We Are Orlando

 

                                                        (This article is originally a Facebook post).

Bullycide

I'd like to bring awareness to a very important topic, that you may have heard of and it's called "Bullycide".

Believe it or not, bullying can sometimes lead to suicide and unfortunately it's sadly increasing.

The word "bullycide" actually means "the act or an instance of killing oneself intentionally as a result of bullying".

So my advice to everyone going through this situation is to always be brave and strong and not give up on yourselves because there's always hope.

And if you see someone being bullied, then please reach out to them without judging them negatively.

Amy "Dolly" Everett grew up in the Northern Territory of Australia, but just 14 years old when she decided to take her own life as a result of the psychological hardships that she faced as a result of being cyber-bullying and the last thing she said, before she died was: "Speak even if your voice shakes." as a warning to others for them to not be ashamed to ask for help, if they're being bullied.

Model Charlotte Dawson also took her own life as a result of being cyber-bullied, but she was an adult, so this is just solid proof that bullycide doesn't discriminate in ages and I wholeheartedly feel that drastic action needs to be taken in order for this sad epidemic to stop.

Let's just learn as much as we can from both the stories on both these links and do what we do needs to do as a community to help prevent bullycide.

Charlotte Dawson story - https://mariamakhoul.blogspot.com.au/.../just-word-in...

Amy "Dolly" Everett story -http://www.abc.net.au/.../dolly-everett-nt.../9317056 .

(This article is originally a Facebook post) 

Thank you so much LDF officers. We salute you!

I hope Lebanon and the Lebanese people stay safe particularly during this difficult time and to each and every single LDF (Lebanese Defence Force) officer: we wholeheartedly know how strong you are and we appreciate everything that you're doing to keep us safe, but we just need you to also keep strong within yourselves mentally in positively facing all the demeaning comments that you're frequently receiving at this very difficult time and I also want you to know that my prayers are always with you.

May God bless and always continuously protect the LDF (Lebanese Defence Force) association and all its officers.

My Christmas wishing tree (translated from French)

Hi Readers,

I’ve translated all the positive descriptions or from French to English that I hope everyone will be practising all the time and I’ve turned the words into a Christmas tree, so I hope you enjoy reading it.

Peace

Union - Unity

Glee

Hope

Love - Success

Longevity - Light

Solidarity - Happiness - Love

Respect - Health - Joy - Sharing

Friendship - Goodness - Forgiveness - Patience

Wisdom - Faith - Dignity - Vitality

Patience - Gratitude

NZ solidarity article

This picture is from the New Zealand skyscraper in Auckland that I was lucky enough to visit on a cruise and my message to the people of New Zealand to stay strong and be brave and to also know that this heartbreaking incident doesn’t define you and one bad apple doesn’t ruin the whole bunch, because we’re all human and we should all be celebrating that very fact (humanity in and of itself) and while we should be extra cautious going forward, we also shouldn’t let this incident scare us from practicing our basic right to pray - no matter who we are and we should also respect the 2 basic facts of life going forward: one is that life has to go on and continue, whether we like it or not, and two is that unfortunately evil knows and/or has no boundaries.

So my advice to everyone out there is to always know that all the places of worship from churches to mosques and even synagogs are all safe places for people to practice their religious rights and freedoms in, so nothing should stop you there and I also want you to always know that kindness always wins over cruelty on a socio-communal (society and community) scale.

May God bless you and always continuously protect you all.

Virgin Mary prayer (translated from French)

Old Custom

In time, in May, we received a statue of the Blessed Virgin in a little box that is walking from house to house. Everybody was very proud to receive her at home. It was an honour. In memory of this ancient custom, I will send the Virgin Mary to come to you and help you if you wish. Whether you believe in it or not, it would be nice to forward this picture in order for the Virgin Mary to keep travelling from house to house, from home to home, from workplace to workplace, from computer to computer, from phone to phone,…She will end up coming to someone who will need her…Our Blessed Mother: Our Blessed Mother: we thank you for travelling the world carrying our worries with you! I send this to you,

I send it to you (this prayer), so that you can continue to help others, because there are people who need her (the Virgin Mother Mary).

I hope you have a safe trip, Our Holy Mother.

We're not incapacitated, we just have special needs

Dedicated to all those beautiful souls who through their disabilities teach us so many lessons.

I sit in silence and in my silence, I feel more than you do.

In my silence, I feel your love.

In my silence, I communicate not with individuals, but with the entire Universe.

In my silence, I speak with the angels.

Don't let my silence or my physical disabilities sadden you, or think that I’m "different" because I’m not… I came here on a mission.

Before I decided to come into this world, I chose to teach people a lesson through my silence and/or physical disability.

The lesson is that we essentially are all the same, whether it’s because of the fact that we all have different physical appearances or because of the fact that some of us are quiet achievers and prefer communicating in silence, letting our actions speak louder than words.

We are one.

I sit in silence.

Written by Matoula Psillakis