We do not have control over where we are from, but we do have control over what we become.

Whether you come from a poverty-stricken area in the middle of nowhere, or you come from a place oozing the essence of wealth over every experience you’ve had, you must know that where you are from has shaped your outlook on life.

That outlook has also been shaped by the people you have associated with and the culture in which you live.

I write for your benefit, but also for mine. And I’d like to start with a simple thank you for choosing to share a little of that outlook with me.

I may not know you that well, or I may call you the best friend that I’ve ever had, but I know that if it weren’t for you, I would not be the person that I am today. Because of you, I have been given glimpses of the world which lies outside the small city in Ohio that I call home. Because of you, I have been given the chance to learn more about the cultures which exist outside the realm of my immediate vicinity.

I have tried your foods, and danced to your tunes. I have listen to your language and been intrigued by the attitudes you hold.I have much left to learn about this world, but what I have learned so far has caused me to be forever grateful.

If it weren’t for you, I would not be interested in learning about other cultures. If it weren’t for you, I would not want to travel abroad and immerse myself in the day-to-day which occurs in other places.

Thank you for all that you have given me.

As I continue on, I want to acknowledge the other side of the coin. Sometimes we wish to escape the culture in which we have been brought up. I have seen this in my own life, as well as the lives of some of the people I have met.

We fear that by remaining in that place that we will be forever shackled to the deplorable attitudes which exist in the mainstream of our individual culture. And so we seek to run away and focus on the glories of another culture. We raise those cultures above our own, sometimes.

That is not to say that our culture is necessarily good, or necessarily bad. For each culture has its own problems and its own good points. Thus, it is important to analyze both the one we are intrigued by and the one in which we live.

If we can embrace the good points of each and seek to change the deplorable ones within ourselves and our circles, then maybe we could begin a movement to enact change in the world.

We cannot control the way we have been brought up, but by reaching out to others and working within ourselves to enact change, then we could make immediate differences.We must be willing to work together. We must be willing to face impossible odds. But if we remain steadfast in our mission to be doers of those things which are considered good and right and true, then we can eventually spread it to the surrounding world. We may not see it immediately, maybe not in our lifetimes, but it will be known what has been done. And all will be revealed in time.

Let us run this race with endurance. And let us run it together.

My multicultural friends, as well as my local friends, let us become something more than we are. And let us do all we can to enact change, good change.Change that is love. Change that is grace. Change that allows others to become more than they are. We all must become more than we are.

It is not enough to remain.It is more important that we change. That we pursue after higher things.

There is more that I could say, but I’d rather leave you with this.

My multicultural friends, I thank you for your influence in my life. It has helped shape me. And I hope that I have extended the same type of friendship to you. And I pray that we can continue on together in the race to become more than we are, and more that the world needs in these desperate times.

Thank you for your time and your love.

May you be blessed today.

Naomi signing out.