Another week, another opportunity to share love and find hidden blessings dressed in overalls. If you are new around here: welcome and if you are one of the regular: welcome back! Always a pleasure to have you over. Today’s post is a little particular for me as it has to do with a sensitive subject for me, which, I am learning only now to be honest and open about: mental health.
Being honest and comfortable talking about mental health and your feelings/ emotions is not always easy especially as a black woman for the simple reason that being black and depressed is apparently like saying you’ve a seen a unicorn. We live in a society where, even though people of color seem to be more aware of mental health issues and advocating for talking about it, it is still taboo. My struggle with depression started a long time ago and it has kind of been an on-going theme for the past ten years. As I have grown, I have found new tools to help me deal better with the ups and downs of depression and one of them is writing love letters. Going through the things I went through growing up and feeling like I never had anybody to talk to or turn to for support, I promised myself that I would be for somebody else the person I would have wanted to have to help me and support me through the most difficult times of my life. And so over the summer, I discover More Love Letter, a non- profit organization funded by Hanna Brencher. The story of what is now one of the biggest movement, started when Hannah, finding herself in the pit of depression, started writing love letters to strangers and leaving them in random places in NYC for strangers to find, read and keep. Since 2011, there have been over 125 000 letters delivered to people in need of them and people from all over the world are joining forces (and words) to bring comfort and love to the people who need it the most. Ever since I found out about this, I have been writing love letters to strangers too and for the first time, I am participating in the 12 days of Love letters writing. From December 4-15, The World Needs More Love Letters is rolling out its biggest, grandest, most festive and challenging love letter writing campaign of the year. in honor of the holiday spirit, we roll out 12 letter requests over a span of 12 days. That’s no joke… 12 days, 12 letter requests, and a whole lot of holiday loving. Not everybody is as blessed as some of us are and The 12 Days of Love Letter Writing is a perfect way for to show up this season and help people in need around the world. And this is exactly what I did. As I went through the love letter requests, one of them pulled at a string on my heart.
Being honest and comfortable talking about mental health and your feelings/ emotions is not always easy especially as a black woman for the simple reason that being black and depressed is apparently like saying you’ve a seen a unicorn. We live in a society where, even though people of color seem to be more aware of mental health issues and advocating for talking about it, it is still taboo. My struggle with depression started a long time ago and it has kind of been an on-going theme for the past ten years. As I have grown, I have found new tools to help me deal better with the ups and downs of depression and one of them is writing love letters. Going through the things I went through growing up and feeling like I never had anybody to talk to or turn to for support, I promised myself that I would be for somebody else the person I would have wanted to have to help me and support me through the most difficult times of my life. And so over the summer, I discover More Love Letter, a non- profit organization funded by Hanna Brencher. The story of what is now one of the biggest movement, started when Hannah, finding herself in the pit of depression, started writing love letters to strangers and leaving them in random places in NYC for strangers to find, read and keep. Since 2011, there have been over 125 000 letters delivered to people in need of them and people from all over the world are joining forces (and words) to bring comfort and love to the people who need it the most. Ever since I found out about this, I have been writing love letters to strangers too and for the first time, I am participating in the 12 days of Love letters writing. From December 4-15, The World Needs More Love Letters is rolling out its biggest, grandest, most festive and challenging love letter writing campaign of the year. in honor of the holiday spirit, we roll out 12 letter requests over a span of 12 days. That’s no joke… 12 days, 12 letter requests, and a whole lot of holiday loving. Not everybody is as blessed as some of us are and The 12 Days of Love Letter Writing is a perfect way for to show up this season and help people in need around the world. And this is exactly what I did. As I went through the love letter requests, one of them pulled at a string on my heart.
Here is Alicia’s story as told by her sister:
“My sister recently moved to Chicago with her boyfriend of three years. Things had been progressing in their relationship and she imagined herself marrying him. However, the relationship came to a totally unexpected and heartbreaking end. Although my family is all within driving distance, he was all she had in her day-to-day life. She is heartbroken and can't fathom living her life without him there–her best friend. She feels immense loneliness and doesn't have a community around her to support and help carry her through. Alicia is the most loving person I know and spends time writing letters to strangers and hanging love notes in the trees of her town on Valentines Day. She loves through her words and actions on a daily basis and I know that receiving words of encouragement from others could really lift her spirit and help her to know she isn't alone.”
Let’s offer Alicia just that, and repay her kindness with kindness! Grab your pens + write some encouragement with us.
“My sister recently moved to Chicago with her boyfriend of three years. Things had been progressing in their relationship and she imagined herself marrying him. However, the relationship came to a totally unexpected and heartbreaking end. Although my family is all within driving distance, he was all she had in her day-to-day life. She is heartbroken and can't fathom living her life without him there–her best friend. She feels immense loneliness and doesn't have a community around her to support and help carry her through. Alicia is the most loving person I know and spends time writing letters to strangers and hanging love notes in the trees of her town on Valentines Day. She loves through her words and actions on a daily basis and I know that receiving words of encouragement from others could really lift her spirit and help her to know she isn't alone.”
Let’s offer Alicia just that, and repay her kindness with kindness! Grab your pens + write some encouragement with us.
~❤~
After reading Alicia’s story, everything around me came to a halt and from the depth of a heart that has been broken and is still healing came these words:
“He was just a man…” she said
“He was just a man…I thought I would never heal. I thought I could never bounce back. I felt like I wasn’t enough; like something was wrong with me. Until I realized he was just a man and he was part of the plan”
I ,too, thought I would never heal: I thought I would never heal when at 3 am I couldn’t fall asleep and I was crying on my bathroom floor; when I was smiling one minute and the next one I was falling apart in the middle of aisle 2 at Target. I, too, thought I would never bounce back when the mention of this name would make me disappear into a puddle of tears or crumble like a sand castle. But he was just a man and he was part of the plan. His rejection was only a redirection to better things, a redirection to an opportunity to love myself, to be who I was called to be without shame, without guilt; an opportunity to finally stand on my own and embrace the queen within me, the one who was, still is and will always be independently of the presence of a king or his absence. It was hard at first to live without him and settle into that new reality. But eventually things got better.
It will take time to move on, heal and to learn to live [for now] with nothing but your precious and lovely self again. It will be tough but you, my darling, are tougher. So be brave. Be strong in the face of pain and be gentle with yourself in this new journey you are taking. Celebrate the small victories: your first laugh, your first day without tears, waking up every morning and finding hope in the little things… Things will get better but you already know that. I celebrate you: everything that you are and are yet to be, and I stand right by your side.
“He was just a man…I thought I would never heal. I thought I could never bounce back. I felt like I wasn’t enough; like something was wrong with me. Until I realized he was just a man and he was part of the plan”
I ,too, thought I would never heal: I thought I would never heal when at 3 am I couldn’t fall asleep and I was crying on my bathroom floor; when I was smiling one minute and the next one I was falling apart in the middle of aisle 2 at Target. I, too, thought I would never bounce back when the mention of this name would make me disappear into a puddle of tears or crumble like a sand castle. But he was just a man and he was part of the plan. His rejection was only a redirection to better things, a redirection to an opportunity to love myself, to be who I was called to be without shame, without guilt; an opportunity to finally stand on my own and embrace the queen within me, the one who was, still is and will always be independently of the presence of a king or his absence. It was hard at first to live without him and settle into that new reality. But eventually things got better.
It will take time to move on, heal and to learn to live [for now] with nothing but your precious and lovely self again. It will be tough but you, my darling, are tougher. So be brave. Be strong in the face of pain and be gentle with yourself in this new journey you are taking. Celebrate the small victories: your first laugh, your first day without tears, waking up every morning and finding hope in the little things… Things will get better but you already know that. I celebrate you: everything that you are and are yet to be, and I stand right by your side.
“He was perhaps dreamy and managed to eclipse you for a minute but always remember my love, that you are the sun. This is just a little rain, your shining light will be back again”
Sending you a lifetime supply of hugs and good thoughts,
Sending you a lifetime supply of hugs and good thoughts,
With so much love,
A wounded healer.
All the letters for Alicia’s Bundle are to mailed to the following address by December 20, 2017:
Alicia’s bundle
℅ Genna F.
1331 Keenland Drive
Bartlett, IL 60103
USA
℅ Genna F.
1331 Keenland Drive
Bartlett, IL 60103
USA
Want to participate into the 12 days of love letters? Sign up on More Love Letters and receive a request into your email for the rest of this holiday campaign. Each day, a new letter request will be published to the More Love Letters blog. You can write one letter or submit a note to all 12 bundles! The choice is yours! All letters should be postmarked by December 20, 2017. Your love letters will be bundled up with other letters from across the world and delivered by the new year!
Happy writing!
xo
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