Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
I've shared about the moment I became a survivor of suicide, but never in great detail. It is now part of who I am and I feel compelled to expand.
“Sorry for your loss.” This dispirited and ambiguous phrase plastered my Facebook Wall in the 30 minutes I stepped away from my office cubicle for a meeting. While I innocently scrolled through the posts, the weight and reality of their context remained unclear…none of them referenced exactly what I ...
We often associate grief with pain, sadness, and fear. Yet if we take time to think about it, grief is love. Grief is a daily reminder of the person we lost, the memories we created, and the love we shared. I am often asked by those who have been touched by suicide, "When will this pain end?" I always hesitate to answer the question, because I do not necessarily believe an answer exists. The pain doesn't ever really end; it just becomes ...
This week we welcome Marjorie, a survivor who lost her husband to suicide almost ten years ago. Marjorie wrote to us with highlights of her grief journey as a widow following her tragic loss. With her permission, we adapted her email into a post as both Becky and myself were touched by her words. We feel that many of our readers can benefit from what she has learned about herself along the way.
Marjorie's Story:
I lost my husband to ...
One thing I personally struggled with after the loss of my father to suicide, was finding others who not only understood, but who wanted to hear about my struggles long after the death occurred. Immediately following news of his death, I was flooded with support. Messages from people I haven't spoken to in years, flowers from acquaintances, people calling just to say, "I am thinking of you." Week by week, the calls became less frequent and ...
Since my dad died by suicide four years ago, I’ve continued to debate how much of a “choice” he really had at the time. On the surface, it seems simple. He chose to take his life and stop struggling with depression and anxiety. He chose not to stay and spend more time with his family and work. He chose the time, place and method to end his life. However, the more I learn about suicide and the crippling effects of mental illness on a person, the ...
