[Alffe]

Important words: They made a decision.
So do survivors...I chose to make my life more meaningful,
more compassionate, more loving, more forgiving."

Sandra Sexton-Jones, M.S. Survivors of Suicide Newsletter Jan. '95 issue

[bizi]

these are very important words alffe.
It is all about the choices we make.
i love you
bizi

[who moi]

I am not a Christian, but I love this part of the story of Jonas:

Chapter 4
4:1 But Jonas was very deeply grieved, and he was confounded. 2 And he prayed to the Lord, and said, O Lord, were not these my words when I was yet in my land? therefore I made haste to flee to Tharsis; because I knew that thou are merciful and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, and repentest of evil. 3 And now, Lord God, take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 4 And the Lord said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved?

5 And Jonas went out from the city, and sat over against the city; and he made for himself there a booth, and he sat under it, until he should perceive what would become of the city. 6 And the Lord God commanded a gourd, and it came up over the head of Jonas, to be a shadow over his head, to shade him from his calamities: and Jonas rejoiced with great joy for the gourd.

7 And God commanded a worm the next morning, and it smote the gourd, and it withered away. 8 And it came to pass at the rising of the sun, that God commanded a burning east wind; and the sun smote on the head of Jonas, and he fainted, and despaired of his life, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. 9 And God said to Jonas, Art thou very much grieved for the gourd? And he said, I am very much grieved, even to death.

10 And the Lord said, Thou hadst pity on the gourd, for which thou has not suffered, neither didst thou rear it; which came up before night, and perished before another night: 11 and shall not I spare Nineve, the great city, in which dwell more than twelve myriads of human beings, who do not know their right hand or their left hand; and also much cattle?

(I deleted this before I posted but have decided to add it back in: I've always thought the "whale" was something symbolic. For me, it was "depression"; it is so big that it engulfed Jonas. I know this is amateurish on my part and I totally understand that there will be many folks that will sneer at my even suggesting that. And that is OK. It works for ME.)

[Alffe]

I think tenacity is one of the cardinal strengths survivors need to cultivate.

Those who don't understand its importance or don't like that trait might call

it "stubbornness." That's okay.

They're entitled to their opinion.

However, I think there's a lot to be said for digging in & hanging on."


Sue Chance, MD Survivors of Suicide Newsletter Jan.08

[KathyM]

LOL Alffe

"Stubbornness" - my husband says that's my middle name. When those dark clouds form, so does my attitude. I remember the choice I made a long time ago - LIFE. We ALL made that choice on our birthday. From what I've been told, life is worth living. We owe it to ourselves to dig in and hold on until the clouds pass - at the very least, to see if it's true that life is worth living.

I used to work with my former pediatrician, and she used to tease me about when I was a toddler. She admitted her tactic back then was to hire the biggest and scariest looking nurses to give the shots. That way, the kids were more open and receptive to her at the doc.

I still remember her nurse. She was huge, braided red hair wrapped around her head, and a mean scowl on her face. When she walked into the room with syringe in hand, kids would immediately start crying.

Not me. My pediatrician said I sat up straight, looked directly in her nurse's face, and stuck out my shoulder with a defiant "bring it on" look on my face.

I think it helps to do that when life gets scary too.

[Alffe]

I miss you KathyM!!!

[Addy]

I've wanted to say that, Alffe, ever since she left us here... but I was afraid I might be breaking some rules

I hope she is ok.

[Doody]

Bumping because...the original post is wonderful...and I miss Kathy here too.