Did you know research suggests that 25% of the population will seek medical help for mental illness in their lifetime? That is a quarter of the population. Think about your closest friends; if this is true, 1 in 4 will experience mental illness at some point in life. Why then, so we still suffer in silence? Why are we afraid to ask others to pray…
I don’t know about you, but when I read Proverbs 31, I am often overwhelmed by this superwoman’s abilities. I can’t sew; I don’t have a green thumb; I am not a business woman. I tend to worry about the future, not laugh about it. A few days ago, I attended the funeral of a precious woman who truly leaves behind a legacy. I was…
Last week I was surprised by all the hoopla regarding a new app called Secret. Students are able to post thoughts and ideas on the app anonymously. The creators describe the positives that can happen from the anonymity, such as being able to reveal embezzling to a boss without being deemed a snitch. However, the opposite is also true. Slander and cyberbullying has hit a…
Have you ever seen the movie, Tangled? It’s a modern-telling of the fairytale, Rapunzel. This movie is a favorite in my house, and recently it has helped to teach me an important lesson. In the movie, the mother hides her beautiful daughter away in a tower in an effort to protect her from harm; in doing so, the mother has prevented her child from…
Today I will be teaching law enforcement about suicide prevention and postvention. The irony is that eight years ago today I was sitting in my living room waiting to hear from the police as they searched for Michael. I’ll never forget seeing the priest standing in my doorway. Just seeing his collar told me that what I’d feared the most had come true. Michael was…
In the past two weeks, I’ve received texts about one attempted and one completed suicide. My heart aches for the families of both of these individuals. I recently found out that Michael’s death began a string of suicide attempts in our community. This absolutely breaks my heart. When we lose someone to suicide, we are often so overcome by our own grief that we fail…