Last night my family and I celebrated our cousin Cathy who took her own life over 12 months ago. It was a bitter sweet evening that saw over 100 people attend a fundraising event to support suicide awareness. Suicide prevention and awareness is something that I am very passionate about. It is not only because of my cousin, nonno and the countless others that have taken their lives, but also because I know all too well about my own struggle with suicidal ideation in the past. I was afraid of judgement and there was so much shame and stigma attached. The harsh reality is that judgement has existed in one way or another. For me I am proud of this part of my journey it has truly allowed me to know and understand life to a level that I never knew. I have heard so many comments about suicide and as the affirmation presents it is not about judgment on any part. Nobody will ever know what it feels to live in another person’s mind or body and therefore we do not have the right to judge. Yes the effects are devastating but for me personally what I find more excruciating is that another human has had to suffer so much that they feel that this is the only way to end their pain. I can understand this feeling as I know how very close I came to it. The thought of dying felt so much more peaceful than living.  So although it may be easy to “judge” another because they have left their family and friends with so much heartbreak and sadness, it is also important to remember that by judgement we are only defining who we are. To an extent there is free will in suicide but there is also a mind that is distorted beyond a realm of comprehension. I could write about this topic endlessly, there is so much to say and so much to do. The statistics are ridiculously high and in a world where we live with so much technological connection our connectedness to humanity and each other seems to be diminishing. There is so much judgement that is associated around the topic of suicide and this is something that needs to change. The stigma needs to be removed and the topic of how we feel should be open for discussion. Why is it that we find it so easy to celebrate and discuss our perceived successes yet there is difficulty to find strength in our vulnerability? We certainly can’t change about what could have been and this is possibly one of the toughest lessons to endure. Judgement for self creeps in but has no avail. Our past can only teach us the beauty of lessons that take us into the present moment of life and all that it has to offer.  As much as the lessons are painful and filled with so many unanswered questions what we do know is that we can create the path and peace if we choose. We can connect to create change. When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself. Namaste. With a sprinkle of fairy dust and may magic follow your day, HUGE LOVE Sonia xoxoxoxo