Wow, hi! Life has been so full & busy since I went back to work after maternity leave that I honestly haven't gotten a chance to post on here. I love all of you that have reached out @graceinlove.org and I wanted to make sure you know that you can also follow me on Instagram @amylynnlisek where I tend to post more often. For those that know, we have 3 very small kiddos and I work full-time in social work so I'm still trying to learn to balance it all :-) I'm a work in progress!
Nonprofit Update
But I wanted to post the 1st update about 2023 Care Packages. I updated the "Request" page of the website to state that we are officially on a "HOLD" for the remainder of this year:
UPDATE 9/9/23: We are on a current **HOLD** and unable to accept anymore requests at this time for Free, Encouraging Care Packages. The high demand exceeded our current budget for 2023.
The good news is, we were able to fulfill requests for everyone that was on the Waitlist prior to today's date! We hit a milestone this year of sending 100 free, encouraging Care Packages to people that submitted requests at Graceinlove.org!!!
If you believe in our mission of spreading hope and encouragement, please consider checking out our "Support" page for ways to help our growing nonprofit (graceinlove.org/support).
Be sure to check back in 2024 when we are able to accept more requests for Free, Encouraging Care Packages!
So I know I messaged most of you that are still on the Waitlist (from prior to 9/9/23) that I AM sending your Care Package out ASAP and will update you with the Estimated Arrival date once shipped. Thank you for your patience and I sincerely appreciate your support!!!
Life & Other Updates
It's okay to NOT be okay.
September is Suicide Prevention Month and so I wanted to write something focused on Mental Health awareness and support.
These last few weeks have been extremely challenging. And I think it's important to be able to share our unique experiences without feeling judged or feel that someone is shaming you... or criticizing you for "complaining". So many people pretend that they are okay because of how people can be so quick to judge and condemn. When in reality, life can be so freaking hard at times. It's really okay to share about what you are going through and to acknowledge and validate that yes, that's actually super stressful!
There are a lot of incredible and strong people that have reached out @graceinlove.org that are facing some extremely difficult battles. I'm sharing this for all of you so that you know that you are not alone and that it's okay to NOT be okay. (PS- there are a lot of resources listed on the "HOPE" page of this website but if you need help looking for additional local resources please reach out and I can try to help).
Since going back to work full-time and having a 4 month old baby, 2 year old, and 6 year old- it's been a lot for us to navigate. And of course you know how life can be- once you feel like "okay, we got this"- then, the hardships can come out of nowhere. I won't share everything that's come up but it's very much been like the saying "When it Rains, it Pours". And for me, when I'm up through the night taking care of the kiddos and worried about them or feeling sad for them if they are in pain or sick- that tends to take a toll eventually. It's very hard to sustain very little sleep for long periods of time. And that's part of being human. Sleep is extremely important for your brain and wellness. So I personally got to the point where I had to remind myself that you know what, it's really OKAY to NOT be okay. Any counselor will tell you, it's very important to validate that your experiences matter. No one is perfect and this life can be extremely stressful and difficult at times. And it's okay.
At the same time, I had a few perspective-shift moments that helped me focus more on gratitude. I want to be careful here because I think in a way, it can be hurtful at times to discount what someone is going through because "it could always be worse" or "you should be more grateful", etc. That can be damaging at times and again, for Mental Health support- it's important to validate that everyone's experiences matter. You can't just compare 2 extreme situations and discount what someone is going through because one situation isn't as "bad" as another.
But for me, it was when I had been on week 3 of no sleep and up all night the night before with a sick kiddo-- and that night was particularly hard because even our sweet family cat literally had a scary seizure for the first time in front of us around 4am (we took her to the vet and she's okay thankfully) when we hadn't slept and life was feeling especially HARD..... Well that day, I was on a virtual conference for my job and there were 3 mom's on a discussion panel that have children with Chronic medical conditions. Life-long disabilities that often include chronic illnesses and frequent nursing care. And listening to these mom's share their stories literally made my heart just feel SO much compassion for them. They are the REAL heroes and I honestly almost cried listening to how incredibly strong they are for everything they've done for their kids. And they are an absolute inspiration.
And then that same day, I saw the news article pop up on my phone about the tragedy in Libya with the floods where it's estimated that 11,000 people lost their lives. And I read an article of a first-hand account of what someone experienced there. And for me, this was an instant perspective shift of praying for all of these people and my heart changing.
But again, I think it's a very fine balance between shaming someone for "complaining" about their situation - (which is NOT being a Mental Health Advocate) and someone organically having a perspective shift on their own and potentially being able to focus on gratitude also. Another really helpful thing for me at least is to look for those beautiful moments in each day and find the "silver lining" type of moments. The other night, it was one of those very hard days but we randomly had the best dance party in our kitchen and it brought SO much joy to the day and to our family.
So as someone that works in the field helping support people with dual-diagnoses and also someone that has personally experienced a mental health crisis first-hand - PLEASE know that you are never alone and there is always, always HOPE.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline -- (PLEASE SHARE this resource)!
We can all help prevent suicide. The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.
Ask
Research shows people who are having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks after them in a caring way. Findings suggest acknowledging and talking about suicide may reduce rather than increase suicidal ideation.
Be There
Individuals are more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful by after speaking to someone who listens without judgment.
PURPOSE
Lastly, I've been wanting to share a little on the subject of PURPOSE. I've made a few reels related to this so check them out here:
For the last decade, I have been serving in the field of helping people with disabilities in different capacities. I've very clearly felt that it is my God-given purpose and God made that very clear to me. Now as I shared in the one Reel above, I have always felt and I will always feel that my most important roles are as a MOTHER and a WIFE. That being said, I'm extremely grateful to be able to go above and beyond for my family WHILE having a flexible position (where I also strive to go above and beyond) and WHILE I also do what I can, when I can (lunch breaks, nights, weekends, etc.) to help the people that reach out @graceinlove.org as well. When you have a close relationship with God, you are obedient to what He calls you to do. Period.
But I wanted to share that obviously it's not always easy, and it's been a lot to pray about. But that God so beautifully orchestrated this recent "God Moment" in my life that was so special:
I was on my lunch break and ran to the store to grab a few last items to ship out with the last round of Care Packages that I'm sending out for this year for everyone on the Waitlist for the nonprofit. And while in line at the store, I see some familiar faces standing near the self-checkout where I was headed. I recognized them as people I used to help support as a Case Manager for individuals with disabilities around the year 2016 or so. I was literally so excited to see them that I left my cart in the line and walked over to say hello and introduce myself to their staff. They weren't just any people. They were people that I absolutely loved SO very much. A young man that I used to have on my caseload that I took on a camping trip and had so many memories with; A gentleman that I drove with downstate for a Special Olympics competition and that didn't have any family members involved so I was his biggest cheerleader; and a young man that I met when he was living in a residence he wasn't happy with so I helped get him moved to home that's a much better fit for him and makes him happy. I was literally in tears in the dollar store and we had the best little reunion saying Hi to each other.
But that beautiful total God moment was surreal because it was two different Purposes meeting. I was there grabbing items for the nonprofit Care Packages and God reminded me just how important the work has also been that He's called me to do to serve some of the most vulnerable individuals that need someone to Advocate for them and help them. It's been an absolute honor to do so and they will always be near and dear to my heart.
I mention in the caption of the one Reel above but the book "Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren is especially great to explore more on the topic.
Well, if you made it to the end of this post, Congrats! Haha Thank you for reading and for your love and support. God bless!!
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