Mario Monday! Here are (some of) the Super Mario figurines we have in our collection. They’re displayed in a wooden case built by my Grandpa Rader to hold spools of thread. (At the top between Luigi and Princess Peach, there’s a decal that says “Handcrafted by Rader.”) Most of our Mario memorabilia is in this corner of the basement game room. I’ll zoom in and show you some of the other treasures from time to time. #AllThingsMario
new resource: now matters now
In my quest to provide you with the most relevant resources for mental health and suicide prevention, today I invite you to check out NowMattersNow.org. It's a suicide prevention nonprofit founded by Ursula Whiteside, the therapist featured in the terrific article I posted yesterday.
Are you struggling with your mental health, or do you know someone who is? It could be lifesaving to have a #safetyplan in place before you need it. Click "plan" or "guide" in the top paragraph of this page.
Also recommended is this poster, 10 things we wish we knew, some things that people in recovery from suicidal experiences would say to themselves now.
Take a look around the website to see what else they have to offer. You also can follow on Twitter @nowmattersnow and @ursulawhiteside, and on YouTube.
today is international survivors of suicide loss day
book recommendations page updated
Rader reads aloud from Mo Willems’ “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” in his Montessori classroom
I've updated the book reviews and recommendations section of the website. You can now navigate there from this photo on the home page. And I've added a review of another book that helped me through the holidays last year. There are two on the list now: Mourning Discoveries During the Holidays by Linda B. Findlay, and How Will I Get Through the Holidays? by James E. Miller.
Click the photo (here or on the home page) to go directly to the books page. There's still a link for it at the bottom of the resources page as well.
wrapping up #loveislouder week
you are enough
Love is Louder Week continues! Let’s use our words to build up the people around us.
it's world kindness day!
November 13 is World Kindness Day! You’ll never regret being kind.
Mario Music Monday! Love is Louder with Folklore Guild
listen to what builds you up
love is louder than anything that divides us
"Tune in to what feeds your soul."
what is Love is Louder?
twitchcon follow-up
TwitchCon was a couple weekends ago. Here's a quick follow-up. TwitchCon Charity Plaza raised $201,070.99 for their 10 nonprofits, which included American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and To Write Love On Her Arms. They're still accepting donations at https://twitchcon.tiltify.com/.
Also available is the hour-long video of the mental health panel, "It's Dangerous to Go Alone." I watched it, and this year it focused mainly on people who host streams on Twitch.tv. If that's not you, I don't recommend it, simply for relevance. But among the useful tools mentioned was the mental health resources page at TakeThis, which you can find here. (Pictured at right is their How to Find a Therapist flow chart.)
If you want to watch the video, you can find a link to it in the @TakeThisOrg Twitter feed.
Love is Louder Week is coming!
Mario Monday: Mario character's namesake dies at age 84
What to say to me? Say Rader's name.
how to be there for the bereaved, from brainpickings.org
twloha: hope and help are real
There's a black hole at the center of my universe, caused by suicide. Most days, I may look like I'm managing, but it's always, always, always there. Something so preventable—my son taking his life in a moment overcome by hopelessness—has blown me into this inescapable gravitational force. That it didn't have to happen pushes me to do whatever I can to save others from the same fate.
But I'm not out to reinvent the wheel, to duplicate what those on the path ahead of me are already doing. There are so many nonprofits out there doing incredible work in the suicide prevention and mental health community. I just want to find them for you and shine a light on them.
I don't know how to sum up To Write Love On Her Arms. I'll let them say it:
"To Write Love on Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and invest directly into treatment and recovery.
We believe:
You were created to love and be loved.
People need other people.
Your story is important.
Better days are ahead.
Hope and help are real.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE,
AND THIS IS NOT THE END OF YOUR STORY."
To learn more about how you can help them or they can help you, check out their website and their inspiring Instagram and Twitter accounts.
NotOK App: a digital panic button that's saving lives
Source: https://twitter.com/
kindness wins
It’s the last day. Let’s keep working to prevent bullying.
6 Likes, 0 Comments - @raderwardfoundation on Instagram: "October is Nat'l #BullyingPreventionMonth. Together we can create communities that are kinder, more..."