Today I read a blog post titled, "Suicide is Attention Seeking." At first read of the title I was a bit outraged. In all my clinical training and life experiences I have been taught that suicide is a big deal and a real problem. Nobody is immune to it. But after I passed the blog twice I finally decided to read it, if for nothing more than to learn about those views contrary to mine.

However, as I read I found myself agreeing with the writers opinions. Suicide is a desperate cry for someone to pay attention to them. It is not a lessening of the seriousness of suicide. Since this is Suicide Awareness Month I thought this was an appropriate time to share. 

Never be afraid to ask, never be afraid that you can do anything. All it takes is compassion, care, and concern for those in our world that we interact with daily. As a family counselor this is my mission: to provide support to those in need, however that support looks like. Right now it is to support soldiers and their families. I am more grateful than I could imagine for the opportunity I have been given to serve those who serve. 

Moving to a new city, state, anything can be extremely difficult. Especially if you don't know anyone there. This is exactly what I did a few months ago. Moving to Fort Benning, the farthest away I would ever be away from home knowing nobody but my husband and my puppy. 

Plugging into a community is so important. My first resource when I got there was the FRG. I was hesitant because I had heard some negative things about the FRG and nobody had reached out to me. So I sucked it up and put my big girl panties on and made the first move! And boy am I glad I did. I met awesome fantastic girls! Not only did I meet great friends but I have also found a wonderful Godly community at PWOC (Protestant Women of the Church). I am so glad that I found a place to plug in. 

However, I wouldn't have found any of this if I hadn't said yes to attending a few uncomfortable events, social, and mixers by myself. So my advice, put yourself out there, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you!