The Black Plague of our Time.....

 There is something happening with our children our youth our young people There is a Black Plague that has infiltrated this part of our population a Black Plague called

Suicide.  

Last weekend I was talking to a dear woman in my life

a spiritual mentor

who's daughter took her own life

one year ago

She was the one who gave me this phrase

"The Black Plague of our time"

and she is so right

It is happening all over the modern world and most of it

being infused by the pressures of

Social Media

Every Monday I have be posting something

about my kids in Colombia

but today

today I wanted to post about my kids

in my own community and country;

because I am seeing their young faces on the news

I am reading about them in the newspaper

I am grieving their end of life.

And for those who still remain... 

I want to lift them up

I want to shine love and light on them

those trapped in their darkness

those who feel lost in their life

those who feel worthless and less then

today I talk about them

and I ask you my readers

to do the same

to hold space for the young people in your country

in your community

those who are struggling

hold space for them

a space of love, light and hope

that they matter

that they are important

that this season will pass

that they will not always feel this small.

I was emailing with a friend of mine

from the other side of the world

she was looking for support   

as one of her young work mates has been practicing

in self harm...

between the regular pressures of being a teen

and the loss of her mother to cancer one year ago

this young woman is having a hard time

finding her way

having a hard time

feeling the solid ground beneath her feet

having a hard time coping....

her story is that of many....

these stories are close to my heart

they have been stories in my personal life
and some of those I hold dear...

I know this darkness

I have said it once

and I will say it again

If you see someone doing something

"to get attention"

BELIEVE THEM !

Do not ignore them

Do not dismiss them

Do not turn away from them

Please

Please

engage with them

reach out to them

look at them..and really see them

and when you do,

let them know that you see them

We can not stop someone from taking their life

We can not stop someone from harming themselves

We can not stop someone from thinking they are less then

BUT  

We can tell them what they mean to us

We can tell them we will miss them if they go

We can tell them what it will be like to be left behind

with them in our lives

We can tell them how we feel about them...

over and over and over again

this

we can do.

My dear sister-friend wrote this last week on her blog

I loved it so much I asked if I could re-post it here.

I realize this is a long post

I hope you will take the time to continue reading

Our kids are worth our time...

  

Lets tell our children....by Nyssa

Turn, turn, my wheel!  All things must change
To something new, to something strange;
  Nothing that is can pause or stay;
The moon will wax, the moon will wane,
The mist and cloud will turn to rain,
The rain to mist and cloud again,
  To-morrow be to-day. ~ Longfellow: Keramos

it's been an aching few days.
whose heart could not have been affected by the death of a young girl?
it has been a rollercoaster of emotions felt throughout the city and throughout the world.

rape, bullying and ultimately suicide.

hard
hard
stuff

wake up calls
and
breaking hearts
and idiocy
and denial

all that is best and worst in humanity played out... everywhere.

and i gather my girls close.
and my son.
my girls to say " you're safe right now"
my boy to say " well done, you honourable and caring young man. well done at being you"

but to the girls in the world who are not in arm's reach, i say " I wish we paid more attention"
" I wish this world didn't view you this way"
" I wish that the power and magic you hold in you..would have free expression and that you would know no fear, no pain, no abuse"

to the boys of this world who are not in arms reach, i say " be brave, be courageous, be honourable."
" Put down the need for power"
" Put down the facades. Put down your macho."

and to all I say, " do better"
" do better at loving yourselves and each other"

to us parents, all of us, I say:

" Let's be parents. Lets guide and teach and show our value systems. Let's care and do until our arms ache so our hearts won't have to. Let's talk. Let's watch. Let's rise up, let's lead the way. Let's put down our feet when necessary. Let's use that word "no" more often. Let's not let our own need for freedom be projected onto our children who have so few rules. It's not the same kind of freedom they need except to let loose with their talents and their souls. we may have needed freedom from repression and freedom of expression and freedom from spiritual abuses or marital discord but our kids don't need our baggage, they don't need our lessons, they have their own. Let's not overcompensate for what we didn't have or what we had too much of. Let's see them for who they are and step in and redirect when things are going wrong"

Let's actively parent.
Let's tell our boys to respect our girls and tell our girls to respect themselves and each other.
Let's tell our daughters to protect themselves while telling them we wish they would not have to.
Let's tell our sons to protect our girls while telling them they should not have to.

Let's tell our sons, honour and respect come first. always.
Let's tell them there are consequences for their actions. always.
Let's tell our daughters the same.

Now, let's show them what that looks like.

No one should have to be afraid of each other.
Of truth.
Of full disclosure.
Of being disbelieved.
Of being unsafe.

We have a long long road to go.
We were blessed to be born here where we can use our voices but instead we often choose to tune out to what is going on under our noses.

Our children deserve better than that.


Turn, turn, my wheel!  All life is brief;
What now is bud will soon be leaf,
  What now is leaf will soon decay;
The wind blows east, the wind blows west;
The blue eggs in the robin's nest
Will soon have wings and beak and breast,
  And flutter and fly away. ~ Longfellow



Let's wake up.
We've been asleep for far far too long.
It's time to roll up our sleeves and do the raw and messy work of teaching our kids what it means to be the best of being human.

Yes

lets wake up

and when we do

lets stay awake

lets take responsability for a place

in the lives of those young people around us

In my own life

there were those few who reached out

those unassuming few

they saved my life 

and I will never forget that

ever.

Love and Light

to the youth of our world

may they find the light they have is enough for the step that they are on

may they hear the words of love and adornment that is said over them

may they know, that they are beautiful children of God and loved beyond their comprehension

may they find their way home

and may there be someone waiting for them when they do

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