I pray that the America my children grow up in will be recovered from the America I grew up in. When they ask me about how things were, I will tell them, with a heavy heart, the tragedy, and evil that seeped into every. single. day.

I will tell them about the politics. How it drove people to hate others for their beliefs. Just one concept was enough to divide a once, unified country. We formed cliques based on race, religion, political party and sex. We separated ourselves from those who looked different and further deprived ourselves of the richness we can only find from a broadened perspective. We fell into such a deep hole that our only options for the leader of our country became a reality tv star and a criminal.

I learned at 16 that my body was not perfect unless it matched Hollywood's depiction of beauty. I also learned that the boys I called my friends could not open up about their feelings like my girlfriends could. Society would have shamed them. How people looked became the main concern. It was a very superficial time to grow up in.

My America had a new headline almost every day that revolved around senseless terrorist attacks and hate crimes. Americans were being killed all the time for no reason. And when there was a reason, it was most likely hate of their race, religion or sexuality. It became so common that it was almost normal to feel a sense of fear for your life when you went to the theatre, or a concert, or a church service. The two driving factors of the country became fear and hate.

I will tell my kids about the loss of respect. Police were no longer recognized for their dedication and hard work. Putting their life on the line became even more of a reality with the mindless attacks on them for simply doing their job. My country lost its respect for the people who fought for its freedom. So many Americans confused the idea of war and peace. They hated the men who faced war head-on in order to keep the peace within our country. Our men and women came back with poor job opportunities, financial instability and sadly, little respect.

And when I finally have my kids convinced that I grew up in the worst state America has ever been in, I will tell them about the love. The love inside the men and women who stayed in the middle of gunfire to help drag out and assist the wounded in Las Vegas. I will tell them about the Kentucky man who dropped everything to bring his boat to Texas to help complete strangers who lost everything after Hurricane Harvey (and the many other people like him).

I will remind them that my generation saw so much tragedy. Including the Boston bombing, 9/11, the skyrocketing number of school shootings and so much more. Despite all the tragedy that consumed our lives, we did not give up. My generation took the tragedy that raised us and turned it into hope. We started many nonprofit organizations, combated hate and continued to find ways to improve our country.

The story about the America I grew up in will be difficult to describe. It is hard to define a country that is filled with so much hate and just as much love standing armed, ready to combat it. It was waking up every day with a new reason to lose faith in humanity, and going to bed reading a story about how my fellow Americans attempted to alleviate that disaster.

It is no fairy tale, but the America I grew up in taught me the most important lesson of my life: Despite the hardship, we are given the opportunity to grow in our faith and strengthen our hearts. No amount of gunfire and hate will stop me from believing that my fellow Americans have a large capacity for love.