Adam Harris

Everyday I wake up I feel like I have a new reason to live. This reason to live has not evolved because it never existed but it seems like there is a new spark that initiates this reason. This reason to live is not because I didn't love life but it seems to give life more meaning. This reason to live has nothing to do with a personal or self infliction but a motivation and determination to make a difference. This reason to live has been sparked by the understanding that "I can and will make a difference."

My mother once told me that hope deferred is long suffering. This suffering that takes place can consist of hardships, a phase of life, a problem in a relationship or even being submissive to the storms of life. It can even lead to life looking weary or a journey seeming fuzzy but when one can realize that he/she faces this psychological condemnation, one can make an attempt to exit and overcome.

Being a 20 year-old African-American male, attending The University of Michigan-Dearborn, I thought life finally made sense and there was nothing more to add. I figured I would receive my degree, choose a career and make a living for myself. Little did I know that one experience such as Alternative Spring Break through United Way for Southeastern Michigan and United Way for America would change my perspective on life.