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Then the rain comes

Yesterday when I dropped Jordan off at school, I felt inexplicably sad, and the feeling continued the rest of that morning and afternoon. In fact, I found my eyes tearing up a few times throughout the day. Normally I love this time of year. Once Thanksgiving hits, I enjoy the Christmas songs on the radio and in the stores. Most of the time, I don't even mind the frenetic pace and crowds. But yesterday something was just not right. And I think it was more than I was having troubling finding a sweatshirt or t-shirts suitable for an elderly woman for the giving tree.

I am thinking that this is how people suffering from depression feel every day or most days. Pretty much nothing makes them happy, and they are unable to see the joy in anything. I know people who have gone through or are going through this, and it is tough. And it is real, despite what Tom Cruise (maybe he was just anti-drug) or anyone else may tell you. You just can't say to a person who is depressed, "Just be happy. You have so much going for yourself." And it is more than just sadness. Depressed people often have trouble eating and sleeping, so their physical health is affected as well. In many cases, depression brings on physical pain (or maybe it is vice-versa).

I am fortunate to be a mostly positive, fairly optimistic person. It is just in my nature. So when I am hit with this sad feeling, thank God, it goes away. Sometimes it takes a day or two. Fortunately yesterday, it was gone after I started singing Christmas carols with my choir in the evening. No idea what changed. And so my life continues. Not without worry or confusion. But at least not fraught with constant sadness and pain like too many others.

Why am I writing about this, you may ask? Think of it as a rare Facie PSA. Look around you and consider if you or anyone you know and love may be suffering from depression, especially this time of year. Holidays are particularly difficult on people who have lost loved ones in the last year or two (or sometimes 20). Think about those who lost a job, have had a financial setback, or are going through some health issues. There are plenty of resources online to help you and others.

And in case you are wondering about the title of this blog post (hey, I put thought into every single title, whether you people notice them or not!), that was the name of a poem I wrote in high school. It was about a broken heart, but it still seems fitting for this topic. Might I add, I am super impressed that I not only remembered I wrote a poem with that title, but that I also found said poem.

That's all.

Comments

Mel said…
good points, all. I'll try to notice that sort of thing and respond in a loving, Christian way. thanks. : )

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