This past week, I enjoyed a vacation in Florida with my husband and some friends. While passing the time during an airport layover, I perused a few store bookshelves (as I often do) to see if something might pique my interest. I couldn’t help but notice – especially in the South – the pervasiveness of self-help books. One called “52 Things Daughters Need from Their Dads” jumped out. This is because my dad was a self-help book junkie and likely ...
Moving On After Losing a Loved One to Suicide
I wanted to share the opening letter from the August LOSS (Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide) support group newsletter. It hit home with me as I know it was difficult for me to see other people around me move on pretty fast after my Dad died. I thought others might be able to benefit from this reflection about moving on after losing a loved one to suicide. I remember how upset I'd be when people would say, weeks and months after my Dad's ...
From Bitter to Better: Two Years as a Survivor of Suicide
This weekend marks two years since my dad took his life. Once again, I find myself saying, “I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed.” And, like most, I still have trouble believing that I am actually a survivor of suicide, living in continued disbelief that my dad made this decision. Like Lindsay just wrote, it’s been a week of bittersweet celebration for us. After a year on the market, my mom was able to sell our family home, opting to ...