awareness

The color yellow has always been my favorite and anyone who has ever walked into my room would know that, between the yellow blankets, pillows, and other random accents. The brightness and cheeriness of the color has always made me love it, but this week the color yellow holds an entirely different meaning.

 September is awareness month for Childhood Cancer and this week is Suicide Prevention week. Both of these causes are represented by a bright yellow ribbon. For those of you who don't read my blog on a weekly basis, last year I lost several friends to both cancer and suicide. My personal and emotional pull towards these causes are making me think extra hard this week about how important it is for people to be more aware and educated about these tragedies. This week is also helping me to reflect on how much I have changed in the last year. Last September, this week wouldn't have meant anything to me. Now I find myself fighting back tears every time I see a yellow ribbon, or Love written on someone's arm. 

So this week I will be sporting even more yellow than usual, and I hope many of you will join me in doing so. My thoughts and prayers are with anyone currently enduring a battle related to either cancer or suicide. I miss my friends, every minute of every day. I wish I would have known more about childhood cancer and suicide before. I wish the reason I knew so much about it now was different. But I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I don't understand or like the reason all the time, but I know there is one. If my friend's stories can help anyone through something they are enduring, that is a reason. If Awareness and Prevention weeks even help to inform just one person, that is a reason.

And a special prayer in remembrance of all those lives lost 11 years ago today, for the families and friends who lost their loved ones, and for the men and women who are still fighting overseas to protect our country. Thank you.