As a child, one of my favorite Christmas traditions was to ride around and look at all the Christmas lights in our community. The windows were filled with brightly lit trees, store windows proclaimed the Christmas season, and church lawns donned nativity scenes, some of which were live. While I loved taking in the sights of Christmas, what made it really special was the time…
SUICIDE…one word…says so much… S – Stigma U – You are gone. I – I will never be the same. C – Completed…Over…No More… I – Irreversible. D – Death. E – Eternity. Ten minutes ago I sat with a friend who received a phone call that someone she cares about had just overdosed. Immediately the atmosphere in the room changed. A heaviness weighed down…
Yesterday I experienced anxiety like never before. I’ve been worried…I have had my share of fear…but as the eye of Hurricane Irma approached my dad and his home, my fears skyrocketed! My heart raced. The tears flowed. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed and pray the time would pass quickly. This morning my fears were relieved when my dad texted me…
The impending threat of Hurricane Irma has caused an increase in anxiety for many people — understandably so. What do we do? Do we stay or evacuate? Will we lose our homes or our jobs? These are just a few questions that people along the path of the storm are pondering. I want to remind everyone first of all that Irma is no surprise to…
There are times when grief threatens to swallow us whole. It seems like it will never end. Recently, I’ve walked through the valley of the shadow of death alongside several people who long for peace and healing… This week I went to the funeral of a precious woman and I was really moved by a post by her son regarding the bereavement process. “We lost…
Chester Bennington. Chris Cornell. Friends. Both died by suicide just 2 months apart. Individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide are at an increased risk of suicide themselves. One study reports that people bereaved by suicide (Survivors of Suicide, aka SOS) within the past year were 1.6 times more likely to struggle with suicidal ideation, 2.9 times more likely to create a suicidal plan,…