[img=020712_WMUWSE.jpg]5 a.m. calls are rarely a good thing. That was the case when the phone rang one cold December morning in 2005. A friend was calling to tell me my sister was looking for me because my mother had gone into cardiac arrest. Minutes later my sister was at the door and she told me what I already knew. My mother was dead.

Days later we said our final goodbyes and then as it always does, life went on. I worked, studied and did what I had to do and completely ignored the heartache. I buried it somewhere in my mind and never looked back. My family had their own grief to deal with and I didn't want to bring them down further with mine. My friends did what they could to help, but I resisted. Mostly I was scared. Scared that if I acknowledge the horrible aching pain that it would swallow me whole and I would never be the same. So I did what seemed easy, I hid it all away and convinced myself that I had "dealt with it" and went on with my life.

Five years later I was in my car driving home. I had my iPod on shuffle and "Wake Me Up When September Ends" started to play. I had heard that song dozens of times before but this time I really listened.

Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are

I felt like I had been punched in the chest. Tears filled my eyes as five years of hurt and anger came bubbling to the surface. In that moment the weight of my hidden grief became completely overwhelming and I knew I had to do something about it. The song so perfectly encompasses the experience of losing someone. Whether it's the studio version or a live performance, when the opening notes are played Billie Joe ceases to be the charismatic, bigger than life rock star we all love. During that song he is one of us. He is another kid who lost a parent, another person dealing with the lifelong effects of profound loss. He is vulnerable, genuine and painfully honest. He doesn't hide his hurt; instead he gets up on stage and shares it with tens of thousands of people night after night. I can't imagine how much courage and bravery it must take to sing that song. It is his bravery that gave me a much needed push towards healing.

Another year has passed since that teary car ride and I have finally come out of hiding. Most days are pretty good but every now and then the clouds roll in and I am "drenched in my pain again" and that's okay. I no longer feel the need to be the stoic; instead I want to be brave.

The strangest and most beautiful part of my story is that I was saved by a total stranger. A punk from California was the only person who could pull me out of the hole I had dug for myself. He made my life insurmountably better yet has no idea I even exist. That's the amazing thing about Green Day. They pull us out of our darkest places, inspire us, give us hope, let us vent and push us on. They are there whenever we need them and they never let us down.

By: Lori Champion
@lbchampion
This week's song of the week was written by John., a moderator on our forum. You can view the topic for this song on the forum. ------ This week, our song of the week is Before The Lobotomy, the 21st Century Breakdown hit about whiskey ... read story
[img=020512_fobnfg.png]Late last year we posted about New Found Glory covering Green Day's "Basket Case" on their recent tour. Alternative Press have dug up an older cover of the song by Fall Out Boy and have begun asking their readers who ... read story
Editors over at AltPress.com got together to pick their 15 albums they'd love to hear live. They included Dookie in their picks and had this to say: Seriously, why hasn't this happened yet? Although American Idiot will be remembered by ... read story
Last week we announced our new t-shirt design, a six pack of 'Apathy'. We've extended the pre-order for 2 more days - now ending February 5th - to give you guys a little more time to pre-order. Anyone who pre-orders the shirt will get free ... read story
[img=020312_billiegibson.jpg]Over the past few years Billie Joe has done quite a bit with Gibson guitars, everything from basic recording to releasing two signature model guitars, the Billie Joe J-180 and the Billie Joe Les Paul Jr. ... read story
[img=020112_albumcoverstack.jpg] We're currently trying to figue out what the best Green Day song is according to our visitors. The voting is taking place over the next few months, where we'll be voting on a favorite song from each album ... read story
[img=020212_clem.jpg] Last month we wrote about artist Mitch Clem who was asked to design a flyer for Green Day's surprise show at Red 7 in Austin. He posted about how he got asked to do the flyer. He's now selling the original artwork ... read story
[img=020112_tshirtcontest.jpg]Green Day's Idiot Club is holding a pretty cool contest for it's members right now to design the next Green Day shirt. The contest runs till February 13th and the winning design will be picked by Billie Joe, ... read story
Today marks eighteen years since the release of Green Day's major label breakthrough album, Dookie. This album was one that introduced many fans to Green Day's music and has been critically acclaimed as their best work up until the band's ... read story
As we posted last week, Larry Livermore, founder of Green Day's first label, Lookout! Records was interviewed in last weeks issue of Kerrang magazine. Personally, I was expecting a more in depth interview by reading the preview on the ... read story
[img=podcast.jpg]In our first podcast of 2012 Matt, Jimmy and I talk about what we expect for this year. When will Green Day's album come out, review of the musical tour, Billie Joe appearing on Nurse Jackie and Jimmy's dad makes a guest ... read story
In celebration of Dookie's upcoming 18th birthday, this week's Song of the Week is its 7th track and 3rd single, the super-hit Basket Case. The song reached the number 1 spot on the Billboard Modern Rock chart at the time of its release and ... read story
Guitarist Igor Presnyakov published this amazing acoustic guitar cover of Green Day's "21 Guns" this week. Seriously, check this out - he's really badass. Igor is a Russian guitarist - classicaly trained - who gained popularity with his ... read story
[img=012712_Road.jpg]Road to Acceptance My favourite part... I take a look around And all the things I've found I call it blind hatred In the last year or so 'Road to Acceptance' has found itself being played more and more often in my ... read story
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