It's Good 2B Good

Birmingham Girl Commits Suicide; Bullying Was a Factor

Bullying has contributed to yet another child committing suicide: Alex Moore of Birmingham, Alabama. How many will it take before we, as a society, wake up and do what we need to do to stop these tragedies from happening? Now I am really fired up and on a crusade to end this craziness. Will you join me? Here are a few steps you can take now:

 1. Eliminate gossip from your life, especially around kids.                                     

 2. Eliminate all negative, hurtful words from your vocabulary. Express angry feelings directly: 'I'm angry at you because______  or "I feel hurt because _____" 

3. Send emails to TV shows that use humiliation as entertainment such as AFHV, Punk'd, Bloopers and Practical Jokes and express your concern regarding the effect their shows are having on all of us, especially kids.                            

4. Create an environment around you in which you only use positive words and only allow yourself to hear positive words. Avoid people who focus on the negative traits of others.                                                                             

5. Teach your kids that all bullying starts from the same place: your brain, Because all bullying starts with a thought. So, watch your thoughts. Thoughts can be changed. If you find yourself thinking a negative thought about someone, change that thought. You'll be amazed how much better YOU will feel, let alone the other person.                                                                                                      AND...                    

 Be slow to anger; be patient; be compassionate. We have to be the ones who send the message that it is no longer acceptable to allow  kids to witness adults using  hurtful and harmful behavior with each other. We are their role models. We have to do our part. Once we do our part it will be a lot easier to help them. But kids today can too easily say, " I see adults hurt and humiliate each other all the time. So, what's so bad about it?" Is this what we want kids to think? That it's ok to treat people like that because we see adults do it all the time? 

 Please share this with anyone you think might benefit from it. Thank you.

DEALING WITH SUDDEN LOSS

On December 13, 2008 my oldest sister, Janice, was killed in a freak accident at an ATM in Port Angeles, Washington. These past 6 weeks have been difficult as I try to deal with the shock of her death and the sadness of the loss. We were not exceptionally close; we only saw each other twice a year and spoke on the phone occasionally in between. But she was my sister and I can't believe she's gone. I miss her. Our family is forever changed. I had 4 sisters; now only 3. I had 5 siblings; now only 4. The world seems different, but I'm not clear yet on how it's different. I'm different, but I'm not clear yet on how. I'm entering a new stage this week in which I am beginning to feel ready to rejoin the world and move forward in my own life, though it's not easy.

     I know I want to live my life in a way that makes her life - and death - meaningful. I ask myself questions such as: What did I learn from her? How has she helped me in my life? How do I want to incorporate her gifts and talents into my own life? How can I still include her in my life? And, most importantly, how can I be a better person as a result of this painful experience?

Updates to follow.