Forgive me for getting this personal, id much rather share something hilarious and make people laugh but I feel this really needs to be said...
When we see the word "Suicide" most of us want to pass over it or look away. but instead of doing so here, I hope you will see the importance of spreading hope and awareness in this very real and ongoing epidemic of those around us.
Today we recieved tragic news of another suicide of a really great person. That makes #9 only within the last 2 years. The 2nd in just this last week. Each one was a very important, special and unique individual. Each was very loved, made people laugh and made a difference for those around them. Each have a family and friends that were left behind, completely devastated by their loss. Not one of us can begin to assume. Most people who take their own life do not want to die at all. They simply think about relief from the depths of the despair they physically and mentally feel overpowering them. It is never our place to judge what they went through that ever brought them to such a sad decision. But IT IS our job to see that we do all that we can to show them the love they so deserve.
I myself have suffered from depression as long as I can remember. I like to say I've been "blessed with weaknesses" that I thankfully have learned to make strengths through a lot of hard work and many years of refocusing my thoughts. And mostly, learning to serve others when my spirit seems down. Depression, for me, comes and goes at different times of my life. Mostly when times are just really hard. This depression has always been dibilitating and crushing at times. Often depression is hidden and most cannot even see its power. Making it the worst handicap of all.
I tried so many things in my youth to silence or ignore this battle. No one wants to hear about it. Its not pretty. So I surpassed it all or covered it up while I was young. Nothing ever worked. That is until something finally did help. One thing... one perfect person who knows every single suffering and how to heal each one completely... my Savior Jesus Christ.
The only person who chose to take on EVERY single infirmity, sorrow, pain and suffering for us, in order to succor us. In order to know exactly how to validate, support and comfort us. Following Him even when everything seemed dark and I was barely hanging on, I learned each time that He was right beside me very closely. Lovingly holding me up when I felt weary or unwanted or without hope. As a married woman, my husband and my baby girl fill me with a joy I never knew before and depression has been rare for me these past years, but I know I am not immune.
I also know that the Lord is still my shepherd. He knows me by name and He always will.
I have always taken tender refuge in the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in his talk,
"Like A Broken Vessel."
Link To That Talk { https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/like-a-broken-vessel?lang=eng&_r=1 }
I never had a father figure in my life until my LDS Mission 2010-2012 where my mission president Richard Gulbrandsen and his graceful wife Karen Gulbrandsen were exactly the figures I needed... my mission parents. They taught me so much about overcoming. They kept pushing me to the finish line of the journey the Lord called me to. They kept saying, "look how far you have come, now keep going! He is with you!" These were two people that knew heartache and sorrow very well in their own lives, yet there they were getting lost in the Lords service anyway. They always knew "In whom they trusted."
Last night I had a strong impression that I need to use my experiences to help others find light even in the dark. Help people to turn on the switch within. I will be blogging more about this and reaching out to help and write about the truth of how we all have it in us, even with all of our weaknesses, even when the flicker is dim and seems so hard to recognize at times. The light we carry cannot be carried the same way by anyone else. Not one of us can ever be replaced!!
"Nevertheless, in times of trouble, like Nephi and Alma they “[knew] in whom [they]
trusted” as they found that “God hath been [their] support” in “trials and troubles of every kind” (see 2 Nephi 4:19–20; Alma 36:27)...
...Although it is wrong to take one’s own life, a person who does so may not be responsible for his or her actions. Only God can fully understand and judge the situation. Elder M. Russell Ballard said: “Obviously, we do not know the full circumstances surrounding every suicide. Only the Lord knows all the details, and he it is who will judge our actions here on earth. “When he does judge us, I feel he will take all things into consideration: our genetic and chemical makeup, our mental state, our intellectual capacity, the teachings we have received, the traditions of our fathers, our health, and so forth” (“Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not,” Ensign, Oct. 1987, 8). "Sadly, despite our best efforts, suicide is not always preventable and it leaves behind deep heartbreak and emotional upheaval with unanswered questions for family and loved ones who need nurturing and support. Nevertheless, peace can be found amid such deep pain and anguish through our Savior, who “descended below all things” (D&C 88:6; see also D&C 122:8) “that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:12).
Let us be gentle with ourselves and kind of others. We have no idea what someone could be going through. Let us listen carefully, to the still small voice, when it prompts us to go to someones aid. If we sense that someone is in the hardest of times, let's reach out and show them love. Let's cheer each other on in life, especially while we are here in this dreary world. Encouraging one another saying, "Look how far you've come, now keep going! You are almost there, He is with you!"
Please share this concept with those you love. We never know who this message could save. The Lord could be depending on you to share the love he has given you.
XO
Ashley Dalley
XO
Ashley Dalley
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