September is Suicide Awareness Month
Ok, so suicide is the number one silent killer of good people! So if it's a killer, it should be a big concern. But it's not!!!
That said, September is Suicide Prevention month.
OK, time to be serious. I know I am often looking for a laugh and will do almost anything to get one....but I do have a serious side in many areas. I take my job seriously. I take my family seriously. I take my faith very seriously. And not necessarily in that order.
BUT...here comes something almost none of you know: (And as much as I think Facebook is good for entertainment and information but WAY over used to air laundry, promulgate arguments, and serve up unwanted drama, I will go against my own character and share something intensely personal.....) Here goes: I have stood on the edge of this abyss.....I have stared into it's inviting darkness and wanted to jump, to enter, to erase all pain, responsibility, and feeling....to finalize and eliminate all mistakes and regrets....only God knows why I backed up, why I didn't go through with it.....and I am so eternally grateful that something inside stopped me.
Every time I look at any of my three children, any of my six grandkids, my faithful wife, and count the manifold blessings I have received, I rejoice that my mind was somehow miraculously changed. That's not to say the valleys don't reappear and occasionally try to call out to me like sirens to an ancient mariner, but faith, a deep breath, and another inventory of all I have been gifted, brings me back away from that precipice. Life is not always easy, but it is always precious. Every person has value, every life has a purpose. Learn the signs, know what to look for, be brave and concerned enough to reach out and offer an encouraging word..... don't worry what to say.....your words may not be perfect, but the listener will hear your heart......and it will make a difference. Help is available to learn what to do...and if you're the one in need of help, make yourself one promise...before acting on impulse. make ONE attempt to reach for that life preserver.
There is any number of "hot-lines", the J.D. Foundation is very active and helpful, and I would accept a call anytime as one who has been there and back. There is no more need to lose another single life to this awful menace....please be vigilant, please care, please step up when your heart tells you you are needed. I don't really know why I started this lengthy post and I have certainly shared more than I'm comfortable sharing, but I hope I can, as the old cliché goes, make a difference in just one life. If you are affected, don't be too ashamed to ask for help....if you know someone that is affected, be real, be kind, and be the assist they need. Enough.
