This morning I participated in the "Out of the Darkness" walk for Suicide Prevention. All I can say is that it was a really great experience. Suicide is something that you don't understand the effect of, until it effects you and I can safely say I was one of those people who never quite understood it and perhaps the mental illnesses that cause it. I was enlightened today, and I'm happy to say it was done by people I've always cared a lot about, even if I don't see or talk to them as often as I should. My godmother, Barbara, was the chair of the event and she and her co-chairs did an amazing job getting the walk together. There were 150 walkers, who together raised over $11,000.00. I could not believe that one walk could generate that much money and awareness, but it has. My godmother's daughter, Debbie, was one of the guest speakers, as she works with the Capital Region Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (she, along with the majority of others who do such work, is a volunteer). I can't fathom how she does it. She's so eloquent and is so good at getting her point across. The minute I went up to her and my godmother I started to cry. Granted, I'm a sap, but I just couldn't hold it in! Course, Barbara didn't help. All she had to do was thank me and tell me how much it meant to her and I burst into tears, but I felt bad because I couldn't even get across to Debbie how amazed and in awe I am of her. She's such a strong person and if something like that ever happened to me, I don't have any idea how I'd handle it.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm very proud that I participated in the walk and I can only hope even more people participate in the coming years. If anyone is interested, the AFSP is still accepting donations through the end of the year and you can donate on my own personal page. Thanks so much to those who did donate. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!