Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
Life after suicide leaves you feeling unsettled as you question whether you knew the person you lost. The person that died that day looks nothing like the person you knew. How could I have not known? You often know the person you lost for the duration of either their life or your own. In that amount of time, you just assume you know exactly who that person is. But the truth is, we often don't truly know the person at all. Why is that?
A ...
Last month, the local Rotary Club hosted a golf outing in my dad’s name and memory to raise funds for a scholarship to benefit area students. We were touched they chose to honor him in this way, especially four years after his death. It’s easy to feel like most people have forgotten about him by now.
I attended the dinner reception after the outing and braced myself to see several of my dad’s colleagues, friends and golf buddies. As the ...
Fairly often, I find myself wondering what life would be like if my dad were still alive. It’s hard not to think about what could have been, though I know that’s a slippery slope.
I wonder how my dad would have liked being a grandfather. I wonder what memories would have come with him meeting my daughter for the first time or spending holidays together with a baby.
As I sit in a weekly music class with my daughter, I watch as another child ...
To be honest, I hadn’t planned on doing anything of significance to mark the four-year anniversary of my dad’s suicide this week. I tend to think it’s better to focus on happier occasions, like his birthday or the holidays we enjoyed together. The craziness of chasing around my 10-month-old, coupled with picking up the house and getting ready for the day certainly served as helpful distractions. However, as the date loomed, I received a couple of ...
“The life of the party…” It’s a phrase I’ve heard many survivors use when describing a loved one lost to suicide. I frequently say the same thing about my dad; he could take over a room with his jokes, he had a contagious belly laugh and he was known for his quick wit. In addition to breathing life into a party, he often planned them. We celebrated big things, little things and everything in between - from half birthdays to good grades. For my ...
