Girls Write Now Community Coordinator, Sally Familia, and Danielle Whyte, Director of Ambassador Outreach at The Yellow Tulip Project, engage in an openhearted conversation about the emotional and spiritual challenges that arise in the wake of America's suicide epidemic. They discuss the power and value of the individual and the significance of presence and tenderness. Together, they dream up a world where love is at the forefront and kindness is the guide.
Disclaimer: This episode discusses suicide and grief.
Poems from this episode:
I Think There’s Something Very Toxic Going On in American Society
by Sally Familia
*written using an article titled: Suicide Rates Among U.S. Adolescents Doubled in 10 Years, published this past May 2023.
Note that the economic downturn and housing crisis is rough on families. Parents are under strain. Kids feel it, too. Rapidly rising tensions open hostility. Kids sense the future is not bright. Expose kids to the bad side. The past amplifies this message. The world is a terrible place— said the patterns. Suicide, big cities, firearms, death. Death versus the heart. The problem. Researches found that young teens’ suicide rates spiked. The same pattern. The pressure. They hear the message: they need to have a good life. The past. That stressor. We tend to be a society that lets kids paint grim pictures of suicide remains. Intervene. Look out for a friend. Spend time with them. They can talk to you. Let them know you’re listening.
Love Affirmations
by Danielle Whyte
I have to dare to love.
I have to dare to release the tension in my body.
I have to dare to let go of my grip on strength to make room for softness. I have to.
I must.
I can.
Because that is the most beautiful form of love: a free love.
Affirmations for An Opening Heart
by Danielle Whyte
I let go of the assumption that the people I love can not reciprocate the love I give. I open my heart to being loved
radically,
holistically,
and thoughtfully
by all those who surround me.
I flow fearlessly into relationships and communities that love me.
Eclipse: A Healing Poem
by Danielle Whyte
It seems as though there are people of this world that as tears roll down their cheeks, the world stops, and people flock
With arms extended to wrap them in comfort
To affirm: “I am here, my love, let it out. You are safe, I love you.”
As tears fall down my cheeks, my arms extend. To wrap my own body. A firm but tender grasp that fits into the decades-old indents. I am always there for me.
My voice affirms my aches, “ I am here, my love, let it out. You are safe, I love you.”
A sun that soaks in its own warmth.
I do not yet know how to loosen my grasp - to let someone else hold me.
But I can learn. I can feel.
Because the sun finds peace in the coverage of an eclipse.
Since, just for a moment, it does not have to occupy the sky by itself.
2. Suicide: Care for the Soul