Religion and suicide. Two words that are often not found in the same sentence. My religious beliefs and my faith have always brought me comfort. I never stressed about it. I never felt that I needed to explain it. I certainly never felt that I would need to defend it. Then my dad died by suicide. This is a topic I have yet to write about. I think it is time to go there...
Faith is often turned to in times of need. Faith gets many ...
Why I Hate The Stages of Grief
To date, the search words that bring the most visitors to our blog are centered around the Stages of Grief specifically those following a suicide. Every time I see those search terms, I cringe a little. For a couple reasons. One, it saddens me that there are so many people searching for the answer to when their pain will end. Two, because as a society we have given people this notion that grief not only HAS stages, but it has a specified end. ...
Experiencing Loneliness after Dad’s Death by Suicide
This week we welcome guest writer, Sarah Finch. We thank Sarah for sharing her feelings of loneliness following her dad's death by suicide.
LONELINESS
The days following my dad's death by suicide were the loneliest of my life. In a roomful of people, in the midst of a hug, in the middle of a conversation, the resounding thought I had was that I was alone. No one had the relationship I did with my dad, no one knew all the struggles he had ...
The Heart vs. the Head after Losing Dad to Suicide
My father would have celebrated his 66th birthday this past January. As we have every year since the day he left this world, my sister and I post a message on his FaceBook page as a tribute to the man we called "Dad" for so many years. Many people "liked" this message, and commented about how they miss his audacious self. Among those comments lied one in particular that initially angered me. Yet, as I thought about it throughout the day I ...
Experiencing Anxiety after Loss
I was born an anxious person. Before most things have a chance to happen, I worry about the “what ifs.” I fret over things that could happen later today and 10 years from now. This is a trait that’s engrained in me and I really don’t know any other way. I like to feel prepared with lists and solutions for all of the possible outcomes I could experience in life. (Which sounds a lot like my dad.) Whether this was all due to nature, nurture or a mix ...