Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
Guest blogger Michelle is back this week with a sentimental post about the way in which she and her son Alec have honored Marcus with memorial tattoos.
"My life now is broken up into before and after I lost my 17-year-old son, Marcus, to suicide. (Read my initial post about my family’s loss here.) Before, I would never have dreamt I would get a tattoo. In my view then, people who had tattoos rode Harleys, smoked cigarettes (and other stuff), ...
In the aftermath of a loss by suicide, it is difficult to see any progress you have made. You may still cry, and you may still feel sadness, anger or pain. Does this mean you haven't began to move forward? No. Moving forward doesn't look the same for everyone. I recently spoke with a man who lost his wife to suicide a few years back. She was his first and only love. He talked about how his friends and family kept telling him that he needed ...
Since giving birth to my daughter late last year, I’ve often wondered how my dad’s death nearly four years ago will be addressed as she grows. What questions will she ask? How will I answer them? What will she think about all this? Needless to say, it’s one piece of “baggage” I hate having to introduce, but I feel fortunate we have a few years before this becomes a real issue.
The topic resurfaced in my mind the other day after a rather ...
After the loss of my dad to suicide, I remember many people commenting on my strength. I would think to myself, "You don't see me when the doors close." Strength was not a characteristic I would have used to describe myself in those moments following the tragic loss I experienced. Yet looking back, I do see the strength I posed. The strength to not allow life to completely knock me down. I think we all struggle to recognize our strength ...
One of the main reasons this blog was created was to offer a different perspective on grief. Prior to my dad's death by suicide, I had only experienced death by natural cause. While any loss is painful, the loss of my father introduced me to a deeper pain than I had ever known. In the months following my dad's death I remember feeling so alone. How could anyone TRULY understand the intense emotions I was experiencing within. It simply isn't ...
