Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
Guest blogger Kimberly lost her son Tom to suicide in March 2015 and returns with a second post about how her family chose to honor his memory in their home.
"The Toffice"
Soon after we lost Tom, I started organizing the things in his room to pull out what I wanted to keep and what I would pack up to go to storage. Part of me was hopeful I would find more hints about what led to his death, but I did not find anything enlightening, which in a ...
In some cases, death by suicide is preceded by a battle with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, addiction or other forms of mental illness. These conditions do not always lead to suicide and not everyone who dies by suicide has one (or more) of them. But, many readers and I have experience living with a loved one who has – and we don’t often talk about how that can affect us. There’s also no clear direction on how we’re supposed to handle ...
Nearly two years into her grief journey, guest blogger Elizabeth reflects on the path she chose to take after losing her dad. She also wishes for other survivors to know they're not alone.
"When I read the words of fellow survivors I wondered what I would say if I ever shared my story. I wondered if I could put all of my feelings in writing and have it make sense to others. If I didn’t try, I would never know, so I share with you my ...
If there’s one thing this holiday season confirmed for me, it’s that Christmastime is forever changed in my book after having lost my dad to suicide. We all know the loss of a loved one impacts our emotions and even longstanding traditions. But, in addition to simply missing my dad this time of year, I’ve come to learn his death has a lingering and significant halo effect on my view of Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
For the past few years, I’ve ...
Five years ago (and for the entirety of my life before that point), I never would have thought that a loved one would die by suicide. I just didn’t think it would be in the realm of possibility, let alone for the head of our family. Since then, I have lived in a constant fear of losing someone suddenly again that way. Losing a loved one to suicide has left me with an unfortunate and somewhat debilitating paranoia I have to work very hard to ...
