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.
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...
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
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
*
