MOTIVATION

I have not been on my A game.
I have not even been on my B game.
But that's over now.
I think I finally have some motivation.

All the glory goes to the big one up top and my friends that keep me grounded. Ya know...people are always revealing their true selves to you. I have ls's that will move to different states and apply to schools...so they can make sure I'm good. Do you have that? I have friends that drive hours in the middle of the night and try to hop on planes to deal with people who hurt my feelings unintentionally. Do you have that?
Well I do. And everytime I think about it I realized how EXTREMELY blessed I am. That's my motivation. They are my motivation.

Smile. Why? Because you should!

One of my friends and sandz was going through something today. I don't know what, but it was inhibiting him from enjoying his day and not being stressed. His smile usually makes my day so it really upset me that someone had upset him to the point to where he couldn't smile. As such, I took it upon myself to look up smiling for you.

I encourage all to visit:
http://www.wikihow.com/Smile

Suicide. Please read. Pass it on.

I don't know about everyone else. But I love hard. I have very few people out of the many I know that I consider family and friends and it's honestly not possible for me to love them more than I already do. Over the years a few of my friends and acquaintances have had suicidal thoughts, and or attempted to harm themselves. I cannot express my concern for the well being of ALL those around me, friend or not. As such, I thought it smart to share a few tips about what to do if someone around you expresses thoughts of wanting to hurt themselves.

WHATEVER YOU DO LISTEN TO THEM. IF THEY SHARE SOMETHING WIHT YOU ITS A SIGN THEY WANT SOMEONE TO KNOW AND WANT HELP.

1. There are no right or wrong things you can say if you are speaking out of love and concern. Just be yourself. Show that you care by talking to them, holding them while they cry, or whatever else is necessary.

2. A suicidal person usually is carrying around some burden that they feel they just can't handle anymore. Offer to listen as they vent their feelings of despair, anger and loneliness. Sometimes this is enough to lighten the load just enough for them to carry on.

3. Be sympathetic, non-judgmental, patient, calm, accepting. The person will pick up on your attitude and begin to mirror this.

4. Don't be afraid to ask, "Are you having thoughts of suicide?" You are not putting ideas in their head. This will give you some valuable information about how to proceed in helping him.

5. If the answer is yes, ask these three questions:

Have you thought about how you would do it?
Do you have what you need to carry out your plan?
Do you know when you will do it?
Fortunately the majority of people will either say that they have no definite plans or that they don't have the nerve to do it themselves. Although this is still a serious situation, you know that they are probably not in imminent danger of hurting themselves. Take their words as a plea for help and proceed with helping them to get the assistance that they need. Urge them to seek professional help as soon as possible.

If the answers they give you lead you to believe they are in immediate danger, do not hesitate to contact the authorities. They may tell you that you are betraying them or making them angry. You may feel like you will lose their friendship if you take action. Just remember that you may permanently lose their friendship if you don't. When they're well again, they will thank you.

6. Keep them talking. This will allow them to reduce the emotional burden they are carrying. and give them time to calm down. The longer you keep them talking, the more you can take the edge off their desperation. As their momentum winds down, it's harder for them to act on their feelings.

7. Avoid trying to offer quick solutions or belittling the persons feelings. How big he perceives the problem to be and how much he is hurting over it is what counts. Rational arguments do little good to persuade a person when they are in this state of mind. Instead offer your empathy and compassion for what he is feeling without making any judgments about whether he should feel that way.

8. If the person has already started a suicide attempt, call for help immediately. If they are still conscious, get what information you can about what substances they have ingested, how long ago did they ingest them, how much did they take, are they also consuming alcohol, when did they last eat, what is the general state of their health. Call 911, Poison Control, or an appropriate emergency contact number in your area and explain the situation. Keep calm and follow any steps they may give you to assist your friend.

9. If you are in a situation--such as an online friendship--where you know very little about the person, encourage them to call 911 on their own or to call a suicide hotline in their area.. This is your best option, because a local agency such as 911 or a hotline may be able to trace the call and get assistance to them. If they refuse to call, do your best to learn whatever personal information you can about the person. Don't hesitate to ask them for their address, phone number, and other information to help dispatch an emergency crew to their home. Ask for the same information in item #9 as well.

10. Dealing with a suicide threat is very stressful. Seek assistance to decompress afterwards. Talk to a trusted friend, your pastor, etc. about what you've been through and how you feel about it.

http://depression.about.com/cs/suicideprevent/a/suicidal.htm

QOTD

My LifeLine is what keeps my heart pumping and my mind focused.. My attitude is Contagiouz so move or catch it.

Current Mood: Amanda Perez - God Send Me an Angel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH7PqKbX9Ok

It's been five months since you went away
Left without a word and nothing to say
When I was the one who gave you my heart and soul
But it wasn't good enough for you, no
So I asked God

God send me an angel
From the heavens above
Send me an angel to heal my broken heart
From being in love
'Cause all I do is cry
God send me an angel
To wipe the tears from my eyes

And I know it might sound crazy
But after all that I still love you
You wanna come back in my life
But now there is something I have to do
I have to tell the one that I once adored
That they can't have my love no more
Cause my heart can't take no more lies
And my eyes are all out of cries

God send me an angel
From the heavens above
Send me an angel to heal my broken heart
From being in love
'Cause all I do is cry
God send me an angel
To wipe the tears from my eyes

Now you had me on my knees
Begging God please to send you back to me
I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep
You made me feel like I could not breathe
Now all I wanted to do was to feel your touch
And give you all my love
But you took my love for granted
Want my lovin' now
But you can't have it
God

God send me an angel
From the heavens above
Send me an angel to heal my broken heart
From being in love
'Cause all I do is cry
God send me an angel
To wipe the tears from my eyes

Oh God, send me (God send me an angel)
An angel (wipe the tears from my eyes) Oh baby
Send me an angel from the heavens above
Send me an angel (God send me an angel)
From being in love (send me an angel)
Oh God, send me an angel
Send me an angel (send me an angel)
Ooohhhh..

Thought's on my mind at 12:37 am on April 7th

My duece put it best:

My Life Line is what keeps my heart pumping and my mind focused.. My attitude is Contagiouz so move or catch it. I love MY Sororz!!

Good morning. & . Good night.

Some Biblical Verses That Helped Me Get Through Today

I took today for myself. It was wonderful. I will return to the chipper smiles and encouraging of all those around me tomorrow. It was a wonderful vacation. These bible verses and Maria de Zayas "El Jardin Enganaso" made my day.



1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 30:18-19
There are three things that amaze me—
no, four things that I don’t understand:
how an eagle glides through the sky,
how a snake slithers on a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
how a man loves a woman.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8a and 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails....And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.


Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.




SO LOVE STRONG. FOR LOVE CONQUERS ALL AND CAN MEND ALL PROBLEMS. I BELIEVE IT. I SPEAK THIS TRUTH INTO EXISTENCE IF IT WAS NOT TRUE ALREADY.

Lent and Easter Reflections

The season of Lent has come to an end with the celebration of Jesus' Resurrection Day, also known as Easter. My sentiments toward this time of year have changed over the years and it has become one of my favorite celebrations which I find to be largely overlooked as a time for celebrating. It's quite sad.

For one, Jesus gave up so much for people, it's amazing how they wouldn't find it necessary to give up something for only about a month each year for him. This year I gave up potatoes, which although I realize sounds trivial however for me it was a big deal. French fries, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, sweet potato fries, sweet potato chips are big comfort foods for me. I can honestly say I eat potatoes at least once a day solely because I enjoy the taste and I want them, so it took a lot of self control and monitoring not to eat them. I also originally said I would give up swearing which I failed miserably at...which honestly is just an excuse. So if at first you don't succeed try try again. I will try not to swear for the rest of this year. Honestly.
If you've actually taken the time to read all of this, please feel free to try and keep me accountable.

With regard to Easter, the actual day. It was fabulous. I spent my morning and most of my afternoon with my ace/captain/twin. She picked me up in the morning and we went to her church and heard the good word. It always makes me uncomfortable to hear the crucifixion story because its so graphic. However, I feel like it needs to be told, and often, so people can really understand all that was done for them.

After Church, we had a meal with her congregation, then she took car-less me around to pick up food for my friends at school. Which would not have occurred without her lol.
After that, I had the annual dinner with my WashU family which went well. I ended the day with TRiO honors and awards, where for some reason I was named role model of the year. Who knew I was a role model? I really don't think I am. I honestly think I am constantly just trying to make sure that I amdoing my best and trying to help others do theirs. I am not amazing, there are SO many out their who are my role models, but it was wonderful to know that someone felt me worthwhile to try and be like. My Easter ended with belly dance rehearsal where we fixed our costumes. It was wonderful. It allowed me to end the day laughing with the rest of the dancers.

Overall: Easter + Lent = A+

WOW I'm Behind / Let me vent for a moment

Yeah I just realized how I completely stopped posting on here. That's ridiculous. Agh. Oh well. I will catch the world up on what's been going on in my life later, as I need to finish this reading for class. However, before I do I need to vent for a moment.

Disrespect is unacceptable, and in my eyes becoming more unforgivable as the days pass. It is amazing to me how much I can count on my ship for support, friendship, and understanding, and the people who have been my friends for years can be so completely wishy washy. Not that I wouldn't expect my ship to be there for me, but lets be honest, I've really only known most of them for 1 year, a fantastic year that's been the best of my life so far, but its only been 1.

I've always thought it was horrible when people joined sororities and frats and completely ditched their friends. An unpleasant experience I unfortunatly went through with some of my friends. As such, I work really hard to make sure I spend time with all of my friends, greek or not. Sadly, they apparently don't put me up on the same level as I put them, because they find it acceptable to completely leave you hanging...on multiple occasions, ditch you, or completely exclude you.

Ugh.
Ok I'm done.
I feel much better.

It just blows my mind how even my mentees, who are also my friends, but they have known me for less time as well, can even be more supportive.

Like, come on.

Ok. Back to the smiley face. I will be taking some me time though this week. Also, my baby sister is coming so that will make my week.

HAVE A MARVELOUS MONDAY