Thank you Linda for sharing yourself with us. I read your post at 6am this morning. It really had an impact on me and I felt so many emotions that it has taken me most of the day to comment.

First of all, you are not alone even though it feels that way. So many of us are exactly where you are or have been there at some point in time. Me, I am there right now. I know depression all to well and I recognize that bathroom floor. I know every line and every crack. I have been on that floor for over a month now and am just now starting to crawl out of that small dark space that has been my mental prison.

My friend Mary was my touchstone. She was such a special person and after having known me for 46 years, it seemed as if she could see right into my soul. She had such a way about her with me. When she saw that I was depressed and felt like I was laying on the floor she never yelled at me or made me feel like I was doing something wrong. She seemed to just lay down on the floor with me and listen to me. Then she could just hold out her hand and say "its time to get off the floor" and I found that with her help, I could and would. And then she would always encourage me to just get on with it, whatever it was at the time. She believed and taught me what she called the 4 Gs of life.

1. Find and realize the Good in yourself
2. Search for and embrace the Good in others
3. Rejoice in the Good things that come your way
4. Discover the Good you can give back to the world

She believed that if you practiced the 4 Gs every day that Good feelings would be your reward. That by concentrating on Good the bad feelings would be pushed aside.

I lost my dear Mary this last December. I got an email while I was in Uganda telling me she had died. I miss her so very much. Now I can only remember her and hear her in my mind telling me to get up and get on with it. But it is so much harder.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that it is just like Cynthia says. We all need help from time to time and we all need someone to reach out their hand and help us get off the floor. We just need to accept that it is okay to be helped and to ask for it.

You have so many people here who care about you and who admire and respect you. Me included. So lets both get off the floor and get on with it. We can do it, both of us. and if you need some help, I am only an email away.