Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
We all pray for that moment, the moment when our loved ones suicide no longer occupies every minute of our day. Yet when it happens, we often experience an overwhelming amount of guilt. This guilt feels different from the guilt that remains after someone ends their life. We want to feel better; yet feeling right, often feels so wrong.
If you haven't experienced a suicide, you simply can't understand. Everyone tells you that your loved one ...
This week, we're featuring a guest reflection from Sebastian Slovin. As a young child, Sebastian survived the suicide of his father and shares about his extended grief journey.
Living in the Shadow of a Suicide
I was fortunate to have a very privileged upbringing. I grew up in an affluent coastal town in southern California called La Jolla. I spent my early days mixing it up at the beach and in the ocean with my mom, dad, and little sister. ...
So there I was, in the middle of a restaurant, crying on the shoulder of a dear friend who also lost her father to suicide. I just love when grief hits at the most unexpected time (insert sarcastic emoji here). I have to say, it has been years since I've found myself crying in the middle of a public place. This December will mark seven years since my dad took his life. I have found a great deal of healing on my journey. Of course I still miss ...
The day my dad died was definitively the worst day of my life…right?
A challenging aspect of suicide loss is that life presses on for survivors. While it forces a “new normal,” dark emotions can dominate most days for years to follow.
But, eventually, survivors have to return to work, maintain a household, shop for groceries and keep up with all of the other things life requires. And, just as these things did before the suicide loss, they ...
Recently, we posted about moving beyond why,where we talked about the task of finding purpose after a loss by suicide. A reader of ours, Michelle Hill, did her own reflection after reading the piece. Michelle lost her son Marcus to suicide 3 1/2 years ago, and has continued to work on finding her purpose. To me, finding our purpose is a lifelong task, and it changes over time. Be gentle to yourself on your journey and acknowledge that purpose ...
