I have always been drawn to heroes – to people who show great courage and set an example for the rest of us; leaders who remind us that we, too, can be brave. My brother, Scott, was just that kind of person.

My friend Laura Thompson has been asking me to do a benefit performance for The Arts Center in Orange (TACO) for years now. She serves as the Executive Director for the organization, and until a few weeks ago, for various reasons, we just couldn’t seem to get our timing down. It certainly wasn’t because I didn’t want to support their efforts. TACO works very hard to bring fine arts and music to children and members of the community who don’t always have the opportunity to experience the arts.

I just spent the afternoon with my sweet little friend Eden, his brother Elijah and his parents Jeff and Naomi. Eden has big blue eyes and a toothy grin. He is especially handsome today because he is sporting his first big-boy haircut given to him by his mom who had a little assistance from a tutorial on YouTube. He is a happy, loving and charming child. He is also quite funny. I know he has inherited his father’s sense of humor because of a story Jeff tells about his little boy’s love for noises brought on by bodily functions.