We are similar, than Different

Living in Uncertain Times‍ ‍

We are living in uncertain times. Hatred prevails on the news. People attack innocent people for their faith. It is easy to believe the lie that we are too different to understand each other.

My mother always taught me that we are more similar than different. She said our differences make us beautiful. She said that the same God who made me, made you. That truth became the foundation of my life.

It was this belief that led us to develop Global Teen Club International. With my mother’s help, it became a special organization that connected with people across the globe. We published newsletters from our kitchen table in Salem. We gave teens a voice. We showed them that a girl in California and a boy in another country both want safety, love, and a chance to be heard.

She watched me answer letters from kids who were lonely, bullied, or afraid because of their name, their skin, or their faith. She never told them to hide. She taught me that their difference was their strength. She told me they belonged.

Now as an adult, I am passionate about remembering that mission and bringing the same values to women, especially young women.

I am building a nonprofit for young women and women to find independence. A place where they are not dependent on someone else to survive. My mother’s wisdom guides me. She taught me to stand alone and to become strong, not so I could be above others, but so I could lift them.

Hatred is loud right now. But compassion is louder when we choose it

My mother is gone, but her lesson remains: We are more similar than different. Our differences make us beautiful.

In uncertain times, that is not just a memory. It is a mission. And I will carry it forward, for her, for Global Teen Club, and for every young woman who needs to know she is not alone.

Hard work is the right way, not the easy way.

And love is still the answer.