You never know who is watching, who is quietly hurting, or who is just waiting for a sign of kindness.

So today, on National Smile Day, I encourage you to put yours on. Wear it like the gift it is.

Not all pots of gold are found at the end of a rainbow.

Struggling with grief, loss, and the feeling of being rejected by God? Here are compassionate ways to hold the questions, rage, and sorrow without losing yourself.

Feeling rejected by God is a real ache. It gnaws at the deepest places of faith

What if the secret to living well is not found in the answers at all… but in the questions themselves?

Charlie Kirk’s death reveals more than loss—it highlights the battle of good versus evil. Like Aslan in Narnia, his Christ-centered life reminds us of the reality of spiritual warfare.

Wisdom is not found in quick answers but in the courage to sit with life’s questions long enough for them to carve truth into you. Discover how storms and silence shape strength.

Charlie Kirk lived what America was built on—freedom. He spoke with conviction, faith, and kindness. For that, his life was violently taken.

But you cannot kill a legacy. You cannot extinguish the flame of freedom. Charlie was a lighthouse in the storm—his light, like Lady Liberty’s torch, guided others toward truth.

This is the battle of our time: good vs. evil, light vs. darkness, freedom vs. oppression. And now the flame has been passed to us.

Suicide prevention is not only about reducing risk but about building protective factors. Creating environments where people feel loved, supported, and purposeful makes a real difference.

Because when storms rage, it’s the anchors — the connections, the meaning, the hope — that keep people from being swept away.

Unlike physical wounds, psychache doesn’t leave visible scars. But it’s just as real — and just as life-threatening. People may mask their pain with smiles, humor, or busyness. On the inside, though, they are unraveling.

True belonging is built in kitchens, coffee shops, long walks, and late-night conversations. It’s messy, imperfect, and human. And it’s one of the strongest protective factors against suicide.

Trauma changes you — but it doesn’t have to define you. With truth, support, and time, the same story that once threatened to break you can become the story that builds resilience and compassion for others.

f there is one thread that runs through nearly every story of suicide, it is hopelessness. Not just sadness. Not just stress. Hopelessness is the bleak conviction that nothing will ever change, nothing will ever get better, and the pain will never end.

It’s one of the strongest predictors of suicidal thoughts and attempts. When someone feels trapped with no way out, hopelessness convinces them that death is the only escape.

At its core, depression is a mental health disorder that impacts how a person feels, thinks, and functions day-to-day. Common symptoms include:

• Persistent sadness or emptiness

• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed

• Fatigue and lack of motivation

• Trouble sleeping or oversleeping

• Changes in appetite or weight

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness

This isn’t just moodiness. Depression alters brain chemistry and disrupts the way we process reality.

• Suicide is not a single bad day or a single diagnosis. It is the breaking point of converging pressures on a soul who, in that moment, cannot see a way out of their suffering. Globally, more than 700,000 people die by suicide each year — and behind each number is a name, a face, and a story.

This page summarizes 7 series of blog posts on Suicide Awareness. To some, this message is personal; to some, they need to be informed, but for all - we need encouragement.