Mom noticed our neighbors weren't stirring across the road, so she had us grab gloves from the shelter. Carefully, we picked our way through the wreckage. Since our neighbors did not have a tornado shelter, they used their basement—except this tornado had ripped their house off its foundation and thrown it across the yard. Rubble covered the stairs to their basement. Cautiously, we dug through the debris until the stairs were open and they were able to get out. Our neighbors cried out in shock, and tears edged at their eyes as they took in the destruction. Trying to ease their worries, Mom joked over her poor job parking the car, and everyone chuckled.

That was Mom. She never lost hope or her sense of humor despite this horrible situation we experienced. Not only were we incredibly thankful for her preparedness due to her past experiences, we were also so grateful for her positive spirit in such a difficult time. Over the following days of hard work gathering up our possessions, she made the tedious job of searching and sorting through wreckage a game. Each day, she hid presents for us to find. If we discovered something salvageable, we celebrated by having a dance-off. The best part was her wonderful smile and encouraging words. Those made the long weeks of cleanup bearable because as she kept reminding us, life isn't about things, it's about relationships and helping others.

Select the how the characters' actions reflect the theme that having courage and being able to help others is heroic.

Mom rescued neighbors and encouraged others after the storm.
Mom made a joke about her poor parking job to the neighbors.
The kids helped mom carefully pick through the debris after the storm.
The neighbors were in shock at the destruction of their home.