Depression Runs Deep (Dealing with Family Matters)

Recently, my family experienced a very tragic event when one of our relatives killed his wife, and then committed suicide.   It was one of the most horrible, shocking days of my life, and for all who knew them and loved them.   They were a loving couple, with well-adjusted, accomplished children.  They were well educated, and had great positions of authority.   They were like by many, and individually made notable contributions to their community.   They were young with a very bright future ahead of them.   So, what went wrong?   No one knows for sure, but there was something that brought about a period of great depression, anger, division, and ultimately death for the both of them.  We are all left asking the questions, why didn’t we see this coming?   Why did this happen to two very good people?  Why didn't they come to us?   What are we to do now that this has happened?   All of these are very tough questions with many possible answers that each individual left behind must grapple with.   I don’t have the ultimate answer to any of these questions, but I do know which one of the questions that I intend to address; 'What am I to do now that this has happened?'  
 
I am going to study to strengthen my understanding of depression and the signs to look out for.  I am going to dig deeper to know what in my community currently exist, that can help persons going through deep depression and suicidal thoughts, to get help before it is too late.   I am going to make myself more aware of how I open myself to others in need of help, to ensure that I am presented as a helping presence and not a judgmental force.  I am also going to let go and let God have the last say, with the full understanding that no matter how much you try, you will never be able to save everyone.  
 
The best we can do to help persons in deep depression is be aware that they are crying out for help.  Sometimes their cry for help is masked by their silence.   What they say or don’t say, can speak volumes, especially if we can hear them.  By the way, sometimes you need to listen to your own voice to make sure that it is not you that needs to be heard.
 

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Your Best Year Ever

Jan 2014: Nate Speaks!

Lighting Candles for Kwanzaa 2013 A Word From Nate: Your Best Year Ever It is 2014!   May this year be your best year ever!  Have you set your priorities for the rest of the year?  Have you thought about your goals and the action steps that you need to take in order to make your goals a reality?  Have you considered the road blocks and potential naysayers that await you as you pursue your goals?  These are all good questions if you are serious about making this year your best year ever.  You have to set priorities, or you will find yourself running from activity to activity, crisis to crisis, and nothing will be accomplished to your satisfaction.  It is possible that at the end of 2014 you will be making the same promises to yourself that you made every year for the past ten years, with little progress to show yourself.   I know, because I have been that person. Don’t get me wrong, I feel like I have accomplished a great deal in the past ten years, but my inner goals, things like writing the great International Novel, the award winning poetry book, saving enough money to be debt free, taking my trip to South Africa, having a large building to house Imani African Christian Church, the Writers Wordshop, and Life Esteem, Inc. all under one roof, and my list goes on; these things are still on my list and I have every intention to accomplish them in 2014.  Keeping it real, I know for certain that the only way I will reach my goal is to make these things a priority in my life, and asking God to be my guide and foundation in all that I pursue. You can do it!   I can do it!  We can make this the best year of our life by setting priorities, taking a realistic look at our strengths, weaknesses, use of time, attitudes, and beliefs.   We have to make our life a spiritual journey and not an endless dance of narcissistic pleasures.  There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing that you had a goal in mind, you worked hard to achieve it, and you accomplished it without cheating yourself or stealing from someone to do it.  “To Thy Own Self Be True” is a popular quote that I have heard all of my life.   It usually finds space in my reflections at the beginning of each year, as I consider what I want to accomplish in this new-year. If you are willing to make this year the best year of your life, and you know that you have to do some serious reflection about who you are, and what has been holding you back, then I have a deal for you.   The first ten people that contact me by email, at pgadsden@aol.com, with the words “I want to make this the best year of my life” in the “subject area of the email” will receive a free copy of my book, “Learning Self Therapy Through Writing” (the revised edition 2013).   Anyone who contacts me with those words in the subject area of the email, beyond the first ten people, will be able to purchase the book for just $8.00 a copy.   The book retails for $19.95.   “Learning Self Therapy Through Writing” is a guided journal that will assist you in setting goals, self-reflection, and making daily assignments for yourself.   The book is great for teens as well as adults.

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Go For Greatness!

Peacocks strut because they can’t fly – fly like an Eagle!

At some point, help becomes a handicap!

Sometimes you can be so open-minded, your brains fall out!

Life is a perpetual audition.    Always be prepared to shine!

If you’re going to stand, stand.  If you’re going to sit, sit, but don’t wobble.

When you know better, you should do better!

A winner knows what to do when he or she is losing!

YCDA (You can do anything).   The question should be, is it worth trying to do, not should it be done?

A problem is a chance for you to do your best.

Insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results.

You only know what you give, not what they get.   Always give your best!

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