If you've ever seen someone with a semicolon tattoo, it may have seemed a bit quizzical. But they aren't celebrating the punctuation mark. No, the marking has a far deeper meaning than you could ever guess.
It began in the spring of 2013, when Project Semicolon founder, Amy Bleuel lost her father to suicide. In her grief, she wanted to think of something that would honor him, and also serve as her own reminder never to give up on herself.
After a lot of contemplation, she landed on a semicolon because of the symbolic meaning it carried for her amidst her depression.
"A semicolon is used when an author could've chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life."
Not long after, she felt compelled to make a difference in the lives of others who struggled with deep depression, and began "Project Semicolon."
According to the website, "Project Semicolon is a faith-based non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction and self-injury. [PS] exists to encourage, love and inspire."
In the past year, thousands have joined the movement, with musicians and other public figures promoting the cause and speaking out about depression, self-injury, and suicidal thoughts.
Amy's ultimate hope is that people suffering from these issues would no longer feel isolated and alone, because there are thousands, if not millions of others out there with the same struggles - with their own semicolons.
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