I have been blessed, beyond belief, to have encountered, loved, counseled and learned from people from all walks of life. I have had my own beliefs challenged, my tolerances stretched and my mind opened beyond my pre-conceived stereotypes and prejudices. For all of this, I am grateful.
I love learning about different cultures, different faiths, different lifestyles and just learning from people how very different their struggles have been from mine. Some of my beliefs from childhood I have embraced and some I have been ashamed of, but all of them have made me the person I am today, imperfect in every way but still trying to get it right.
I imagine a world where we would embrace our differences and use our unique talents to figure out how to all live together, rather than trying to be intentionally hurtful in the name of "that's what I believe." I know what my beliefs are, but I would never be so pompous as to pretend I speak for God or interpret for another what God's word means for another's life, I can only do that for myself.
I have very strong opinions about things, but mostly in the arena of being the champion for the underdog or working to get people to live together peacefully. I try very hard not to express opinions that could be hurtful to others, but, again, am not perfect in doing so.
Let's all try to reach out and touch someone, give a helping hand, find some common ground. I'm guessing we could all have more peace.
