was I supposed to do leave them home during their spring break?"

Looking the part of a very proud father.

The most touching and moving moment of the night was when Brad had his daughter introduce the daughter of one of his greatest heroes Christopher Reeves. Everyone knows about Christopher Reeves and how he broke his neck and became paralyzed, but what made him so special was not the fact he played superman, one of the greatest heroes ever, but because he was the ordinary Clark Kent. He was fragile, delicate, and susceptible just like every single one of us. His daughter Alexandra went on to thank Brad and read the passage about her father from the book. His accident would have crushed the will in most people, but Christopher Reeves wasn't like most people. In fact when the doctors told him he would never feel anything again he proved them wrong when regained partial control of his fingers and toes, and again when he regained most of his sensation throughout his body. He became an advocate and spokesman for spinal cord research and treatment. He fought for new research, lobbied congress, and refused to stay down. There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd, and this was one of the most unique and special moments I have been privileged to witness firsthand.

A very touching moment.

She was such a cute little girl!

Alexandra reading the passage from the book about her father.

Brad finished up the night by taking some time to talk about his charity Ordinary People Change the World. And of course after that he started to meet everyone that came out to see him and sign their copies of the book. It was a great evening and I felt very special that I got to attend it. I decided to wait towards the end of the line so the parents with children could go first, and I was very glad that I did because one of Brad's cast mates from his show Decoded was there. Scott Rolle lives nearby the DC area and he made it down to the event to meet and sign autographs as well. This was the second time I have had the chance to talk with him, and I wanted to thank him for taking the time to talk with me. It was very nice and I even got to take a picture with him!

Me and Scott!

I wanted to conclude this journal entry with a quote from Brad's book, and a very special thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your hard work and inspiration will help spark the change this world needs:

Thank you again Brad for putting on a very nice event!

When the first superman movie came out, I was frequently asked, "What is a hero?" My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences... Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. They are the real heroes, and so are the families and friends who have stood by them. - Christopher Reeve

Mean mugging for fun. I apparently didn't get the memo!