We Don’t have To Wait
We don’t have to wait for tragedy to strike before we take action. We don’t have to wait for sadness to consume our loved ones before we reach out to love them. We don’t have to wait for someone to leave this world before we show we care. We don’t have to wait. But too many of us do. We think “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “I’ll see them again soon”. But what happens if tomorrow never comes? We don’t have to wait to tell the people in our lives we love them.
We need to do more to show children that there is hope for tomorrow. We need to celebrate their many gifts, water those seeds and walk with them as they grow. We all need to speak up - and I’m not talking about protests or politicians - I am talking about our family members, I am talking about being a good relative. I am talking about expressing your own emotions, in a constructive way, so that your example can shine a light for others to find their way. How can we expect kids to deal with their emotions if they don’t see examples of adults doing it around them? Be the example, we don’t have to wait for anything to do that. Tell the people in your life that you care about them, if you love somebody you better tell them while they’re still here.
We don’t have to wait to do an on purpose act of kindness.
We don’t have to wait to be grateful or to be kind.
We don’t have to wait til we are alone to feel our feelings.
We don’t have to let the judgment of others make us feel shame because of the pain and trauma we carry.
We don’t have to wait until we are in a crisis before we receive support.
We don’t have to wait to raise our voices to tell the children, families and systems how much we love our relatives.
Today is Suicide Prevention Day. In some Indigenous communities, those young people are 8x more likely to commit suicide than their non-indigenous counterparts. The average age an Indigenous child contemplates suicide in Canada is 10 years old. The high rate of poverty, food insecurity, lack of clean drinking water, harmful substance use, systemic racism, lack of mental health and overall health supports, all symptoms of inter generational trauma at the hands of systems of family separation, are contributing factors to this crisis.
Today is a heart breaking moment for us all to collectively grieve for the lives we lost too soon. But if all we do is lament our losses, then we have missed the mark, because for many, Suicide Prevention day is about taking action.
We don’t have to wait. I am not waiting anymore and neither should you.
RESOURCES
Mental wellness resources and crisis help for First Nations people, Métis and Inuit (source: The Daily, Statcan150)
The following mental wellness resources are available to First Nations people, Métis and Inuit:
Hope for Wellness Help Line
• Toll-free: 1-855-242-3310
• Live chat: www.hopeforwellness.ca
Kamatsiaqtut Help Line
• Toll-free 1-800-265-3333
• In Iqaluit: 1-867-979-3333
Kids Help Phone
• Toll-free 1-800-668-6868
• Text 686868 (no data plan, Internet connection, or app required)
• Live chat: www.kidshelpphone.ca
Indian Residential School Crisis Line
• Toll-free: 1-866-925-4419
