Tragic News

The following is reposted from WIXY's Gone Bananas blog. I hope Cliff understands that I only copy and paste this because I have no other words for my own feelings on this.

"What I'm posting now is with the blessing of Chelle. Chelle is the cousin of Suzanne's husband, Richard. I had gotten the impression from both of them that they were about as close as sisters.

"Suzanne had been a friend of mine since I had discovered one of her blogs in July, 2006. We would make reference to each other on our blogs and would have dialogue via email quite a bit. It was no surprise to me that she was friends to many other bloggers as well. I felt it was quite an honor to be held in as high esteem as I was. We even talked to each other on the phone on occasion. I felt as we had known each other for a long time.

"I also knew that Suzanne was having some personal problems, much of which had to do with a very troubled marriage. I would let her bounce things off me, and I would send her some encouragement.

"While she was going through some of her marital problems, she made herself available to give me a lift when I needed it. My son was having some problems of his own and she gave me assurance everything would be fine. When my brother died, she downloaded his photo from my blog and posted it on hers. I felt almost as close to my blogging family at that time as I was to my own.

"I’ve been learning that Suzanne had some problems coping with some demons in her life. She had told me that she was bipolar and I’m sure that would have a lot to do with what has happened in the recent past.

"As loving as Suzanne was to others, she was very destructive to herself. I always wonder why someone that God has given so much to, would want to destroy the package it came in?

"Since my post yesterday, I’ve learned a couple of things. On Christmas Eve, Suzanne sent several emails out wishing the recipients a Merry Christmas. Sometime after she did that, she took her own life.

"One of her most used phrases was, “I love you.” She ended many emails to me that way, as I’m sure she did for others. I wish she could had done that for herself.

"Why Suzanne?"

That's what I want to know too is, why?

See, suicide is a solution to a temporary problem. I learned and accepted that in January 2007 myself. But apparently, either Suzanne had never heard that, or she did and this time it was just too much for her to be able to listen to reason.

I recently saved someone I am very close to from ending their life. And I'd have done that again if asked. But nobody ever asked.

Let this be my message to my blogging friends and family: If y'all need me...I am here...

Courage + Belief = LIFE

Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone,

I'm not sure if I will be posting later in the day today (Wednesday). I KNOW for a FACT I won't be posting on Thursday (Christmas). But, I wanted to wish all my Christian brothers and sisters a Merry Christmas...I love y'all and hope you all have a lot of fun, get some good gifts, and eat some good food...but most importantly, remember the REASON for the SEASON! I will definitely blog again Friday.

Courage + Belief = LIFE

I love y'all,

Jeremy

Disagreements...Why do they hurt, or not...

Here's a thought I had this morning, and wanted to share with you all.

Have you ever had a fight or disagreement(AUTHOR'S NOTE: I prefer the latter term, I HATE the word fight) with a significant other, and you were in the middle of it and felt your heart breaking into pieces, and could see it start to affect the lives of those around you?

I have.

Here's the explanation I came up with.

When you have a disagreement with a person you love and care for deeply, your heart will start to break somewhere in the midst of it. That heartbreak is because you care about the person, and because you wish you were on the same page. In reality, you and your significant other may not just be on different pages, but you may be in different BOOKS.

Hearts break at different speeds. The person I was fighting with, her heart began to break halfway through, while mine didn't take but a quarter of the way through a 25 minute disagreement. That's caring and love right there. And it does not even have to be a disagreement with, and love of, the opposite sex. It can be love for a friend, a family member...whatever. The point is, hearts break because of love...and this extends to even in the midst of a disagreement.

Courage + Belief = Life,

Jeremy

A Poem I just Wrote.

Tonight, I was responsible for preventing the suicide of a friend of mine. A few moments ago, I wrote this for that friend.

Grace In Our Lives

We were given grace
When God sent His Son to die
And that same grace now
Is what I give to you

You had a moment of weakness
Much like all of us sometimes do
You did what you felt you needed
Even though it wasn't best

You say that you don't deserve me
You don't deserve my heart and soul
But I disagree with you on this one
Because you just need to heal

Your heart is important
It's what makes you who you are
And if I ever lost that part of you
I don't know just what I would do

You've always cared for me
You were sent from heaven for me
And now it's my turn to be
An angel and to bring you my love again

Courage + Belief = Life

Jeremy

Storm Blog!

Here's the Storm Blog...I will follow the winter weather hitting my area in this blog. UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY...

5:15am: Snow indicated on radar. But a lot of it may not reach the ground until after sunrise. Still, I am thinking 2-4 inches coming today. Any ice accumulations should be less than a quarter inch.

12:10pm: Snow now falling in Florence and has been for a little bit. .5" accumulations here so far...Winter Storm Warning issued to my southeast. Schools all over the place are closing early. CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF SCHOOL CLOSINGS/EARLY DISMISSALS.

2:15pm: Snow continues east of town primarily. It will all end by 4:00pm. Jen from unglazed has posted video from Campbell County, KY...click here to see it. ROADS WILL BE WET, MAYBE SLICK IN SOME AREAS...USE CAUTION!

4:45pm: I checked with Derek Beasley, Chief Meteorologist at WLWT-TV 5. He tells me we'll be okay precip wise, but a couple slick spots can't be ruled out. Beasley reports that an inch and a half fell downtown with some ice on top, and that's about the same thing I can report here in Florence.

Further NE, the snow and ice will be moving through PA and NE Ohio. Expect the same thing there, up to 5 inches of snow in some areas, along with at most 1/2 inch of ice.

5:25am WEDNESDAY, 12/17: Schools are again closing or delaying in many locales East of Interstate 75 in Ohio and Kentucky today. Click the first link above for school delays. Again, worth repeating: Bridges, overpasses, and any road in an extremely rural area which hasn't had treatments WILL HAVE ICE on it! Be careful!

Watching the Snow Threaten (for the 432431464245276854921st time)...Weekend thoughts...Responses to C+B=L...

Well, here we are...a Monday early morning, and we're watching snow threaten for what seems like the 432,431,464,245,276,854,921st time(exaggeration lol) this winter...but a few random weekend-induced thoughts are in order, along with your responses to the "Courage plus Belief = Life" thing...

Random Thoughts:

-- Does it ever occur to you all that sometimes there are just things that have to be done in life, even when you don't want to?

-- Last weekend, it was 20 and snowy. This weekend, 40 and sunny. Which is better? I'll take 40 and sunny anyday...but, I would take 70 and sunny over 40 anyday, too.

-- I recently read a story about a local pastor who holds "Blue Christmas" services for those who might be hurting emotionally this season. I think that's a great idea. Being sad around the holidays isn't fun, I have experienced it firsthand.

Courage Plus Belief = Inspiring Thought?: Some of you responded to my recent Courage Plus Belief = Life Blog. I wanted to share some of the thoughts that were scattered from the blogosphere, to a couple of message boards I post to.

Those who replied to my blog wrote that they "love the quote" and "I'll have to remember that" (Michelle Dawn), and that it was "An inspirational quote"(Shellmo). 74WIXYgrad simply said "I like that." Needless to say, it appears to be popular with my current reader base. I'll review it every six months or so for any new readers' benefit.

A few thoughts outside the blogosphere:

Ronna from Sharonville, OH on Skyeyeweather.com wrote: "That is a great saying, Jeremy! Reminds me of a line from the movie Strictly Ballroom (of all things)...'A life lived in fear is a life half lived.'"[author's note: parenthetical emphasis hers, not mine]

From Theextremeone of Green Twp., Ohio on AbsoluteVorticity.com: "I think that is great Jeremy. those few words mean a lot to so many people, especially people at the Shriners Burn Institute." So true...

Eric, of Raleigh, NC, writes on Absolute Vorticity: "Very inspirational, Jeremy!"

Aaron, of Fairfield, Ohio, on Absolute Vorticity: "That is an awesome story, and an incredibly true saying. If you have no courage or do what you want, your life has no meaning of life. I think he may have finally found the trivial meaning of life."

Oh and Kathryn from Austin, Texas writes on my facebook page: "That is awesome! It's always neat to know where sayings come from, and this is certainly no different!!"

There ya have it...

Winter About to Smack Us: Right now, it would appear that we are about to get slapped with a cold dose of reality after a day of 50 plus degree weather.

All the latest computer forecast models put out at least 2 inches of snow for our area right now beginning tonight and going through Tuesday.

Global Forecast System model looks underdone on amounts, and North American Model looks a tad too far north. Taking a blend of the two, I think at least 3, and possibly 6 inches of snow is likely from Cincinnati south and east. South of that, areas of southern KY could get significant ice. We're waiting on NWS Wilmington, Ohio to issue advisories or a watch or warning this morning...expecting it by 5am. I'll follow this on this blog, with a dedicated storm blog beginning this afternoon or evening.

For tonight, this is Jeremy, reminding y'all that Courage + Belief = Life...

Another Quick Shoutout

I wanted to welcome Michelle Dawn to my followers...she has a blog called Rusin Roundup...check it out here. I'll link it shortly...

EDIT: It's linked at top right, along with some other blogs I follow that are related to my own...aka random thought blogs, not about any one subject specifically...

Courage + Belief = Life

Shellmo has another giveaway...

Shellmo of Building a Log Cabin has another giveaway. This one is for a few of her favorite things...all you have to do is tell her the WORST Christmas Gift you ever received....enter by Midnight Sunday. Winner announced Monday...

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Courage + Belief = Life

What it means to be me...

Why Negativity Is Bad

I have been asked why I am so positive. Why and how do I manage to keep negativity from overrunning my life? After all, if anyone should be bitter or negative, it's me, right?

Not so fast.

I don't like negativity. Sure, I have bad days (honestly, who doesn't?). And sure, you could say I earn that right to be negative when you look at my situation. But, I don't like to keep negativity in my life. It doesn't get me anywhere. It only harms me, and those around me. It's like a pair of pants that doesn't fit me...it can only hurt.

I'd rather be positive. I'd rather be an encouragement to those around me. I'd rather be the kind of individual who people look at and say "Wow, I wish I could be as positive as he is."

Just a thought.

This is Jeremy, reminding y'all that "Courage + Belief = Life."

Have a great second half of the weekend!

A New Saying and What It Means.

From now on, I will be signing off of each entry on this blog, as well as my radio show, with these words...

"This is JMos23/Jeremy, reminding y'all that Courage plus Belief equals Life."

What does Courage + Belief = Life mean?

This is a saying used by my friend Mikey. He got it from a chronically ill young man (who sadly has since passed away) who met the Tampa Bay Rays. As you might know, they changed names from the Devil Rays to just "Rays", and anyone who makes the mistake of saying "Devil Rays", meaning anyone on the team or any fan who meets the team, has to put a dollar in a jar in their clubhouse. This fan made that mistake and he did put a dollar in the jar. Well before he put it in, he signed this dollar with "Courage+Belief=Life".

When asked on ESPN about the meaning, the kid said that it meant that "If you have the courage to do something, and the belief you CAN do it, then you have life."

Pretty good words to live by, don't you think?

So, for tonight, this is Jeremy, reminding y'all that "Courage plus Belief equals Life."

DJ JMos23 BACK LIVE on the air TONIGHT!

That's right faithful readers...I am returning to my usual radio spot LIVE TONIGHT!

If you like music ranging from rap to rock to pop (and even a little country), then tune in TONIGHT starting at 9 EST...link is here. Once you're there, click the listen link.

Update and Return from Hiatus...

I am back from my hiatus following a doctor's appointment this afternoon and here's the latest.

It currently looks as though major anxiety attacks, rather than simple stress, triggered my recent fainting spells.

I will be followed by my doctors over the next week to see if the issue goes away. If it does not, then more extensive testing will be done.

I do wish to thank Shellmo, Jen, WIXYgrad, and HWHL for their thoughts and prayers.

And thanks to any and all readers who maybe hadn't left a comment, but took the time to pray just the same. All of your support is greatly appreciated.

An Update From the Editor...

I am still taking time away from TSMW and the Personal Thoughts blog, however, I feel that it is critical to update you on events that occurred yesterday evening.

Yesterday at approximately 8:30pm EST, I was at Florence Mall in Florence. I had just met up with a friend of mine (whose name I cannot currently remember). Suddenly, I collapsed to the floor, and remained unconscious for a couple of minutes. I had to be taken to Saint Luke West Hospital as a result.

It is currently unclear what exactly is causing my fainting spells although it is known NOT to be either electrolytes, a heart problem OR diabetes. It could be the stress of the breakup referenced yesterday...or it may be an underlying cause known as Arnold Chiari Malformation, in which my brain protrudes into my spinal cord.

If it is the ACM, my days of running all over town are over and I will be limited in what I am able to do.

If it is not, but there is still something besides just emotional stress, then the effects will be less severe. And if it is ONLY emotional stress...well then everything will clear up once my life returns to some normalcy.

Until then, I am asking for your thoughts and prayers as I prepare to undergo testing in the next couple of days to determine what, if anything, caused my recent fainting spells.

Sincerely,

Jeremy S. Moses
Editor, Tri-State Media Watch and Personal Thoughts/Observations from N KY

FYI to all...

I have decided to take a 2 day break from blogging, and computers in general. It comes as an indirect result of yesterday's breakup, and my medical issues stemming from such.

I will return to this blog on either Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

If you wish to leave comments, please do so.

If you'd like to email me, please do that too. Send them here.

Thank you for reading both of my blogs, and I will return later this week when I am at full strength.

Sincerely,

Jeremy

Me and Doris are through...

You'll notice the post about her will disappear tonight. The reason is that we split up because we had it out, had a monster fight, and, after she pretty much proved that she didn't care if I was having physical trouble, I broke up with her.

Weekend Plans...Won't Post Saturday and Sunday Daytime

What's everyone's weekend plans?

I am going to go see Twilight with Doris on Saturday night, probably going to take her to dinner before that. On Sunday, I'll probably just relax, kick back, and try to enjoy myself.

With that said, I won't be posting during the daytime on Saturday OR Sunday. I'll recap my day late on both nights, but generally, those will be the only updates until Monday.

Make it a great weekend...I know I will.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELLMO!

Today is Shellmo of Building a Log Cabin fame's birthday! Drop by and wish her a happy birthday!

Thursday update...

I haven't updated much this week...Real life interfered a lot, including my normal DJ gig, in which I had to cover one shift for a friend, and do a 2 hour late night shift on Tuesday night...and then do my 3 hour show Wednesday...oh and getting Christmas stuff done is another thing. (And covering media news on TSMW, but that's another blog...literally.)

But I am here, and here's a little rant for you.

Why is it that we as a society make Christmas Day all about the gifts we receive?

Think about it. No, I'm not saying giving gifts for Christmas is a bad thing.

But what I am saying is, we too often focus on the receiving...without really truly thinking about the reason for the season. And the reason for the season is NOT, despite what you think, giving gifts. (Although you could connect it to the real reason - Jesus gives the GIFT of eternal life...)

The reason is Jesus. That's his birthday. We have to remember that...because if we don't, Christmas will become even more commercialized than it already is. And I DON'T think God would approve of that as He looked from heaven.

Just think about it.

Take care of yourselves, and each other. I'll be back to posting on a more regular basis next week.

~Jeremy