Am I a bridge-burner?

This first block of summer semester I'm taking a Race and Minority Relations class. I've really enjoyed it so far, even though I've only been to class for a week (I had a little issue with not being able to sit or move for the first week class had actually started, so I'm a little bit behind, but that's another story).

One thing we're talking about this semester is different strategies we can use to overcome prejudice or that will help us in building relationships with people who are different than we are. Throughout the duration of the semester, my professor will be giving us about 15 different items to add to that list of strategies (and I'll post it on here when it's complete). We talked about one today though that really hit me, and I think it applies to any relationship, especially the relationships we have with those who are closest to us.

I admit that I tend to be a little judgmental. But, aren't we all, in our own different ways? It's something I've been working on because I know I will be judged according to how I judge others. We never know what a person has really gone through and what their life experiences are, so we really have no place, what-so-ever, to judge them. So the question my professor asked us today (and one of the items for our list) was: So what? What am I going to do? Then he added to that: Am I a bridge-burner or a bridge-builder? He wanted us to ask ourselves why we care about the differences we have with others. And if there is a difference between ourselves and someone else, why do we care? Why is it a big deal to us? And, what are we going to do about it? We can be either a bridge-builder or a bridge-builder.

I want to be a bridge-builder. If God loves all of His children, why shouldn't I love them too?

Just something for us to think about. This is something I'm really going to be pondering and working to improve on.

This is the place.

Life is good to me.

Wait.

No.

Life is great to me!

Yes, I have my challenges and disappointments, just like everyone else. I think the difference with me sometimes is that I really try to view life as an adventure. Life is to place to learn and grow. A place to experience challenges and disappointments. A place to experience joy and happiness. A place to come to know who we are.

So, here I am to write about the challenges and disappointments, the joy and happiness, the knowledge. It's my Inspiration Point.

I think inspiration comes to us in a variety of ways. It seems like at this time in my life, most of my thoughts revolve around my family, my church, and my education. Those are the places my inspiration comes from. Good or bad.

I needed a place to record my thoughts. A place to reflect back upon the little things that happen in my life that I don't want to forget. This is that place.

The place to capture those experiences that I never want to forget, to leave a little bit of my heart on the page. If it is mostly the little things that make up our lives, then it is the little things I want to hold onto and keep close to my heart. I hope you enjoy taking a journey (whether it's exciting to you or not) through my thoughts. We might learn a little from one another.