Michigan is one of the most beautiful states in America. It is such a gorgeous place to live (and in my case spend the first seventeen years of your life). This picture is one of my favorites I have taken particularly because it reflects the beauty of a Michigan winter. The winters here create marvelous master pieces for not only artists and photographers, but for the average person's enjoyment, like me. Unfortunately, Michigan winters also create something a bit more drastic. Something that we cannot wait any longer to address.

I stepped outside of my house today and embraced the freezing weather and instantly realized, I'd die without shelter over my head every day in such unsympathetic conditions. There are nearly 40,000 homeless people living in Michigan today. That's 40,000 people living in poverty and facing the cold, ominous Michigan winter each year. Many in Michigan are so self-absorbed in their own lives that they do not realize just how difficult another may be living. They believe if they do not think about such circumstances, they will go away. But, they don't. But, regardless of what others ignore, something needs to be done to help these innocent victims into the life they deserve.

That's why I vision Michigan's future of trying to help those 40,000 homeless people change their lives. That is, so they may not see Michigan as harsh, unforgiving, and ruthless but that they may see a Michigan winter for what it really is-stunning, majestic, and genuinely beautiful.