Reason to Live – Suicide Prevention
Artist: Yongsung Kim
Hello again! As you may or may not already know, I recently released a song called "There's a Reason to Live" along with a new website dedicated specifically to Suicide Prevention.
I’m grateful to share this post with you because it covers so much that is close to my heart! I hope you will take the time to read these six sections below, which I have written over the last few months.
STORY BEHIND THE SONG “THERE’S A REASON TO LIVE”
DEDICATION
LYRICS TO “THERE’S A REASON TO LIVE”
YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SOMETHING
ESSAY: BELIEVE
INFORMATION ON OUR SUICIDE PRVENTION SEMINAR
Story Behind The Song
My son Jonathan died by suicide on March 5, 2010. He was 35 years old. Only those who have lost a loved one by suicide truly understands this kind of grief. Every death is sorrowful. Suicide is devastating.
A few days after returning from Jonathan’s funeral, I began writing a memoir about his life. One day I stopped writing because I felt like Jonathan had a message for me. I took a piece of paper and started writing these words as they flowed into my mind:
On the other side, the Savior stands; his love is given with outstretched hands. But you can feel Christ’s love today for His love for you never goes away . . . It’s a reason to live!
Sometimes you feel so all alone; your pain is deep, and no one knows how bad you really hurt inside—but pray for Jesus to be your guide . . . You’ll find a reason to live!
Hold on to hope for one more day. With faith in Christ, you’ll find a way to solve the problems facing you, and learn to make your dreams come true . . . There is a reason to live!
A reason to live . . . A reason to live . . .With faith in Christ, there is a reason to live!
(03.31.2010)
Quiet tears came. I knew Jonathan regretted the decision to take his own life. He now wanted to get the message to others to not follow his example, but to trust in Christ. I immediately wanted to turn these words into a song—a song that would be powerful enough to give people hope and a reason to live.
No music came to me, so I waited. I revised the lyrics from time to time, but still no music came. I shared the lyrics on my website, www.mamafales.com, with the desire that the words alone might bring some peace and comfort to people who were depressed. I kept praying—and waiting for the music to come.
Over ten years later, on September 9, 2020, I woke up with some music in my head. I went to my old piano with some blank sheet music and a pencil as I tried to figure out what I was hearing and write it down. With my limited abilities, I knew it wasn’t perfect, but it was okay. I emailed my rough notes to my musically gifted and creative son Ben, who I knew could take it from there. He did. He revised the words a bit, expanded the chorus, added a bridge, and created the core musical arrangement. Two and a half weeks after sending Ben my initial notes, he surprised me by sending me a video recording of his family and some of my other children’s families singing this new version of the song.
Nearly a year later, I received the horrible news that our friends’ 17-year-old son had died by suicide on August 26, 2021. After shedding my own tears of anguish, I immediately sent this text to Ben, “I keep saying I want to do something about preventing suicide, but I never do. I just console people when it happens in their families. How long would it take to finalize, record, and release my song, “There’s a Reason to Live?”
Ben told me a professional recording would take a month and gave me a cost estimate. I sent an urgent email with the lyrics of my song to all our family and extended family members. In 25 days, donations from $10 to $200 arrived until we had the needed amount, along with everyone’s encouragement to help prevent suicide by producing this song.
Ben was able to secure the talents of music producer Gavin McMahan, who arranged and recorded the music, and Yaphet Bustos (from BYU Vocal Point) who sang the song. We went to the recording session on January 15, 2022, which was an amazing experience we will always remember. We released our song, “There’s a Reason to Live,” to the public on Friday, March 4, 2022, the day before the 12-year anniversary of Jonathan’s passing on March 5, 2010.
Why did this song take twelve years to complete?
I have no idea.
Only God knows.
But I do trust His timing.
Dedication
This Song Is Dedicated To:
Jonathan Fales (July 11, 1974 – March 05, 2010)
whose death inspired me to write the lyrics,
and
Nate Peters (August 19, 2004 – August 26, 2021)
whose death compelled me to get the song produced.
The message of this song is clear:
There is a reason to live.
Lyrics
VERSE 1
On the other side the Savior stands,
But can you feel His outstretched hands?
He walks with you every single day;
His love for you never goes away.
CHORUS
There’s a reason to live!
There’s a reason to live!
There’s a reason to smile;
You’ve been loved all the while.
There’s a reason to live!
There’s a reason to live.
VERSE 2
Sometimes you feel so all alone.
Your pain is deep, and no one knows.
Your cries for help are kept inside,
But pray for Jesus to be your guide.
CHORUS
There’s a reason to live!
There’s a reason to live!
There’s a reason to smile;
You’ve been loved all the while.
There’s a reason to live!
There’s a reason to live.
BRIDGE
You are much more than you know.
If you could look inside your soul…
(Your soul…)
One day you will know.
VERSE 3
Hold on to hope for one more day.
With faith in Christ, you’ll find your way.
Courage and power will come to you
To help you make your dreams come true.
FINAL CHORUS
There’s a reason to live!
(With faith in Christ who saves us all)
There’s a reason to live!
(Our dear Savior, He hears your call)
There’s a reason to smile;
You’ve been loved all the while.
There’s a reason to live!
(There’s a reason to live.)
There’s a reason to live.
There’s a reason to live.
Jesus wants you to live.
Please choose to live.
There’s a reason to live.
Words and music by:
Kristine Fales and Ben Fales
You Must Believe In Something
As I was preparing for our Suicide Prevention Seminar on March 5,2022, I kept thinking about my new song, “There’s a Reason to Live,” and how people who don’t believe in God or Jesus Christ would relate to it. The thought kept coming into my mind:
“You have to believe in something.
You have to believe in something.
You have to believe in something.”
On Sunday night, February 27, 2022, I went to sleep at 10 PM but woke up again around midnight. Some words were flowing into my mind, so I picked up my cell phone and started typing in the dark because I didn’t want to wake up my husband! The next day, after a few revisions, I knew exactly what I wanted to say to everyone whether they believed in God or not. This is my message: You must believe in something!
I read this essay, BELIEVE, at our seminar.
Believe
You must believe in something.
If you don’t believe in God, believe in a “Higher Power” or “The Universe.” You must believe that there is something out there that is bigger and grander than you are. You must believe you are an integral part of this universe.
The universe is like a gigantic puzzle. Each of us is a little puzzle piece, and each puzzle piece is vitally important. If one puzzle piece is missing, the universe is not complete.
You must believe in yourself. You must believe that your life really matters, and the universe really does need you. It needs your personality. It needs your talents—the ones you have now—and the ones you don’t even know about yet that you will develop throughout your lifetime—much to your surprise! Right now, you have no idea what great gifts are hibernating within you or what amazing experiences are awaiting you up ahead. You must believe in yourself!
The universe needs your love, your kindness, and your compassion for others as you lift them up. The universe just needs you.
Life can be ugly. When other people try to bully you or put you down, remember that they have a problem. They are hurting inside and are taking their pain out on you. Ignore their lies. Always remember the truth about your own greatness. Walk away and forgive them.
You must believe that just as you were born to live on this earth at an appointed time, there is an appointed time for you to leave this earth.
Don’t choose to leave early. Don’t choose to take out your puzzle piece before your appointed time. Don’t disappear and crush the hearts of your family and friends who are left behind.
Although you might feel hopeless right now, these distraught feelings are not going to last forever.
Ask for help. Receive help. Find a reason to live.
Then go out and find someone else who is suffering and help them.
Your life has a purpose.
Search for it. Discover it. Live it.
Believe it.
There is a reason to live.
Suicide Prevention Program
My husband David and I organized a Suicide Prevention Seminar on Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Cody, Wyoming. We showed our YouTube video, "There's a Reason to Live - Lyric Video" at the beginning of our presentation. At the end of the presentation, we had five young women sing the song. In addition to the brochures and business cards from many mental health professionals in Cody, I also printed my own handouts, which can be found on my Reason To Live — Suicide Prevention website.
We plan to have a similar seminar on September 10, 2022, which is National Suicide Prevention Day. In preparation for this seminar, I did a lot of research and learned what a caring community we have here in Cody! As I talked to many people and organizations, I was greatly impressed with everyone’s desire to help prevent suicide.
To accomplish this goal, the biggest need I see is to get the whole community’s resources and information all in one central place where this knowledge can be accessed, and so everyone knows clearly what everyone else is doing. If our community is completely united, I know we can save lives and improve the mental and emotional health of those individuals around us who are suffering inside and who need our love and support. We must always try to reach the “one” who needs help the most, which is the most challenging part of all our efforts. My “Community Resources Pyramid” shows how our whole community can work together to prevent suicide as we strive to save the “one.” Please see “Community-Unity: Swiss Cheese”.
The families and close friends of a loved one who dies by suicide are the people who will be most affected for the rest of their lives. These people will always have an empty chair at their table and feel the absence of their loved one at every holiday or special occasion. But suicide has a rippling effect, and it impacts almost all people within the community with shock, immense sorrow, and feelings of hopelessness.
However, I believe there is hope in the future. If everyone does a little bit, we can bring about great changes in individual lives within our community. On my Reason to Live – Suicide Prevention website are the words: “HOPE TO THE DEPRESSED, PEACE TO THE ANXIOUS, LOVE TO THE LONELY.” This is an encouraging statement of truth. I am confident that we can unitedly bring about great changes in our community and reduce the incidence of suicide through hope, peace, and love.
Be strong and of a good courage;
be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed:
for the Lord thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest.
—Joshua 1:9