Love is the Movement

You all know that today is Tuesday September 10.

 I bet you didn't know that today is national suicide awareness day.

Suicide is a topic that most people don't think about, and those who do try to avoid it.  Let's face it, it is extremely uncomfortable to talk about.  Well, it can't be avoided forever because at some point in your life you are going to encounter this topic, whether it's a friend of yours or somebody you know has lost a loved one due to this tragic action.

I am nineteen years old, and I have experienced this unfortunate happening twice.  The first time I lost somebody to suicide was three days before I graduated high school.  The girl who took her life, was two years younger than myself.  We had played field hockey together my junior and senior year.  Being a member of a team, you form strong sister like bonds with your teammates.  You share things with your teammates, and they help you through the good and bad times.  It is unfortunate that KH was unable to see how many people were there to support her and help her through her rough times. She was such a sweet girl with so much potential.  This year would have been her senior year of high school.  It is awful to think that she never had the chance to experience her remaining two years of high school, go to college, and grow up.

The night of graduation the seven seniors who were on the field hockey team wore Kim's number pinned to out cap.

The second time, suicide impacted my life rather indirectly.  This morning I woke up to numerous text messages, from my peers at the college I just transferred from, saying that somebody committed suicide last night in one of the dorms.  The boy who took his life was a junior.  Although I did not know him, my heart goes out to those who were close to him.  Being part of a small college, the sense of community is extremely strong.  This impacts everyone, even if they did not know him.  Washington College held a vigil at noon today.  From my friends who still go there, I heard it was a very moving experience just to see how many students came out to show their support.

Suicide prevention is something that needs to be increased.  There is not enough information being passed around about how to deal with situations where you feel like you just can't go on.  Personally, I have never had these awful feelings, but I think we need to be a little more conscientious at helping those who do suffer from feeling that they are no good.

Watch this clip about bullying.

 I encourage you to tell the people in your life that you care about them, let them know they are not alone in this world.  The number of people who feel like Jonah, from the clip above, is greater than it should be.  Next time you go to say something mean about somebody else, take a minute to, realize how what you are about to say will impact them.  

Remember that you too are loved.

Xoxo

-mQs-