SPLIT SECOND DECISION

By Travis Hardin
An Inspirational Speaker @ The Re-De-Fined Project

What would you do if life felt as if it were no longer worth living? Would you take it upon yourself to end something you never started? That is what I have had to think about over and over again as I think about the families of Kasandra Perkins and Jovan Belcher.

Here at The Re-De-Fined Project, we do not have all the answers to issues and problems of our youth but what we do make a conscious effort to accomplish is a consistent ear and avenue for young men and women to talk to. This tragedy which occurred in Kansas City is another reminder that we need to do any and all we can to have an open line of communication with as many youth as possible.

Maine head football coach Jack Cosgrove stated “I thought he was at his best when he was around young people and when he was on the football field where he displayed a work ethic that I think I would categorize as virtually unmatched.”

With this in mind, suicide is a split second decision and it can happen to anyone reading this. If you have not been impacted by suicide in your family, career, local community or simply a friend of a friend, consider yourself fortunate. Odds are, you have in some way been impacted by this tragic result of things people always consider the unknown. No matter your age, we ask for your help in acknowledging that you are closely tied to someone on the verge of this type of action. Take a stand and talk about it because it is REAL. We can’t stop suicide worldwide but we can start in areas close to us by speaking up and speaking out.

Our prayer at The Re-De-Fined Project is for any and all families who have had to endure through this form of tragedy and pray that no one else has it come to reality in their family.

Remember, money cannot make joy a permanent circumstance. Connect with us here at The Re-De-Fined Project and we can show you ways in which joy will be the center of your life. It will take work as it does not come easy. Join me in taking a stand.

God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us- in the dreariest and most dreaded moments- can see a possibility of hope.
~ Maya Angelou

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