On one of my walks with Georgia a while back I stumbled upon this old blue cafeteria chair sitting in the woods. I took this pic because in a way I could relate to that chair, having spent many seasons in life feeling within that I was in the middle of nowhere, isolated and alone.
Maybe you can relate too.
We want to connect with others but we don’t know how. We want to speak our truth, but we are not sure how it will be received. We want someone to pull up their chair beside us because we don’t know how to pull ours up beside theirs. So instead we sit alone in our minds even when at times we are physically surrounded by people.
I share this with you today because so many of us can relate to this feeling yet we don’t necessarily talk about it. Then things happen in our world that remind us that we NEED to talk about these feelings to release the stigma around mental health so we know it is okay to not be okay and to reach out for help.
Mental health matters and no matter our struggles there IS help and hope.
If you can relate to this on any level, I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we remember that not all wounds are visible. May we be vulnerable and courageous to reach out when we need a hand, and may we reach out our hands to be the ones people can reach for when they need it. May we say and do what we can to shine a light on this matter in our homes and communities.
And if at any point we feel like we are in this blue chair, alone and isolated, may we open our eyes to see all the other chairs in the woods with us, and others who are walking in the woods wanting to come beside us. As hard as it may be, may we stand up and connect with others who can be part of our healing. And together, step by step, side by side, may we walk beside one another out of the woods and into the open where healing may begin.
With love and hope,
Shawn
If you, or someone you know, needs help and hope, here are 24/7 safe resources (in the US) for you to connect with:
911 for emergent need
211 “one stop connection for local services you need”
Text HOME to 741-741 or call 1-800-273-8255 for National Suicide Prevention Hotline
