Saturday, December 4, 2010

Day 4. Oh my gosh, what happened to Day 4?

I decided to cancel it. After just three posts about suicide prevention organizations, I've decided posting about suicide day after day is too, too depressing. So, let's just say I've changed my mind. A woman's prerogative, right? Instead I'm going to make this month a celebration of Paul's life -- with musings, poems, photos, and some of his writing as well.


Sure, I'll still post more information about suicide prevention organizations -- but that data will appear toward the end of the page. And, it won't appear in the title. If you're interested you'll have to scroll down a bit. 


Here's a poem Paul  left us -- I think he wrote it right before he died.


Way

By Paul Sharples

I was walking
I was thinking
I was running
I was sinking

You were laughing
You were loving
I was pushing
I was shoving

If you’re wondering
How I’m feeling
Same old thing
I ain’t healing

If you’re hungry
I can feed you
Please don’t think
That I don’t need you

And I let you walk away…
Now you can go your own way.


Now on to the harder stuff:


The Jason Foundation, Inc., is a suicide prevention organization that is so important today because of the many young people who have taken their lives after being bullied by their peers. 


JFI is a nationally recognized provider of educational curriculums and training programs for students, educators/youth workers and parents. JFI’s programs build an awareness of the national health problem of youth suicide, educate participants in recognizing the “warning signs or signs of concern”, provide information on identifying at-risk behavior and elevated risk groups, and direct participants to local resources to deal with possible suicidal ideation. JFI’s student curriculums are presented in the “third-person” perspective – how to help a friend.  JFI has no intent to diagnose or treat suicidal ideation. Its intention is to empower youth, educators and parents to help recognize when young people are in pain and know to get professional help involved as soon as possible.


The Jason Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501c3. For more information go to: 
http://www.jasonfoundation.com/
 

3 comments:

janice williams said...

Madeline, I completely support the revised focus. Personally, I am most interested in your family's life "after" and how you have honored Paul's memory with creativity, activism and family/friend connections.

February Grace said...

I think it's wonderful to post things that are a tribute to his life- and to shift your focus to whatever feels right to you on a given day no matter the month. You have to take care of yourself, while you're worrying about making resources available to everyone else.

You're doing what your heart tells you, and we're all grateful for it.

*hugs*
~bru

madeline40 said...

Thank you Janice and bru. I am so grateful for your support.