I know you’ve seen it, those two odd little marks at the end of a sentence. You’ve most likely used it, read it or possibly been confused by it. Yes, out of all the punctuation you’ve learned about, you’re still unsure of what the semicolon is. In fact, my guess is that you’ve used it as a “winky” face in a text recently, not even thinking about the fact that you were using it. Maybe you’ve seen it on a test, read it in a book or seen someone with a tattoo of it, but you’re still unsure what it really means.

Don’t worry, you’re not about to receive a grammar lesson. Instead, I want to tell you why the semicolon should mean something to you when you see it.

Okay, I lied. You might need a small grammar lesson. The semicolon is a punctuation that separates two related independent clauses. It is used in a sentence that the author is not ready to end, but needs a small pause. Now, the grammatical use of this punctuation may seem boring, but once you apply it to life, it gets a little more interesting.

Project Semicolon is a faith-based movement that dedicates itself to providing hope and encouragement to people who struggle with mental illnesses, such as depression, or who struggle with addiction, suicide and self-injury.

For people like me, who have struggled with depression and the aforementioned challenges, the semicolon means so much more than just a grammatical symbol. It is a symbol of hope; a symbol of continuing on in life even when it feels like life itself has ended. Sometimes, life has a way of crumbling around you, of making you feel so inferior in a world filled with challenges.

I’ve been there. I was ready to put a period at the end of my sentence and I had been waiting for that period to be written for a long time. Instead, I wrote a semicolon into my life story. It was just a pause in my life, not the end.

Now, whenever I see a semicolon, it reminds me of a time that I thought my sentence (life) was ending, but it was actually just a pause, just a semicolon in the crazy story I’m writing.

Next time you use a semicolon as a “winky” face in a text, you read it on test, or you see it tattooed on someone’s ankle, don’t forget what it really means.