Goodnight Sweet Dolly

in music •  7 years ago  (edited)

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There is a beautiful girl
who is no longer with us, she was laid to rest in Australia at only 14 years of age, the victim of endless and excruciating bullying.

As I sit here tonight contemplating
the very short life of young Dolly I find my sadness inconsolable. The crushing consequences realized by the actions of bullies, have a far-reaching impact that is sometimes nearly impossible to comprehend.

I wonder
if Dolly’s tormentors could have imagined that the damage they were doing would ultimately lead to her suicide. But there it is, a tragic and senseless suicide nonetheless.

Sadly I'm no stranger to suicide.
My father ended his life when I was only 14. Maybe that's why her age had such an impact on me. While I was dealing with my father's suicide at 14 years of age she was ending hers.

Being raised by French Canadians
was a wonderful experience, it was a world where hugs were not optional. I'm definitely a hugger. I remember running into a woman at Costco about 3 weeks ago and as I rolled my cart past hers I said what a cute hat you have and she said she loved mine too. I told her I could tell her where I got it from if she wanted to get one for her guy. She dropped her eyes and said he had died in a car accident earlier in the year. It was a rushed whisper all in one breath followed by another breath that was choked off with a tiny sob. She was so still while she spoke. Not knowing what else to do I went completely French Canadian on her and asked her if she would mind an unsolicited hug from a stranger. For a tiny woman she really surprised me by clinging to me with a strength I had not expected. We said our goodbyes and that was that, I don't imagine I'll ever see her again.

I don't mind being human sometimes.
It's certainly not easy all the time. Death is a part of this journey and it can sure suck the fun out of a room.

The other great thing about being French Canadian
is the food. I am in fact French Canadian, Italian and Native American Metis. Thank you universe for confusing my DNA and putting some of the most passionate races on this planet in one body. I hate you DNA. I tend to feel everything so intensely that I sometimes need to vegetate for long periods of time just to recover enough to interact with the world around me again. Now back to the French Canadian food (and the Italian food of course). Don't even get me started about Native American food. I'm planning to launch a commercial Pemmican business in the near future. I'll keep you posted. Literally LOL

When Dolly was really little
she was a poster child for a famous Australian Hat Company, you may remember Crocodile Dundee's hat. Yeah it's that company. I know this is going to sound really strange but when I saw her beautiful face and her big eyes and her adorable little teeth I wished I could give her something to eat. You see, food is love to a French Canadian. My heart is shattered that she'll never have her favorite meal again made by someone who loves her.

If you haven't figured it out by now
you're probably starting to realize I'm a fairly compassionate guy. I wrote a song called Finally Home about five years back now I guess. If I were ever able to have a music video done it would largely consist of people walking out of a coffee shop and giving a homeless person their drink and other acts of kindness.

The United Way
used this song in a Canada wide campaign to bring awareness to their 211 help number. You can dial 211 24 hours a day in Canada and the US from most locations and you'll find almost any kind of help you need even if you just need to talk to someone. They are an encyclopedia of local community knowledge and can connect you to nearly any program that is available in your area.

I remember waiting
at a grocery store one time with my huge golf umbrella when it was just absolutely pounding rain outside and I waited until I saw a frazzled young mother with 3 children and not even a jacket among them. When I told her I'd be happy to cover her and the kids with the umbrella to her vehicle she started to cry.

I just want this world to be a better place.
I want people to try to do better and serve one another instead of constantly seeking retaliation. I'm nobody special and I don't want anyone's brownie points, and I'll never see the people again that I do kind things for. Once a boy scout always a boy scout I suppose. Maybe a small act of kindness will change someone's life. Don't hesitate, it could mean the world to someone.

Goodnight sweet Dolly

Dolly.png

Finally Home

You can spend a lifetime asking why
Angels, sinners, saints have wings
We’re meant to fly
Are you more alone than me?
Take my hand I’ll pick you up
And then we’ll see

Let me hold you in a warm embrace
Flickering Christmas lights
Snowflakes melting on our face
And if you have a heart of stone
‘Cause you’ve always felt alone
In this moment may you know you’re finally home

Behind you through the painted glass I see lights and toys
People buying gifts for all their girls and all their boys
Take someone by the hand and pull them to their feet
Surprise yourself a gift of love will never taste so sweet

Let me hold you in a warm embrace
Flickering Christmas lights
Snowflakes melting on our face
And if you have a heart of stone
‘Cause you’ve always felt alone
In this moment may you know you’re finally home

Seasons come and go and still we seek
A gift that’s better than your tears upon my cheek

Let me hold you in a warm embrace
Flickering Christmas lights
Snowflakes melting on our face
And if you have a heart of stone
‘Cause you’ve always felt alone
In this moment may you know you’re finally home
In this moment may you know you’re finally home
In this moment may you know you’re finally home

© Michael Arthur Tremblay 2013

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This is very emotional.... Upvoted my friend..

Thank you Mike!

Upvoted on behalf of @thehumanbot and it's allies for writing this great original content.
Great Original Works are rewarded by top Curators, refer posts from my Step-Brother @humanbot for more details.If you like this initiative, you can follow me in SteemAuto and upvote the posts, that I upvote.
And remember to do some charity when you are rich by contributing to me. Check out my Introduction Post for more details. If you have any concerns or feedback with my way of operation, raise it with @sanmi , my operator who is freaking in Steemit chat most of the time.

Thank you whether or not you are hooman!! :D

I love the emotional honesty you display in this blog @thebugiq. Keep going like this buddy, and you will go far in the steemit community. We need more compassionate people in the world. :)

Thanks very much, I checked out your blog and I like it. Likeminded folks are always a good find :)

Oh my.
I am absolutely blinded with tears.
I came across this post because my BFF/partner in crime, @globocop, resteemed it.
I can't even find the words.
I am so sorry for your loss. That seems like such a lame thing to say.
I can't imagine the pain your heart is feeling. I cannot even let my mind explore the kind of pain that Dolly's parents must be experiencing.
I read further down into the comments, and read @vickiebarker's comments.... I... I have no idea what to say. All I can do is let the tears fall from my eyes. I am so afraid for my children. Their self-esteem is in the toilet, and I worry that some sociopath is going to recognize it, and bullseye in on them. And to Vickie's point, doctors are trying to put my 14 year old daughter on meds that they themselves admit she doesn't need. It makes no sense to me. All I can do is follow the money.
All the while, she's only asking to be heard.
She's not suicidal. She's not broken. She's 14.
And the doctors are all too quick to shove her a pill they say she doesn't really meet the perameters for prescription. So... then, why?
And when she confided in her teachers (before I began to home school), all her teachers told her "don't tattle".
WTH?? This is what are children are being taught?
I'm 45 years old today, and I left the mall a couple of weeks ago,over 3 teenaged girls in the restroom made me really uncomfortable. 45 years old, and I genuinely was so anxious about these girls' behavior, that I thought I was going to end up with getting my hair pulled...maybe stabbed? Who knows. I can't imagine being a smallish 14 year old girl in public school today.
I don't understand what is happening in our world today.
I pray for all of us.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Hi Jane
I just wanted to thank you for your heartfelt comments @disarrangedjane

I want to assure you that all is not lost
and there is so much more that we can be doing for children who are at risk. I was a youth pastor for more than 25 years and I've pretty much seen and heard it all. It doesn't change the fact that many kids lose their battle and give in to suicidal thoughts. But I just want to let you know that it doesn't have to be an inevitability. I am honestly too new to know whether or not this is permissible but I'm going to share a link that I shared with a friend of mine who's having great difficulty with her teenage daughter at this time and I'm doing what I can to support her.

As to the medication,
I can't really speak to that because I'm not a doctor but I do know that one thing that is natural and completely not harmful is niacin. I would start with a very small dose like maybe 50 MCG I think is the measurement. Whatever you do don't use the 500’s that are common from the drugstore which can end up giving you a total epidermal flush. Niacin really helps with blood flow especially to the brain and can just give you a happier outlook on life and it's a lot healthier than a Red Bull. It's actually recommended by several mental health professionals as a way to just take the edge off of anxiety and depression. Nobody talks about it because there is no profit in it. Perhaps it's an orphaned substance and the drug companies can't make money on it.

The biggest takeaway from the article
I'm sharing with you is that we need to help those who are at risk to distance themselves somewhat from their electronics and use some of the coping methods outlined in the article. We could all use a little distancing from our electronics, but especially for teens, you can implement things like teaching them to charge their phone in another room other than their bedroom and learning to tell their friends they won't be available at certain times because they're playing a game with the family. More often than not, teenagers who do this with their friends will create their own self-powered freedom that their friends will become envious of and wish that they could have the same type of relationship with their families as well.

If Steve Jobs ever knew
what would have become of our children with the advent of the iPhone, he would have smashed it into a million pieces and sent the plans into space in ashes. As always my heart goes out to those in need and I wish you the very best.

Handsfreemama

Thank you for sharing yourself over the discord show! Your words are appreciated, and I look forward to hearing your music.

Thanks for taking the time to read and listen, I really appreciate it! So many things competing for our attention in this world but this is a very important topic. I hope people will be more sensitive to those around them to hopefully signs that someone is thinking of suicide. What a terrible loss of this total little sweetheart.

Oh my gosh, I can't even. Everything about this whole post makes me cry. You have a very beautiful soul. I can't even make this any longer because my eyes are blurry.

Bless ya @topkpop thanks for all you do around here,
making me feel welcome and showing me around. Without @shadowspub and you I wouldn't even have my beak out of my shell yet lol. You folks are awesome. This cowboy is rolling out his wool blanket for the night.

Upvoted my friend

Thank you! :D

this is a very amazing post. Very well done. congrats.

Thanks so much, I hope people will be touched by the topic!

This is the best post on Steemit. I gave you a vote now, ya heard?

Thanks to @sanmi, this post was resteemed and highlighted in today's edition of The Daily Sneak.

Thank you for your efforts to create quality content!

So much I'd like to say here but not sure if the words will come. Thank you so much for this post. In 17 days and 16 years ago my baby girl of 15 years old left us. Was not a suicide caused by bullying but one caused by a then little known side-effect of a prescribed pharmaceutical drug. My life and so many others were changed forever that day.

I am hoping through this connection that my little Anny Belle and Dolly will become forever friends.

I clicked on the link to listen to the song and now my face is once again washed in tears. I appreciate you sharing this story. I sat beside her little lifeless body "watching the snowflakes melt on her face" until the sheriff and coroner came.

Sending love and blessings to Dolly's friends and family. One day to all be reunited forever. Their spirits are never far from us and it helps over time when they sort of pop in to say I love you and am still with you.

Thanks again for this post. May everyone's heart be lifted to know that we will see them again. Blessing to you and your big heart!

God bless Vickie, what a tragedy for you and yours. I have a song called Tiny Wings about the child I lost so many years ago. We all carry these life scars don't we? Thank you for connecting here. I'm brand new so I don't know how much of an audience there is for deep pain but I know we all have some. My posts will be all over the place from sad to funny so thanks for stopping by!

I'm not sure now how I found your post. It was a resteem by someone. It may have been @globocop but if it wasn't, he is one you want to follow. He is with mspwaves and they do lots of music and there are some great ones to follow to get your music and stories out there. If you do a search for mspwaves am sure you'll find many of helpful Steemians. Look forward to seeing you around. We all learn to live with sad, but funny is always welcome!

Yes it may be I was talking with him today. That's awesome. I'm thinking I might put up some stuff on Dtube :) Working on it!!

Oh yes, be sure to use and promote Dtube. I think Dtube is the way of the future in my humble opinion. Youtube is censoring so much now it is pathetic. People need an alternate source. I'll watch for you productions!

Hey @thebugiq,

This post popped up in my Steemify feed even though it’s a 10-month old post. Maybe you made a change. At any rate, although it’s very sad, it was just exactly the thing I needed to read right now, for a variety of reasons. There has been a lot of sadness and death to deal with lately.

But the message in this post is ultimately uplifting. We humans were meant to be caring, I believe. We were meant to treat one another with kindness. It’s not that hard to do. And yet we have somehow broken away from that; it is a tough time in history, and it’s difficult to remain an optimist.

But your message, to me, is that small gestures can make a big difference. We can all start there.

I love your the lyrics of your song.