Crying Lightning And Breaking A Sweat

Recently, someone quite close to me and my family passed away from pneumonia. Now, I usually try to keep these posts upbeat, however, today my lack of sleep and my slightly dampened mood permits me to do otherwise. I was in my living room eating breakfast (which is rare to begin with) and then my mother comes bursting through the door crying, completely inaudible. Immediately, we all stopped what we were doing and ran over to my mom. A barrage of shock and confusion hit us initially because we couldn't understand what my mother was saying. I, personally thought she had fallen outside on a patch of ice or something of that nature. Then my grandma walked in the door and translated. Jeff Marciniack, a long time family friend had passed away.  This man, was a role model for me, personally. This man was probably stronger than most, and he was always troubled by a heavy heart. His ex-wife had worked most of her life to make this man's life a living hell. He hadn't seen his own children in years, he almost lost everything he owned, yet somehow he managed to keep moving forward. He was extremely depressed, and there were times in his life when he wasn't sure he wanted to keep living. My mother saw the worst of this. She helped him fight through to the end and even though he has left this earth, I still find it admirable that he lost the will to live, but kept living anyway. This man wanted to end his life, yet with the help of many friends, my mother included, he managed to still smile once in awhile. My grandmother said "His heart couldn't hold out any longer.", to which my mother replied, "Yes, his heart was broken to begin with."

The statement above hit me harder, I think, than the actual initial news of his passing. Depression is possibly one of the hardest things anyone could deal with, and it usually follows difficult things to begin with. My intentions are not to upset anyone or to make anyone glum, but merely to give forth an example. Jeff Marciniack, though broken and shattered, kept pushing through with the help of others. I understand that life is not fair, and I understand that there are some things that you might think you simply can not work through.. just remember that if you seek help, there will always be someone somewhere who can help you. To those that think they are alone, you are not. I have had to see and experience some things that I would never wish upon anybody, and if it wasn't for the help of those select individuals, I might not have made it this far. Truth be told, our hearts can only take so much, and our minds can only be altered so much. To those to whom this has touched, help someone else.

There are tell-tale signs that allow us to see when a person is falling. In order to catch someone, we must make a stand and help. To save someones life, all it takes is love and compassion. If you see someone who appears to be down, just talk to them. Talk even if it is about how your day was or even sailboats. As a matter of fact, sometimes you might not be able to tell when someone is suffering from some sort of trouble they have in their lives. Perhaps they are having a hard time at home, maybe they have low self esteem. A simple smile or an exchange of words could help someone in a stronger sense than you can imagine.

There are many ways that someone can get help fir their hurt and suffering. Some people's problems are too strong to be overcome by a friendly conversation. One thing I can not stress enough is to know when the situation gets out of your hands. There are people you can call and organizations that will help aid you or someone you are trying to help. Know when you can not handle a situation and know when you need a higher form of help. There is always more than one option, and giving up is not an option.

http://www.twloha.com/vision/

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_tips.htm

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_teen.htm

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/center_index.php?id=5

~ ...Depression is not sobbing and crying and giving vent, it is plain and simple reduction of feeling...Peoplwho keep stiff upper lips find that it's damn hard to smile. ~  Judith Guest