Some hugs...many tears.....and TONS of prayers.....

Today I had to make one of the hardest decisions as a parent. The subject is very near and dear to my heart for many reasons. Not only professionally but personally.

As I drove to the hospital with my son I knew I needed to have him admitted for treatment of his depression and suicidal thoughts as I have been trained to look for the signs and symptoms. I knew we were going to be in for one hell of a roller coaster ride, and down a road that could have been very life-changing if left untreated.

As I sat and listened to my son explained to the nurse the symptoms he had, I felt like I was in a trance. He explained very calmly that he's been having these suicidal thoughts for months now. He it went into great detail his plans for how he was going to take his life. He noted were all the necessary things were located in the house and when to do it so nobody would be able to suspect nor stop him from following through. As he told his plan, he sat there with no emotions and it was all matter of fact.

At this point I knew we needed help and we were going to get some.

The main reason for me sharing my story is that over the last couple years I have been trained to look for crisis and help in suicide prevention. Now of course sometimes it's harder to see the signs when it happens within your family, to your loved ones. But I cannot stress enough if you know somebody that is hurting and struggling from depression and possibly considering suicide....get help. The signs will be there, listen...talk....communicate and it's OK to ask for help. Most importantly take them seriously.

Did you know?

- suicide is the number two cause of death for ages 15 to 44
- that victims do not want to end their lives just want to end the pain
- suicide attempts are difficult to predict, there is not a test to tell us if a person is suicidal.


Here are some websites and phone numbers that will offer help if you and/or a loved one are ever in need.


If your child or someone you know is considering suicide or
are experiencing another emotional crisis, you may call the National Lifeline Network at: 1.800.273.TALK (800-273-8255)

http://www.yellowribbon.org/

http://www.yellowribbon.org/WarningSigns.html
Warning signs are important, but it is very important to include the Risk Factors.
Coupling the two, warning signs and risk factors give a clearer profile of risk!

YELLOW RIBBON is....
.
Awareness~Collaboration~Education
Postvention~Prevention~RESPECT~HONOR~EMPOWERMENT~LOVE



Please keep my family in your prayers as we embark on this journey together of healing through loving and supporting one another as God has taught us to do.



With much Love,
Kristin Kay

~take time to give that extra hug and kiss to your loved ones and let them know just how much they mean to you every chance you get!

Wordless Wednesday

My sweet Angels....look they are touching and not screaming to inform me of it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day......

Happy St. Patrick's Day!



Oh how I love this holiday, for me it started out at an early age. I remember in grade school we were encouraged to wear green and dress-up goofy. Even then I would wear the shirt that is still sold around the holiday that says kiss me... followed up with whatever reason. Which over the years I've had several of those shirts.

I used to sit and daydream as a child about where I came from. As I was adopted as an infant the possibilities were endless. But for some reason I always wanted to be Irish. I think it had something to do with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Or maybe it was just simply the color green which by the way still my favorite color, or perhaps it was the idea of luck, or charms...green clovers, yellow moons, and purple horse shoes! And let's not forget the leprechauns, that someday was going to lead me to my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Most of all I think it had to do with my faith and wanting to celebrate Christianity. Being raised in a Christian home, my father was Catholic and my mother Lutheran. So I sometimes tend to joke about being a mixed breed, as I was baptized Lutheran and attended a Catholic school. Through those things I truly believe I was taught wonderful lessons in becoming a good Christian.

Cheers to you St. Patrick for all your lessons, traditional rituals of Christianity, and another holiday to celebrate my faith.


~May the road always rise to meet you and may you always find the pot of gold at the end of all your rainbows!


Kristin Kay

Not Me Monday.......

Not me Monday....... I was introduced to this Monday blog by my dear friend Cathy. After reading her blog and upon further investigation I found the "rules" to not me Mondays. I absolutely love the idea of this blog. If you know me at all I am sitting here chuckling trying to decipher just what little blurbs to share with you about my not me Monday! I have been taught well just how the "not me" concept works from raising my two boys both in their teens now.

It was not me that forgot to change the time ahead one hour on my alarm clock, so we all could be at our designated places on time this morning.

It was not me this morning that told the children there's no time for breakfast and to grab whatever they wanted that they can quickly eat in the car on the way to school.

And it certainly was not me who arrived late to pick up my children from school due to the fact I needed to rest my eyes in afternoon and I never did set the alarm.

It was not me that decided for dinner it was going to be have bowl or two of your favorite cereal.

and lastly.... certainly positively was not me who finished my Monday blog on Wednesday.

Love Always,
Kristin Kay

Thought for the day.....

You can choose to spend your time being negative or you can choose to live life positively and live out your dreams....both take about the same amount of effort....you choose....

Let's Get This Party Started......

Well where to begin, I am new to blogging, however I have always been faithful in keeping a journal. It has been suggested by numerous friends that I should get out there and start blogging. I mean I have no problem getting together with the girls for coffee or endless hours on the telephone just talking about life, family, and anything else that seems to fall in between. So why not, I'll give it a shot.

As it goes it's Friday night and I promised myself I would write my first blog before the weekend. Well not sure that I really made my first goal. I guess I could say my weekend starts Saturday, then of course I just squeaked in under the wire.

I am embarking on a new journey, rediscovering myself. Recently divorced, raising two teenage boys, I have realized the importance of using my gifts and talents that God has given me. As much as I have enjoyed the last 8 years being a stay-at-home mom, it's time to get out there and contribute more to my community. In the last couple years I've gotten my feet wet working with a nonprofit organization. I liked it, a lot. It has been very rewarding for me. So I have decided to go a step further from volunteering my time to joining the board of directors of a different nonprofit organization in my community. I am super excited about this new adventure.

As I close, my mind is already reeling of ideas of future blogs. Here is a positive quote to think about.....

"Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living..."
~Anais Nin

Good nite All!