D'Andre Lampkin

Groom yourself and your life like a shrub. Trim off the edges and you'll be stronger in the broken places. Embrace the new growth and blossom at the tips.

Tree trunks are composed of layers of growth. Meaningful expressions are composed of layers of words. Say something meaningful.

Wouldn't the world be a much better place if we didn't make it past the age of maybe 10? Think back to when we were younger, before we were so easily influenced by adults. We rebelled against everything that we now believe is impossible. Super Heroes still existed and we didn't hold grudges because "sorry" was okay and as long as you still wanted to share your toys with me, nothing more needed to be said. Be 10 years old today everyone.

When you see something wrong and fail to do anything about it, even in the smallest effort, you accept the wrong.

in this great land of the free we call it human trafficking. And so long as we don__ partake in the luxury, ignoring slavery is of no consequence. It is much easier to look away and ignore the victims. The person who ignores slavery justifies it by quickly deducting the victim is a willing participant hampered by misfortune.

Slavery provides comfort to the oppressor. Even more than comfort, it provides power over those who witness. Slavery is, after all, a luxury. Slavery is a distraction, so long as the onlooker is not the victim. Slavery is cheap labor, an outlet for aggression, and, so we__e learned over the years, a meaningless object to fulfill sexual desires.

Divisions in mankind are unnatural. They are man made.

People of God are always people who care about other people and it always comes at some cost.

We'd like to think that it is not our fault that great men and women died fighting for the security of our nation and safety of our communities. But we know this not to be true. They commited their lives for us in instances where either we were too afraid to do it ourselves or failed to find alternate solutions on our own. We enjoy the fruits of their ultimate sacrifice and owe their families a heartfelt thanks and apology everyday.

We'd like to think that it is not our fault great men and women died fighting for the security of our nation and safety of our communities. But we know this not to be true. They commited their lives for us in instances where either we were too afraid to do it ourselves or failed to find alternate solutions on our own. We enjoy the fruits of their ultimate sacrifice and owe their families a heartfelt thanks and apology everyday.

When we seek to understand what makes each of us different before we seek to be understood, we learn. Understanding fosters mutual respect for one another.

Understanding_ is a word that I cherish. Understanding is what helps us to love before we judge. Understanding helps us to know more of ourselves and do the same to others.