She Didn’t Live To See Her 48th Birthday.

On December 19, 2019, I will hopefully celebrate my 48th birthday. This is also the day that I will see a birthday that my mother never did. #Suicide has an impact so much larger than the person that commits the act. I am dedicated to breaking the generational curse over my family with every breath that I have left. I can only pray that my mother is looking down on me from heaven with a proud smile with encouraging words to keep doing this important work. I hope to feel her energy in the room on this day when my awesome “family” will join me for my book launch party in Dallas, TX.

“After The Suicide: Leading With Love and Light” is a labor of love about how my commitment to the next generation of leaders comes from my being blessed by others that were placed in my life to place/keep/redirect me back to the path of life that I was created for. I spend most of my free time (when not being a mom and working full time) mentoring Millennial and GenX future leaders, coaching Boomers and GenX current leaders via a daily exhibition of Servant Leadership and speaking engagements.

To be honest, this has been a tough month for me. #NationalSuicidePreventionMonth brings heightened awareness to all. It is a time of understanding, listening, empathizing, and more importantly, TALKING ABOUT IT. I’ve spent most of my life doing what I think my mother did-keeping it all inside and wondering how I could have changed the outcome of my father’s suicide. I remind myself during these tough times that my parents may still be around today if they had a good platform or support system to talk about what was going on inside their heads.

Six days before Christmas this year, we will celebrate life over death. We will realize the beauty and pain in the flight of a phoenix; we will wax poetic about the mythical creature that emblazons the cover of my first published book. I will have mental health professionals and other resources available to chat and to have open and honest conversations about mental health.

I plan to celebrate not only my 48th birthday but also the lives of both of my parents of which neither lived to celebrate such.

With love and light,

~Me

#BeThe1To #SuicidePreventionMonth 1-800-273-TALK #NAMI #SuicidePrevention #StigmaFree #ServantLeadership #Millenials