Depression is not a choice. Too many suffer in silence. In a war with myself. I have a black dog. It won’t leave me alone. (more…)
Bob JonesOctober 8, 2019
My therapist said I have acute personality disorder. I was like, “I know, right?” If you've met Joanne Goodwin you can hear her unforgettable voice in your head. It only takes once and she's got you for life. (more…)
Bob JonesMay 22, 2019
Just write, Harrison. For the love of God, write. This speech needs to be locked in a week and you don’t even have an outline. So write. Like you’ve done a thousand times before. (more…)
Bob JonesApril 29, 2019
Depression is personal to me. My cousin died by suicide. She was depressed following her divorce. She never recovered from the rejection and grief. As a pastor I’ve grieved with too many families whose loved one ended their life because they could find no other way to stop their internal pain. (more…)
Bob JonesApril 29, 2019
Stigma and shame kill more Canadians than your worst nightmares can envision. Sons. Daughters. Spouses. Grandkids. Friends. Their deaths leave anger, guilt, frustration, grief, sorrow, hopelessness. Broken dreams. Broken hearts. What’s enraging is their deaths were preventable. So that’s why I am writing this. To ensure that my granddaughters or grandson or their friends never get to a place in their lives where stigma or shame speak louder than truth and love. (more…)
Bob JonesMarch 23, 2019
In April of 1989, I came precariously close to ending my life. I was in the throes of a completely debilitating depression. Totally incapable of rational thought, very ill, and unable to help myself, I lived believing the tormenting devilish lies continuously being fed into my mind. They were condemnatory, malicious lies, without foundation, yet to me they seemed completely logical. They dominated every moment of conscious thought. (more…)
Bob JonesFebruary 9, 2019
Bright. Vibrant. Colorful. And, most essentially, fun. The same words used so often to describe the enormously popular handbags designed by Kate Spade were an apt description of the woman herself. And that only contributed to the sense of shock and loss upon hearing the news that Spade had taken her own life at 55. Shocked. Stunned. Saddened. Women around the world - from Chelsea Clinton and Ivanka Trump, to women in Europe shopping for a Kate Spade product - were stunned to hear that Kate was gone. Fern Mallis, former director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), noted that the devastating news of Spade's death came just the morning after virtually the entire New York fashion industry…
Bob JonesJune 6, 2018
“Thanks for writing your piece on depression. It was very moving and it has helped me make the call to go see a counselor. So thanks for helping!” “Thanks for your willingness to open up and share your story. It gives me the courage to maybe one day soon talk about mine. You have no idea what your article did for me this morning.” “If I hear from you, I’ll write my story. I’ve not done that yet: strange, because I am a storyteller and love writing. I guess I’ve just tried to keep this part of me in abeyance.” “I just finished reading your story and it's left me in a pool of tears and hope all at the…
Bob JonesSeptember 14, 2016
When I got the call that told me that I had been accepted to participate in the World Race, I was completely shocked. While I had spent the past couple of weeks trusting that God had planned what was best for my future, I had a nagging feeling from the day that I submitted my application that I would not get in. The reason? I didn't think that a girl with a severe anxiety disorder would be looked at as a viable option for spending nine months living out of a backpack and traveling the world. Simply put, I believed that I was way too messed up. When you meet Maya Kuipers, the first thing you notice is her confident…
Bob JonesMarch 20, 2016