While this quote mentions the loss of a child, I think it applies to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide.  I hate that when I start to talk about my dad, the room often becomes silent.  I get those silent grins as people remember that my father died by suicide.  Almost four years after losing my dad, I still feel like talking about him brings the mood down in the room.  My father died at 62 years old. 62 years of life before his death.  I ...

One of the most difficult aspects of the grief journey is learning to live without the person you lost.  Unlike an anticipated death, suicide leaves you feeling helpless and alone.  The plans you had for the future are crushed in an instant.  While the future can be scary on its own, it can be even scarier after a loss by suicide.   The world no longer makes sense.  I believe that the grief journey is about rediscovering who you are.  Who am I if ...

As a survivor, we have all felt the pressure to "move on" after tragically losing someone we love.  As a society we have created this belief that grief begins when the person dies, and ends shortly after.  For starters, grief doesn't end.  It just becomes less present in our everyday life.  Second, when you experience a tragic loss, you should not be expected to move on as quickly as someone who did not lose someone tragically.  The unthinkable ...

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, ...

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. ...