Thesis Statement

Characters welcome.

This is the slogan developed by USA to promote their personality-driven TV shows. I think it’s genius—because I wanted to adopt it as my own the moment I heard it.

Because the honest truth is that my life revolves around characters. The stranger people are, the more they deviate from the norm, the more I like them. In fact, the moment I discover an out-there personality trait in a person is one life’s greatest joys. Some people you meet are obviously interesting; they wear weird stuff, have crazy mermaids tattooed on their arms, have intriguing body language or some other trait that tells you something interesting is going on behind their face. Others have hidden treasures that will surface suddenly during a conversation or new environment. They’re all amazing. People are so amazing.

What’s fascinating, though, is that we’re all characters. That means we’re unique, quirky little creatures with distinct features and habits. It also means that we’re all part of a story, and always changing. I’m persuaded that many of the experiences we have (whether we would call them good or bad) are woven into our lives by God to build character. I guess that means to make people more God-like: more loving, kind, patient, peaceful, humble, joyful, self-controlled. They’re specially configured for us, and we each react in distinct ways.

I don’t want to pretend I’ve got any of this figured out. People are too mysterious to stick into any formula. What I’m really here for is to delight in the beauty of individuals and their stories—my own included. Hopefully there will be anecdotes, full-on stories, reflections, and questions. And should you happen to recognize yourself in one of my characters, don’t be offended. It is the highest honor and expression of love I can pay you.