No one is in this alone. There is always someone to talk to. Always. Whether it be a counselor or maybe even an LGBT site. Projects like these give me hope. They help me stay strong. I hope everyone has the strength to pull through and realize it gets better. Because it truly does.

—Gloria M. (Brentwood, NH)

For those of you who cannot tell your parents or are afraid they will not understand, please know that there are parents out there who are thinking of you and who believe in you. We may not be related, we may not know you, but we are proud of you. We want you to be happy about who you are, to embrace your uniqueness. Seek out those who lift you up. Sometime the people who end up saving your life are those you have yet to meet.

—Jodi K. (Colgate, WI)

The message It Gets Better sends is important — it inspires, empowers and motivates young people to take a stand and work to create safer, more inclusive spaces on the campuses and in their communities for their fellow students, for other local LGBTQ young people and for future generations.           

 —Shane L. Windmeyer, M.S., Ed., co-founder and executive director of Campus Pride, the leading national organization for student leaders and campus organizations working to create a safer college environment for LGBT students.

www.CampusPride.org.

Back to school and finding a friend

From The Official Blog of Thomas Mitchinson, Illinois Committee on Publication

Yesterday was the first day of school in Naperville.  I wish a very happy
school year to all the students, teachers and administrators.

I’d like to share this story that has inspired me for many years.  It comes
from the book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.
It is the story about Bill who was walking home carrying two sweaters, a
baseball bat, all of his books, as well as a glove and a tape recorder.  Bill tripped, dropped everything, and a boy named Mark helped Bill pick up his stuff and carry it.  They talked on the way home and had a lot in common.

After arriving at Bill’s house, Mark was invited in and they shared cokes and watched t.v.  They saw each other from time to time and graduated from junior high.  They went to
the same high school, and had brief contacts over the years.  Just before high school graduation, Bill asked Mark if he remembered that day years ago when he helped him carry his stuff.  When Mark replied that he did, Bill stated that he had cleaned out his locker that day – and was going home to take his mother’s sleeping pills and commit suicide.

Bill further stated that after spending that afternoon laughing and having fun, he dismissed the suicidal thoughts because he didn’t want to miss any other good times.  The story ends with Bill stating, “So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more.  You saved my life.”

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, here is some advice on helping others: “Since people who are contemplating suicide feel so alone and helpless, the most important thing to do if you think a friend or loved one is suicidal is to communicate with him or her openly and frequently.  Make it clear that you care; stress your willingness to listen.  Also, be sure to take all talk of suicide seriously.  Don’t assume that people who
talk about killing themselves won’t really do it.  An estimated 80 percent of all those who
commit suicide give some warning of their intentions or mention their feelings
to a friend or family member.”  In other words, be a Mark!

But what if you have no friends?  Something I have found helpful for many years
when depressed or sad is that there is a higher power whose love for us in
unconditional.  This Love comforts, consoles, and can bring happiness into our lives.

Poet John Newton wrote, “As a little child relies on a care beyond its own, Being neither strong nor wise, Will not take a step alone, let me thus with Thee abide, As my Father, Friend, and Guide.”  That divine Friend, God, is here, willing to listen and to guide the lives of each one of us into life, not death.

You are important.  You are needed.  You are loved.  Let God send a Mark into your life.  There are fun times ahead for everyone!

Click on the link below:

Back to school and finding a friend | Christian Science in Illinois