I Need a Hug, Do You?

Believe It!!!

Another Life Saved

Yesterday, we received a note ... a note that touched our hearts ... a note we want to share with you ... a note we'd like to ask you to share with others. Step up. Step in. Save a life today.

"My name is Karen and my brother's name is Joe and we are twins. Our other brother's name is Mike and he is gay. Last year when Mike was 17 and me and Joe were 15, Mike tried to kill himself because he was afraid to tell our parents he's gay. Me and Joe found him after school in his room with his wrists cut. There was a lot of blood and we couldn't wake him up so we called 911. The doctors saved him but he never told our parents about being gay and me and Joe were so afraid he would try to kill himself again. 

One of Joes' friends saw your video and showed it to Joe and me and we showed it to Mike. Two days ago he told our parents he is gay and that's why he tried to kill himself. Our mom cried a lot and our dad kept asking how this had happened. But when it was over they told Mike how much they love him and want him to be happy and alive.

Me and Joe and Mike just want to say thank you for making the video and helping to save other lives. Christmas last year sucked at our house but this year is going to be the best ever because Mike is alive and can be himself for the first time.

Love
Karen and Joe and Mike"

Share our video today ... you never know ... you just never know, friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BjpS2YdR0s

http://vimeo.com/60904536

Just Roar!

Always Hope

“No. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.” 
― Pittacus Lore

Until You Realize

Rise Up

I Won't Stop

Tell Me It's OK

Eye on the Target

A Note of Thanks

Thank you to all of you who have been a part of helping us to spread the message of Ears Wide Open? to those who need to find their way to hope, acceptance and life.

We wish for you that today be a day filled with love, laughter and lots of pumpkin pie! We also hope that you remember those who are struggling to make it through one more day ... those whose families have rejected them ... those who are lonely and afraid ... those who need someone like you to help them find their way.

Blessings to each of you!

Ears Wide Open? (YouTube)

Ears Wide Open? (Vimeo) 

Today For Tomorrow

Meant to Be

Got Food?

If you've got plenty of food this week, remember to share with those who don't.

 

Beautiful!!

The Soul Knows

Proud to be Scarred

In Terrie's Words

WOW!! Thanks for the overwhelming response to our post yesterday! Many of you asked how to find out more about Terrie. You can read along with her as she chronicles her daily journey in her blog at terriejohnson.blogspot.com

Happy reading, and don't forget to share Ears Wide Open?

OOPS!!

We've fallen down on our job here at the Ears Wide Open? blog. Life is good. And busy. And EWO? is helping a lot of people. And today, the link to our video was posted in a column by The New York Times columnist Steven Petrow.

Can we get a woot woot???

Remembering Matthew

Over the last few weeks, Ears Wide Open? has been the impetus behind a column in The New York Times and featured in the Miami Herald, and posted in the favorite videos section on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's YouTube channel. And yesterday, the short 3-minute film was posted on Matthew's Place, which is a major part of the online presence of The Matthew Shepard Foundation. If you don't know who Matthew was, you should read his story.

Some amazing things are happening with Ears Wide Open? video ... the most important being that it's helping people who are hurting and desperately in need of hope, love and acceptance. 

Share the video ... you never know who may need to see it today ... you never know who may be running out of reasons to live.

A Love Story

From Terrie ...

"Someone forwarded this story along to me a few days ago, and the minute I saw it, I knew it was a story that should be told and shared far and wide. These two women have overcome phenomenal obstacles because of love. Check it out ... it's a true lasting, enduring love story. The amazing women have shared our video, Ears Wide Open?, so help us share their story as well. 

Blessings,

Terrie"

The Big Time

Happy Sunday morning! It's a beautiful one here on the Plains ... sunny and cool. Well, at least it was cool at 8 a.m. I've got a feeling it will be much steamier by this afternoon! Gotta love summer, eh?

As promised, here's the link to the column in The New York Times that we mentioned in our previous blog. Terrie was asked by the columnist after he viewed Ears Wide Open? to write the opening paragraph about her journey and then pose a question for his column. After receiving many requests as to where to find Terrie's daily blog, Mr. Petrow asked Terrie to submit a comment on the column and include the address to her blog. The views on her blog have increased dramatically, and positive and encouraging messages have been pouring in.

While a shout-out in The Times is awesome, Terrie would like all of you to remember the mission and purpose of Ears Wide Open? ... to raise awareness of depression and to offer hope to so many who feel there is no way out of the darkness that surrounds them, and to help people who are hurting, people who know someone who is hurting, people who have hurt in the past, people who need help and healing and hope.

Please continue to share the video and this blog ... you never know who may be looking for that one message of hope that will help them make it through another day.

Love to Know More?

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted to the blog ... there's a lot going on with Ears Wide Open? that has kept us hopping! So here's a long overdue update as to what's happening in the Ears Wide Open? world.

--- Terrie was asked to be a contributing writer for the online magazine ImpactMagazine.us, one of several publications that have featured Ears Wide Open? and Terrie's story. 

--- She was recently a guest speaker at a regional conference for mental health professionals, and the positive response to her speaking style and the EWO? video has been amazing. 

--- EWO? continues to be shared by open and affirming churches, youth centers, and various nonprofit organizations across the country, and Terrie has received many inquiries as to her speaking availability for upcoming events.

--- A well-known columnist for The New York Times will be featuring Ears Wide Open? in an upcoming column. (Yes, we we promise to let you know when it's published!)

Remember, it's people like you who are helping us to spread the message of hope that Ears Wide Open? offers, so keep on sharing ... keep on believing ... keep on helping those who are desperate to find a reason to live.  

Do We Need to Know?

Here We Go!

Thought you guys might like an update on some things that are happening with the Ears Wide Open? video.

1)      Churches from California to New York (and lots of states in between) are picking it up and showing it in their services (in a good way, not a condemning or judgmental way). Terrie attended a church service a few weeks ago where the video was shown in conjunction with the pastor's sermon. Terrie wrote, "I sat in the back of the auditorium, and when the video ended, the pastor said I was there and asked me to wave so the people could see where I was sitting. The entire place stood and faced me and applauded for what felt like forever. And I bawled, of course I did."

2)      Terrie has been invited to speak at a conference in June for a group of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and counselors. She is also receiving invitations to speak from open and affirming churches across the country.

3)      An executive producer for the It Gets Better project and a board member for the NOH8 campaign shared the video via Twitter and called the folks standing behind Terrie at the end of the video "peaceful warriors.” We like that. A lot.

4)      Several well-known activists have tweeted or attached the link on Facebook.

5)      We get messages every day from people who make us know why we felt so compelled to make the video, including one from a firefighter in Virginia who was one of the first responders on 9/11. We think the best way to end this update is to let you read his words.

      "My name is Frederick and I currently live in Richmond, Virginia. But I used to live in New York for many years. I’m a firefighter and I was a first responder on 9/11. My best friend died in my arms that day and there hasn’t been one day since that I don’t wish it was me instead. I understand wanting to die. I understand guilt and shame. I understand hating yourself. For different reasons than you Terrie but I understand. A deacon in my sister’s church sent me your video and when I watched it I broke down and cried. He knew I was close to giving up. You are very brave and I wanted to say you’re helping a lot of people including me."

 

Hated or Loved?

Friends Just Know

Something Bigger

There are times in life when something happens that makes you know they are in the midst of something bigger than yourself. We've had a lot of those since Ears Wide Open? first launched in February, most of them connected to the stories we've heard from hurting people who viewed our video. So many, many folks have written in to tell us of their own struggles that have caused them to consider suicide as a way to eliminate their pain.

Perhaps the greatest lesson we've learned about the impact that Ears Wide Open? is having involves the types of people who are being affected by its message. We thought the video would speak most specifically to a certain group of persons, and we were wrong. We were simply wrong. It is reaching people who are young, old, sick, healthy, strong, weak, rich, poor, staight, gay, religious, non-religious, male, female ... Ears Wide Open? is speaking to groups of people we never expected to hear its message. And that is just cool, very, very cool.

And today, EWO? will reach even more people because it is a feature story on Impact Magazine. For those of you who want to know more on the background of Terrie's story and what led to the creation of the video, read the article. It's written by Terrie herself, from her heart. And then let us hear from you. Share the story. Share the video. Be part of something bigger with us ... saving lives. It doesn't get much bigger than that.

 

The Big Screen

Long time, no EWO? blog post! Please forgive us, but we've been really busy with all kinds of Ears Wide Open? related projects. Let us fill you in a little ...

The t-shirts many of you have requested are in the works! An artist is working on the design, and we've got the production company lined up and ready to go. It looks like the price of the shirts will be around $15, with about $7 per shirt going to charity (depending on shipping costs). In keeping with the Ears Wide Open? project being completely nonprofit, all proceeds beyond the cost of the shirts and shipping charges will be donated.

Requests are rolling in for permission to share our video with larger audiences ... we even received one yesterday from New Zealand! Since the EWO? video is public domain, permission isn't required for groups to show the video. It's certainly nice of so many to ask, though, and we deeply appreciate you helping us to spread the word that life is worth living and it really does get better!

Finally, Terrie was invited to attend a showing of the video at a church this morning. When the video ended, the congregation rose, faced Terrie and delivered a standing ovation. Terrie's words following the service, "It was humbling and affirming at the same time. Several came to me after church and told me their own stories. The message is reaching people, and it's helping them. That's the goal, to help others who are hurting."

Keep on forwarding ... keep on sharing ... keep on helping to save lives!

Just be you. Awesome you!
 

What We Give

Morning, Sunshine!

It's a beautiful sunny day, and the temps are springlike at last. That means that summer is right around the corner, and it will soon be time to break out the shorts and t-shirts. Which got our brains churning here at Ears Wide Open?, and we've got a question for you. If we offered t-shirts featuring one of the lines from the video, would you be interested in purchasing one? We've gotten a lot of messages asking about the availability of shirts, and so we're exploring the possibility. 

But here's the twist ... we want to donate the proceeds to charity. We'll have to cover the cost of the shirts and shipping, of course, but the additional income will go to help those who need help. Because remember, that's our mission here at EYO? ... to help those who are hurting and who need our help.

So drop us a line and let us know if you think the t-shirt idea is good or bad or in the middle somewhere. You can email us at earswideopen.tdj@gmail.com, or send us a message via the Ears Wide Open? page on Facebook, or leave a comment here on the blog, or hire a plane and write it in the sky, or MESSAGE ELLEN and ask her to tell us. Doesn't matter how you contact us (except the whole Ellen thing would be so very awesome!), but please let us know your thoughts.

Happy sunny day, and remember ... Just be you. Awesome you!

 

You Never Knew

Lots of folks have written to us after viewing Ears Wide Open?, and many of the messages share a common theme. The theme of changed relationships, altered perceptions, unfair judgments.

"After I came out, people treated me like I was a completely different person. It was like overnight I turned into some horrible, evil person who didn't deserve to be loved. It was almost as if any good I had ever done to help others was forgotten or ignored because I said I was gay. People I thought loved me said terrible things to me or distanced themselves from me altogether. I am the same person I was in the minutes before I came out. I have the same heart I always had. I can so relate to the card in the video that says, 'I am not a bad person,' because I'm not. I'm not a bad person either. I'm gay. I haven't changed. Those people loved me until they found out I am gay."

To those who've experienced the same types of reactions, we think this photo speaks to how we at Ears Wide Open? feel. Just be you. Just be awesome you.

  

Shine On

Be You!

We've gotten so many amazing messages from folks who are watching and sharing Ears Wide Open?. And so many of those messages are from people who are trying to find a way to be who they are. Young people who are just beginning their journey of life, and older adults who have been on the road for many years. 

For those of you struggling with how to be the you that God created you to be, we at Ears Wide Open? would like to say ... JUST BE YOU! AWESOME YOU!

Keep On

You Are Never Alone

Read All About It

Sorry we're a little late in letting you know about our first interview concerning Ears Wide Open? with Out Impact, a great online publication that is making a positive impact in the community. 

We'd love for you to check out the article at outimpact.com and let us know what you think!

Are You a Unicorn??

Think

Questions and Answers

Happy Easter! Here's to new life and new beginnings! 

We've got some exciting news here at Ears Wide Open? that we hope to be sharing with you tomorrow concerning our first big interview. Be sure to check back so you can be among the first to read and pass it along!

 

 

Keep, Just Keep

Check It Out

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline posted Ears Wide Open? on Facebook and Twitter this afternoon. It's helping people, and that's the goal. 

If you would, click on the link and scroll down to find our video. Then "like" the link on the NSPL page. The Lifeline is gauging the number of shares and likes to determine placement for their website. Thanks, and send all your good thoughts to the people who are calling for help this evening.

https://www.facebook.com/800273TALK?ref=ts&fref=ts