If you do not know, I am semi-obsessed with superheroes. If you are not aware, the movie Avengers: Endgame came out at the end of April. The way that it is excelling at the box office it could likely be the biggest film of all time.

I know that some people wonder how people can get so excited about movies or a TV program. I say the simple answer is this: because they are great storytelling devices. Telling a story is not easy or simple, but this movie created in me some excitement, and to be honest, some wonderful life lessons.

My goal is not to provide spoilers for this movie, but I am guessing if you are a fan of the Avengers you probably have seen these already. Avengers: Endgame is the end of a 22 film arc for Marvel Studios. The expectations for many “geeks” was very high, and it did not disappoint! At a little over three hours long — which you won’t or didn’t even notice — many loose ends are tied up. We lose some friends that we have grown with over the past 11 years, but the nuggets of wisdom come through so beautifully. One thing I love about the Marvel movies is they don’t take themselves too seriously (which is a great nugget of wisdom we all could take away from the movies). There is plenty of action, but also plenty of humor.

Avengers: Endgame ends up being a “time heist” story. The ability for a group to go back in time and change events in the present. I think for many of us, we would love to go back and “undo” some of the silly things we did as a child, or even as an adult. There is one scene where one of the characters, Thor, ends up going back in time and when he arrives, he realizes it is the day of his mother’s death. His goal is not to change the results of her life, but he can’t resist talking with her. He pours out his sadness about some of the choices he had made in his life, which he feels brought him to this point. His mother, like all of our mothers, gives him her unconditional love and words of encouragement.

The one line that stuck with me both times I saw the movie (yes, I saw it two times in the same week) was this: “everyone fails at who they are supposed to be, Thor. A measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are.” What a powerful life lesson. So often we fail because we want or feel the need to be who others want us to be, and we lose the reality of who we are as a person. As I seem to have a mild obsession with superheroes, I think Thor’s mom gives a great definition of what it means to truly be heroic. Plain and simple; just be yourself.

I also find it fitting that in all of this three hour movie, the line that is delivered that had the most impact on me personally was delivered by a minor character in the Marvel universe. But I shouldn’t be surprised that it is delivered by a mom. As we celebrate Mother’s Day this week, why not take this time to really thank those true superheroes in each and every one of our lives, our moms. Moms always instill in us the wisdom that we need to be successful, even though oftentimes we don’t want to hear it or listen to it. It is our Moms who provided us with life, the greatest gift each and every one of us has been given. They provide us with our superhero “power.” The power to live. The power to be a difference in the world. The power to make our life the best it can be, but also have such a positive influence on so many others. As Thor’s Mom said, one can only be heroic when we are able to succeed at being who we ARE, not who others want us to be.

I lost my Mother in February 2010, but I could almost hear her voice coming through that movie. Sitting me down and letting me know it’s ok to be the person I am, and not to change to be what others want me to be. It seems like she and I had so many conversations similar to this when I was growing up. When I was struggling in high school with friends, or when I felt like dropping out of college to move back home, when it was time to make a career choice (that was not even in the cards when college began), when I questioned working for the church when public education would offer me more money and benefits, when it was time to leave the comfort of my home in Dubuque and move to Monroe. The whole time her advice never changed: be the wonderful person you are, the amazing person God created you to be. I love you Mom, and thanks so much for being the hero I needed then and will continue to need in the years ahead. Happy Mother’s Day!

— Joe Peters is the principal at St. Victor School in Monroe. His column appears on the second Saturday of each month. He can be reached at joepeters@stvictormonroe.org.