This last week we spent the holiday at a wonderful lake house my sister found. We knew we needed to do something different since my stepmom’s death is so recent and my dad’s heart is completely broken. Our decision of what to do was made for us when Keaton said he wanted Papa to take…

It is ironic that almost a month ago I blogged about being guarded and crumbling… I was to a point where I couldn’t help but acknowledge I was at a breaking point… I was being forced to realize we all have limits and I am not immuned. Little did I know in 3.5 days I…

So the last few weeks I have been binging Chicago Med. Somehow in the midst of having a baby, buying a new house and a new job, I missed it was a show. From the first episode I really enjoyed it and felt drawn to the psychiatrist, Dr. Charles. It wasn’t until the second season…

Updated September 19, 2022 Did you know September 1st starts Suicide Prevention Month? Did you know September 5-11 is National Suicide Prevention Week? Did you know September 10th is National Suicide Prevention Day? Don’t feel bad if you didn’t. Suicide is not a topic we rush to discuss. In our effort to avoid the topic,…

August 22, 2021…. exactly 23 years since my mom died. August 21, 2021, is the celebration of my 42nd year of life. As much as I try to ignore this pull of emotions… a pull of celebration and grief that has haunted me for 23 years… A friend through twitter and AFSP.org mentioned how grief…

What do you want to do be? This question that is asked more than any other from the time we can talk. Well meaning parents, teachers, and friends in an effort to get kids, teenagers, college students to talk ask what they want to be. Since the time I can remember my dad, who is…

Dear Public School Parent (and community), Part 2, Almost a year ago I wrote a blog titled “Dear Public School Parent.” It came out of heartache and frustration of seeing public educators having to hold the weight of society on their shoulders… and while I think we all hoped we would not be here again……

A few months ago I was invited to a meeting with the sole purpose of listening to student voice. The topic was mental health during the pandemic. A group of high schools students shared their perspectives with a group of adults. That night I left cut to the heart. Their truth was a reality check.…

When my mom died on August 22, 1998 she was 44… so she will forever be 44 to us. This year the Overnight Walk for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is once again virtual. I have previously blogged on why this event each year is so important, sacred to me. This year is my seventh…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month…. a month I am wildly passionate about… it is a month to promote mental health… a month to reduce the stigma… a month that others who rarely talk on the subject, take notice. May is the month when we celebrate Mother’s Day… a day of joy and celebration… a…

Keaton is playing lacrosse this spring. I have been beyond excited to see not only him working hard, but also the way Matthew is coaching him and his team. Every game their team (the mighty Round Rock Rattlers) has not only been outnumbered, but often are smaller in stature. It has been amazing to see…

Sunsets… they have been so much a part of my life for the last twenty years. I wrote previously about the profound impact of sunsets and my mom dying. Since then, when the sun is setting and I can see it, I am captivated. I remember living in North Carolina and telling friends I missed…

Decades ago my sister was having test, a bone marrow biopsy, to see what was happening. As my dad and I went to hear her results, we made a promise to each other, that we both would register to be part of the bone marrow registry. In the end, my sister was healthy, but we…

I started my new role as Director of Behavioral Health Services two months before our country was thrown into a global pandemic. While my role was needed pre-COVID, the position has seemed even more important the days, weeks, months after. I don’t know if I would advise anyone to start a completely new position right…

When you work in the field of public services, when you are a helping professional, when you volunteer for suicide prevention, when you are me… you feel like you should not need validation. You tell yourself it is not needed. I have told myself over and over that if I am doing enough, if am…

April 30, 1789, was the day George Washington became president and John Adams became his Vice President. This was a historic day for our country as it was the start of our nation. On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, almost 232 years after that historic day, we will have a historic day for our country, the…

While 2020 has not been what any of us expected, I think it is important (more like critical) to put it into perspective. For example, while it has been an inconvenience… uncomfortable for our family it has in no way been horrible, traumatic or the other million adjectives people have been used to describe this…

Rewind 12 or 13 years… I was probably at one of the lowest points of my life. I was in a relationship that was not good for me (and probably not good for the other person either). I was finally starting to work through so much of the complicated emotions of my mom killing herself…

I graduated with a Ph.D. in Counseling and Counselor Education in August of 2008… It was in May of 2008 that I defined my dissertation and I first heard the words, “Congratulations Dr. Bigbee (my maiden name).” I admit from the day I got these credentials that led to a new title, I have struggled…

I love the musical Les Miserables. When I was in 7th grade, I saw it on Broadway in New York. Since then I have seen it at least six other times and every time I listen to the soundtrack, my heart is touched at a deep level. The grace, the humanity, the forgiveness. It is…