Angels from a Pot Party???

It started out innocently enough. A friend of mine was helping a university student out. John was working his way through university by giving pot parties and we were asked to host a party for him. No… not the drug kind. Real cooking pots! As per usual I got into a deep conversation with this amazing young man and found that though he was now a University Business student andbody builder who had been bullied in high school. His way of giving back was to host a youth support group in a church across from his high school. He felt it might have helped to have someone to mentor him during this difficult time and so was mentoring these young people in the afternoon after highschool classes were over.John felt by listening to them and sharing wisdom and his Christian faith he might be able to give them a safe place to share their struggles,and courage to deal with their daily problems. I shared that I had a similar experience in my junior and high school years. I never felt like I really fit in and at times I had felt depressed. I too had found love and safety in my church as a teenager. I expressed my concern that there were many teenage students who experience depression and that the rates of suicide in that age group are really high. I wondered if he might be interested in sharing my story of coping with depression using the music from my CD’s.

This was really stepping out of my comfort zone, but I was listening to my inner voice that told me this was a worthwhile endeavor. I really was searching for a purpose for the music and had attended a conference in New York by Omega where Iyanla VanZant had spoken to us. You may have heard her speak on Oprah. Iyanla was an acclaimed woman who as had a difficult childhood and came from a poor neighbourhood, but against all odds became a lawyer, a spiritual teacher and inspirational speaker. During her session she had a woman come up to the microphone who had been struggling with depression. She was off work and just couldn’t seem to find what God meant her to do. Iyanla looked at her and said something to the effect of, “What a gift! You wake up in the morning and are open for whatever God wants you to do that day! Maybe that is your purpose… to be present for whoever comes into your life that day!” It was as if she was speaking to me.

So off I went to the church to speak to youth about depression, a little nervous but trusting that I had a message to give.I shared my story by singing and using the music Down with Depression to talk about dealing with depression and suicide. As a nurse I had taken several courses on talking about Suicide and told the students, “Suicide is never a secret. It is a symptom of depression and if someone tells you not to tell anybody this is one secret you cannot keep.” “You need to tell someone who can help them as it is a symptom of an illness and they need to get help. ” At that moment one of the young men who was in the room put his head in his hands. He then looked up and said, “I have to tell someone. Kyle is not here and he has been depressed and talking about killing himself since he broke up with his girlfriend. He’s usually here and he’s not today. ” He asked the group with a panicked look on his face, “Did anyone see him today?” At that moment a figure appeared crouching in the basement window outside of the church.” The panicked young man from the group ran out to meet the figure from the window. I finished up with the groups and the young man returned stating his friend was upstairs and was waiting to talk to me. I learned his name was Kyle, (NOTE: names have been changed for privacy reasons). Kyle told me that while we were talking in group he had been trying to jump out in traffic and get hit by a car. I offered him a ride home and I prayed. He accepted. I felt in over my head but I had to trust I would be able to help this young man. I listened to his story and told him mine. I shared the loss of my sister-in-law and the pain for those left behind. We talked about how depressed he was feeling but that with professional help he could get better. I told him what an important person he was in the world and that the world would not be the same without him.We talked about finding strength in his faith and that God was there for him during those dark times.

I realized that I could not leave him at home without his mother knowing that he had been attempting suicide. I waited outside his door until I could talk to his mother. She greeted me with a confusing look as her son had arrived with a complete stranger. He made a promise to phone me that evening to tell me what the plan was for him to get help. I had a few more phone calls with Kyle. He was seeing his Dr. and a counselor and said he was getting help to feel better. I do not know where that young man is today but I do feel that in my heart I was at the church that day as an angel for this young man.

It was out of this experience that the song Let Me Be Your Angel was written. If you think about it, there were many angels in this story; my friend Holly trying to help out a young university student, an amazing young man who mentored youth across from his former high school, a friend who cared to share a “secret” that may have caused a life to end, a mother who listened to and found help for her depressed son, Professionals who had the skills to assist this young man, and a songwriter who took the risk to listen to her inner voice and share about her music at a “Pot Party” for a friend.

I have had many angels in my life and have had a few opportunities to “Be an angel”. There are gifts in both. Whether it is a phone call to friend or a taking time to do a simple act of kindness such as sending a thank you card, or making a meal for someone who is stressed, we all have the opportunity to be angels to those around us. I encourage you all to take courses to learn about depression and how you can support someone who is depressed. If you are feeling depressed or if you know someone who is depressed it is not a secret. Talk to your Dr., or a friend, or a mental health professional. There is help. Mental Health First Aid is a Course that is offered in most centers and gives you information and resources for support. Maybe start a support group in your community, school, or workplace.

Just the other day a nurse at work told me that Let Me Be Your Angel was a song that was her favorite. At a time when I am wondering what the point of the music was. This was a gift to me. I encourage you all be open to each day and what your inner voice is telling you. Maybe this song can be an angel offering to each of you today!