RIP Jacob Tinkoff

Last Saturday a young man in my community, 16 year old Jacob Tinkoff, committed suicide.  My prayers go out to his family.  Below are some links, including a Facebook page dedicated to his memory as well as a powerful video from his father about suicide in teens.

I believe it is vital that each and every school counseling program provide suicide education programs for staff and students.  Students need to know how to recognize the warning signs of suicide and what to do.  And all kids need to know that they are irreplaceable in their family and friend's lives.  I can't help but think if Jacob could have had a glimpse into the future and read these posts on FB, seeing first hand that his life has meaning, he would not have taken his life.

5000 Succeed Each Year

RIP Jacob Tinkoff


Helping a Depressed Person

Tribute

I have to say I have been remiss in blogging the past few weeks.  The flu hit my family hard a couple of weeks ago coupled with the death of my mother-in-law, Delphene Barrow.

I will keep this post short with a tribute to Del.  She was a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother, and she was always very kind to me for the 25+ years I knew her.  She was a strong person who put her family and friends first in her life.  During the funeral service, some of her friends described their friendships with Del and how she affected their lives.  As I reflected upon the service and the comments made, it reminded me that in our relationships with others in this world, we can have a very profound influence on others' lives, and that we may never know the extent of that impact.  And at the risk of sounding cliche, I was also reminded that life is way too short, and thus we must embrace our purpose for being in this world and live our lives to the fullest.  

Below is a link to Del's obituary:

http://tinyurl.com/akj7uw5

Viktor Frankl - Why to Believe in Others

While surfing the internet this evening I came across a video from 1972 of Viktor Frankl.  I have included a link to the video (it is a TED video) and am reproducing it here, as well.  Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School.  As many reading this blog know, Frankl spent three years in four different Nazi concentration camps during World War II, where he learned that even under the most deplorable and dehumanizing conditions, there is meaning in man's suffering and that man has the power to choose how he responds to such.  It was in the concentration camps where Frankl's "logotherapy" was put to the test.  Frankl wrote several books, with perhaps his most famous book being Man's Search for Meaning, wherein he describes his experiences in the Nazi concentration camps.  I love this quote from the book:

Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus,everyone's task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.