As I turn on the news this morning, I am saddened by the horrible tragedies happening all around the world. The shootings in Paris have brought many other tragedies to the forefront, such as the one in Kenya last April that got little media attention. Some people even argue that we are spending too much time focusing on Paris and not paying other disasters the same amount of respect. While this may hold true - the media filters out and decides what they want to show - it's odd that we are arguing over which catastrophe deserves more spotlight.

People are dying. Real people. A mother collapses as she learns that her child has been shot to death. A father cries out as he realizes his children are never coming home. A woman's heart sinks as she watches the events unfolding on the news and sees the venue where her daughter is supposed to be enjoying music with her friends. A young child doesn't understand why he'll never see his Mommy and Daddy again. We are so desensitized as a society because we are constantly bombarded with images of death and despair in movies and in the media. It's easy for us to change our profile pictures and post our #RIP on social media and then go right back to our jobs, our schools, and our families on the same day. But these people are more than a 2-minute news story. The families who lost their loved ones will forever be shaken by these horrible tragedies. Their lives will never be the same.

We need to stand together in solidarity for all of the victims and stop arguing over who deserves more media time. We need to hug our friends and families and learn to appreciate each and every moment we get with them. We need to spread love and hope instead of hate and revenge. I've seen so much hate spreading through social media and it sickens me because hate is what took the lives of those innocent people in Paris. Hate is what causes mass-shootings and bombings. We need to spread positivity, love, and peace. 

Today, I am going to share photos that I've taken of people from all over the world and I hope it inspires you to see the beauty and love that is in humanity.

I've met so many beautiful and wonderful people from many different cultures and I am happy to share a few special moments with you. I hope, if nothing else, it brings a smile to your face. 

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."
-Mahatma Ghandi

Two boys play with a grasshopper at Nkholi Primary School in Soweto, South Africa.

 A little girl hula-hoops at Nkholi Primary School in Soweto, South Africa.

                 

A young boy smiles for the camera at Nkholi Primary School in Soweto, South Africa. 

  World War II veterans return home to Cincinnati from an Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

    A young girl admires toys in a store window in Mexico. 

College students enjoy a lecture at Northern Kentucky University.     

   A baby is born in Kentucky.

   A family holds their daughter for the first time.

A zebra is interviewed at a park in Estonia.

This one always makes me laugh because I still don't really know what's going on here. :)

Young girls laugh as they march in the parade at the World Choir Games Celebration of Nations in Cincinnati, OH. 

A girl waves the Russian flag at the World Choir Games Celebration of Nations in Cincinnati, OH.

Students from Northern Kentucky University enjoying the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. 

Tourists aboard the Maid of the Mist marvel at the beauty of Niagara Falls in Canada.

xoxo