It’s the holiday season and for many people in the world, tragedy is what they have to remember. #SandyHook must never be forgotten. The people murdered in #Orlando and Paris cannot be forgotten. Children lost in #Columbine and those suffering all over the world should be remembered.

Why do we have such #gunviolence and bombings? Some believe it is not the gun but the people behind the gun or the weapon of choice. The red tape in Washington and the mighty #NRA refuse to limit the access of automatic guns being sold without proper background checks, or fix the many loopholes that exist. Have any of them lost a child to gun violence or put themselves in the shoes of grieving parents!

#Mentalillness – two dirty words – not to be discussed without the risk of stigma. Years ago being gay was an illness to many because of ignorance. People are afraid of what they don’t know about or understand. We need to do a better job in understanding it is an illness, just like any other illness. People with depression don’t want to be sad or angry. They WANT to feel good and struggle with the war going on in their head. I have sufferd from #depression’ which is now under control with lots of help. I wake up happy every day even after the trauma I have been through or my diagnosis of PTSD. There – I said it for the world to see. I am no longer ashamed of it because I did not cause my trauma.

Lack of #selflove, especially as a child contributes to some of the violence. You cannot give what you do not have to give yourself. When you feel good about yourself, your capacity to love others grows exponentially. Let us try to change the world by teaching children to appreciate who they are, just the way they are and perhaps we can prevent violence in the future.

Please take the #lookinginthemirror challenge today and ask three people to do the same. Pass it on! Go on to my facebook page: Jeannine Marie or Jeannine Marie Author. You can also check out my web page at www.jeanninemarieauthor.com