A couple of weeks ago, I ran across the front cover of TIME Magazine, which featured an absolutely awful picture of Detroit with the headline "The Tragedy of Detroit." It looked as though a bomb had been dropped on the city, and the rubble was all that was left. The image on the cover was terrible, and it certainly paints a picture in someone's mind as to what Detroit is all about.

To a certain extent, the picture is accurate. A great Midwest city that was known as the capitol of the auto industry has literally been left in ruins. An image that was once a picture of prosperity and the American dream has now been replaced with burned out buildings, rows of foreclosed homes and a morale that has gone beyond depressed.

Promises of great things to come from local politicians turn into scandals that leave another blight on the region. The sports teams can't even catch a break. The Detroit Red Wings lose the Stanley Cup Finals in June, the Detroit Tigers blow a supposedly insurmountable first place lead, and the Detroit Lions ... well, there's always next year.

What seems to have happened in an area that I have called home for 10 years is that people are believing the picture. The picture of the burned out buildings has burned out ambitions. The image of empty houses and streets has crossed over into a feeling of emptiness all around. But does it have to be that way?

I am an eternal optimist (even with the Lions)!  I believe that one day, Detroit and the surrounding region will once again become a great American city. I believe that one day, the rest of the country will look to southeast Michigan as a model of how an entire multi-county area re-invented itself and began to lead. I believe that one day, Detroit will once again lead, and by leading, a new picture will begin to be created.

Burned out homes will be replaced with a burning desire to model for our children what it means to care for and love one another.  Emptiness will be replaced with a fullness of heart for those who have not had the same opportunities. Schools will be full of children who can't wait to get to school every day. A feeling of insurmountable depression will be replaced with unabashed exuberance over the success of our schools and the way graduates are impacting our society. 

And maybe, just maybe, the Lions will be hosting a victory parade.