Addy

Worth is determined by cost. If a painting is worth five thousand dollars, it’s because someone is willing to pay five thousand dollars for that painting. If someone is willing to pay ten thousand dollars for that same painting, the painting’s value increases to the person who is willing to pay that much.
Jesus was willing to suffer death after hours of agony… for you. That’s the price paid for you.


Addy, you are so, so, so special. You’re made in the image of God. He values you enough to suffer and die for you. Please stay strong!


Love you and praying,
~Sylvia



Sent in by PopFan01


Dear Addy,

You are an incredibly amazing person. I still laugh at the inside out heads at random times during the day. I still remember when I thought you were the scariest person on the forum.
That didn't last long.
You are one of the kindest people I know. You're brilliant and beautiful and you're a good listener. You're a strong person.

You may think that you aren't strong. You might think that you're not going to get through this. But you'd be wrong about this. Because God is working through you, because you're stubborn enough to get through it, and because you're Addy. It's just what you do.

You're amazing.

~Angela/Chanterelle



From Istoria



Dear Addy,
I really don't even have the words to say; I wish I did. All I can say is to keep your head up, and keep going, no matter how bleak it looks. I'm praying for you every day. *hugs*
You can do this, Addy!
Stay strong, okay?

~Anonymous

"Addy is like a sassy panther with really good taste in clothes. Black, mysterious, killer and beautiful."
~ Picture and caption by Leiawyn's Reign

We've all seen you around the forum--answering prayer requests, organizing mass demonstrations of writing someone's name on everybody's arm, and so on. And while not all of us have gotten the chance to get to know you personally, I think one fact can be generally agreed upon.
You, Addy, are an awesome person.
Oh, yes. We all know it. You're AWESOME. So this is just a little note to thank you for being so awesomely-awesome. Because I'm absolutely positive the forum would be a much less awesome place without you. So thank you. You're awesome, and we all love you.
And now the word awesome is starting to sound a little strange. But I'll write it once more.
You're awesome, Addy. Don't ever forget it.
~hhatter



I apologize for its sideways-ness. Computer is dumb. ~Angela



 Never Say Die

by Hannah Mills

Don’t give up, don’t give in,

There’s more to you than flesh and skin.

Don’t release hope, don’t let noble dreams die,

‘Cause faith can’t grow and dreams can’t fly

If you don’t have the will to try.

Never say die, never give ground,

You don’t need to let that devil around.

Call on a strength that is bigger than your own

You don’t have to fight your dragons alone

‘Cause it’s through the fire that faith is grown.

Don’t throw out the ammo, don’t drop your guns on the floor,

You’ve got too much you’re fighting for.

Stick to those weapons, keep your standards in place

You’ve got more worth in you than another “cool” face

Keep running in this race.

Never roll over, never play dead,

Keep your wits and hold onto your head.

In His power you can do more

You may lose the battle but you’ll still win the war

If your cause is worth fighting for.

Don’t believe the façade, don’t give into the lies of this earth

When you can champion something of eternal worth.

Never fear the monetary discomforts, the temporal pain

There’s something of greater value to be gained

And always remember to call on the Name.

So don’t give in, don’t give up.

Life’ll be on the up-and-up

Hold fast to hope, let your dreams touch the sky,

Then faith will grow and dreams will fly

Because you have the will to try.

God bless you, Ash! Keep fighting--you're His, you're beautiful, and never forget that you have His power at your disposal if you ask. Rak Chazak Amats! <3  ~Hannah



Stay strong, Addy.

Fighting for Nothing

I was first introduced to the song "Fighting for Nothing" by Meg and Dia in 2010, when I hated my writing. And my drawings. And myself, at times. My best friend decided to do something about it.

I've got my words
I hope they hurt you
I hope they scar you
I hope they heal you
I hope they cut you open
Make you see you've been warring
For all the wrong reasons
Make you see that some things are worth bruising for
Make you see that your hands are accounted for
Pick and choose where your sweat and your blood will go
Run their spit through your hair, you're worth nothing, nothing

We writers have our words. We write because we want to show others the pain, the hurt, and the ugliness of the world around us--show the readers their perception of the world, and why it is so wrong--and then BAM! Hope comes into the picture. Stories can heal, too.

And, dear writer, you must know that no matter what, some things are worth bruising for. Some things are worth no sleep and headaches and heartbreak when no one cares. Some things are worth the blood and sweat and tears when the critiques are too harsh and the prose is littered with too many adverbs and sentences ending with prepositions. It's always worth it.

Never give up.

You're not fighting for nothing.

Reasons We Will Survive

We will survive. We will all survive. No matter how hard it gets, we will pull through it stronger than before. How do I know this?

We will survive..
...Just to see the sun set again.
...So we can help others out from the hells we left behind.
...So we can see the moon and think of its beauty.
...Just so that when we say that it's going to be alright, we don't feel hypocritical.
...Because it's what we do.
...Because we have to.
...So that we can show the world that we can.

That's why we're going to survive.
Part of the reason, anyway.

Stay strong, peeps.
~Angela

To Talk To

“Everyone, at some point in their lives, wakes up in the middle of the night with the feeling that they are all alone in the world, and that nobody loves them now and that nobody will ever love them, and that they will never have a decent night's sleep again and will spend their lives wandering blearily around a loveless landscape, hoping desperately that their circumstances will improve, but suspecting, in their heart of hearts, that they will remain unloved forever. The best thing to do in these circumstances is to wake somebody else up, so that they can feel this way, too.”  ~Lemony Snicket

As much as we want that quote above to be untrue, wishing (contrary to popular fairy tales) usually doesn't do didly squat, especially when faced with truth and real life.
Unfortunately, it sometimes seems like there is no one at all to talk to. That there is no one you can talk to when you wake up during the middle of the night- or even when you get that feeling randomly in the middle of the afternoon. You can feel helpless and pointless and like you're never going to do anything else.

There is always someone there.

That can sound slightly hypocritical coming from a girl who, for the longest time, believed that no one cared (and who still struggles with that sometimes) but it's true. There is always someone there to listen to you. There is always going to be your "friend at midnight" who will wake up just to listen to you cry on the phone. There is always going to be someone you can talk to when you feel like you just want to rip the heads off of everyone you meet. There is always someone there who is going to be there when you feel so happy that you think you're going to burst, and for the times when you feel so down in the pits of despair that you don't think that the tallest ladder will get you out.

There is always someone there.

A year ago, my mom said something that really made me think. "See, Mary wakes up really early but goes to bed really early. But April goes to sleep at about three, and she wakes up at nine. So, no matter what time I  need to talk, I know there's going to be one of them who is there to listen to me."
There is always someone there to listen to you. Or to talk to you. It doesn't matter whether you want to rant about random stuff, or talk about fuzzy rabbits, or just sit there and know that someone is there, even if you don't say anything. There is always someone there.

There is always someone there.

It can be a friend. It can be someone you've only met online. It can be a best friend. It can be the guy you hate. It can be your mom, your aunt, your grandma, some random stranger at a suicide hotline (1800SUICIDE is one) or an online service (http://www.imalive.org/ is an online chat service for people in crisises) or anyone else. But I can guarentee that there is going to be someone there. Always someone there. And sometimes help comes from unexpected places. People you didn't think would care about you at all stay up all night talking to you to keep you happy. People you barely know say goodbye to you every day by the phrase "stay happy!". Near complete strangers will write your name on their arms.
But help can come from expected places, too. Your best friend will keep trying to convince you that life has a point. Your sister will give you random hugs. Friends moms will say that they love you.
The point is: You are never alone. Never ever ever ever ever.

There is always someone there.
There is always someone there.

If all else fails, I encourage you to start a blog about it. Or a journal. Something along those lines.
If you want, you can even email me, and I'll try to reply when I can.
There is always someone there.

<3

Always

People beat addictions every day.
The package of cigarettes goes untouched.
A bottle of alcohol is tossed in the trash unopened.
The anorexic girl takes a bite of food.
A man resists the urge to take drugs.

Self harm is just as much of an addiction.

There is an actual scientific explanation for it. When you cut or burn yourself your body releases chemicals that actually give you a natural high. The chemicals that your body releases are the same ones that are contained in the drug cocaine, and the ones your body releases when you exercise.
Of course, the high you get is somewhat different. You don't get high as you see in movies. Instead, when you get this high from self harm, it makes you feel better. You feel good. You feel like you can handle it. You feel like you can survive whatever it is that's making you hurt yourself in the first place. However, just like cocaine, it's an addiction. A physical addiction. Once you cut or burn yourself once, you want to do it again.

The good news, though?

Addictions can be broken.

It's true. It's hard to break addictions. It's really, really, really stinking hard. You want to hurt yourself again to feel that rush of hope. You want to cut yourself to feel emotion.

But you can break it.

I have faith in you. Life is never as bad as it seems. You're never as hopeless as you think you are. There is always something to encourage you to stop cutting, or burning or whatever. There always is. I know so many people who have been able to stop. It's not easy, and we all know that. But you can do it, nevertheless. You can always do something about it.

Always.

Winston Churchill quote

If you are going through hell keep going. ~Winston Churchill

Welcome

This blog is intended to provide hope to the hopeless.
This blog is intended to encourage those despairing.
This blog is intended to be motivating and enlightening and uplifting.
This blog is intended to be one that makes you feel better about life.

I don't know if we're going to be able to accomplish any or all of these goals.

But, by George, we're going to try.

Welcome to Encouragement.