World Suicide Prevention Day

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. May our hearts be tender towards those who are suffering with overwhelming depression. God have mercy.

That was the tweet I read just a few minutes ago on twitter.  It says a LOT. I believe it says it right.

Today when we got up for work or school and headed off on our day, chances are we came across someone (maybe in our own homes) who is close. Too close to making a 'permanent decision.'  According to IASP

According to the WHO and the latest Burden of Disease Estimation, suicide is a major public health problem in high-income countries and is an emerging problem in low- and middle-income countries. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world, especially among young people. Nearly one million people worldwide die by suicide each year. This corresponds to one death by suicide every 40 seconds. The number of lives lost each year through suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined. These staggering figures do not include nonfatal suicide attempts which occur much more frequently than deaths by suicide.

It's tough.  And it's a tough subject, but anymore you don't have to look far to think of someone, sometimes very close to you who may have taken their own life.  I have friends, close friends who have had to deal with it.

They say it's a 'permanent solution, to a temporary problem.'  Let this serve as a reminder to 'live with our eyes open, and our hearts open to those around us.'  How ARE you doing today and pausing to really listen.  It could make all the difference.  World Wide Suicide Prevention Day is a day of awareness.

Even the Country Group Rascal Flatts has gotten involved.  If you find yourself reading this and things aren't going well in your world, remember too, there's help 24 hours a day.  And it's just a quick phone call away.  Information is RIGHT HERE.