They say that nothing lasts forever. However, there are people that were so special that they left an eternal impact on the world. There are lots of heroes that have managed to be an inspiration for generations of people.

I often feel insecure and unsure about things, but I have complete confidence that my hero has left a lasting impact on me that has changed my entire life for the better. The hero that I'm referring to is my grandfather on my mom's side. As someone who has autism and lots of anxiety, my life hasn't always been easy. However, I'm fortunate enough to be blessed with so many caring family members that help me and inspire me. My grandfather is certainly one of those people.

A lot of my favorite memories from my childhood were made possible because of my grandfather. He was the person that I could depend on to bring me happiness. Even when life got dark and cloudy, he was there to brighten my weekends with his sunny nature. He was friendly, upbeat and full of energy. I really didn't like school. For me, school was a rough experience that I wish I could forget. However, after school was over for the week, my grandfather would pick me up and take me to the comics store. As a kid, superheroes were my biggest obsession, so the comics store was my favorite place to go to. My grandfather got me so many great comics and collectibles. I still have a lot of the stuff that I got from him.

They say that nobody's perfect. While that's true, there are people that are perfect at certain things. For example, my grandfather was the perfect grandfather. I often felt shy about hanging out with others when I was little. However, I felt comfortable around my grandfather. I felt safe and happy around him.

One of my fondest memories was seeing Superman Returns on June 30, 2006, at the 11:50 a.m. showing. Yes, that event meant so much to me that I memorized the day and time. By that point in my grandfather's life, he wasn't doing well, but he was such a caring, dedicated grandfather that he took me to the movies and made one of the most memorable days of my life a reality. Seeing Superman on the big screen for the first time was a big deal. Superman's such an inspiring fictional hero, so I'm glad that I got to see the film with my real-life hero.

Despite all the hardships that my grandfather faced, he was there for me up until his passing. It's been over fifteen years since then, yet I still think of my grandfather every week. There was a time where thinking about him would make me sad, because I missed him so much. I cried over him more times than I can remember. However, as time went on, I realized that the love and inspiration that my grandfather gave me was continuing to give me happiness. Even though my grandfather might not physically be by my side, the heroism that he displayed continues to lift me up and give me feelings of joy.

As a young kid, I had lots of anger and cynicism. I believe that my more sentimental side came about thanks to my grandfather's strong impact on me. Even when I had anger and frustration about most things in life, my grandfather would always bring out the best in me. To this day, his love for me continues to inspire me and guide me. I used to be too shy for friendship. In a lot of ways, my grandfather was like a first friend to me. He was an absolute joy to spend time with.

In recent years, I have gained a lot of wonderful friends that I'm so happy to know. I believe that the sentimental feelings that my grandfather made me feel helped me make so many friends.

You could consider my grandfather to be the hero of my childhood. However, I think he's more than that, because he continues to be the hero of my life. No matter how many years go by, my grandfather will always be my hero.