Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
Remembering loved ones after death can be difficult after losing a loved one to suicide. Everybody wants to know HOW your loved one died. Our insecurities gain intensity as we fear that others are judging us, or the person that we lost. Unlike a natural death, we are constantly reminded of our loved ones' death. Their final act can easily become their story, if we allow it to. While their final act is often the one that changes us the most, ...
Guest blogger Kimberly lost her son Tom to suicide in March 2015 and, like many survivors, struggles to understand how she "missed" the signs. Through his passing, she has also come to understand and appreciate how similar they truly are.
Parallel Lives
One of the things I have most struggled with in understanding Tom’s suicide is my inability to recognize the symptoms of his mental illness. I am now much more educated about depression and ...
Guilt and suicide. Two words that often go hand in hand after a tragic loss. Predominantly it is in the context of what we wish we could have done to prevent our loved ones' suicide. But, there is another type of guilt. The guilt we feel when we allow ourselves to experience happiness and joy. It is ok to be happy. It is ok to laugh. Embrace it, do not fight it. ...
In the wake of losing a loved one to suicide – particularly a child – it can be difficult to find silver linings in their passing. Today, guest blogger Ann shares about the slow acceptance of “gifts” she has received as she carries on the memory of her son Brian.
"Unimaginable Gifts"
I'm going to admit something I never imagined I would. How could I? I'm a mom who not only lost her beautiful son, but he died by suicide. Four years, 6 months and ...
I spoke with another survivor awhile back. He mentioned to me that today was "a bad day." He continued to discuss how his week had been "full of ups and downs," leaving him feeling depleted. Isn't it strange how we examine every single day after losing a loved one to suicide? It's as if we never had a bad day before our tragic loss. Life in general is full of ups and downs. We reach exhaustion after a long week. Something at work happens ...
