May is National Mental Health Month and we need to practice skills to improve/maintain our mental health now more than ever. Being in quarantine and social distancing has taken its toll on most of us; there are a few things we can do to help us to reduce negative effects during this stressful season. Create a safe place in your home where you can go…
1. Did you see it coming? This question is irrelevant. There are times when a person takes their life and everyone is shocked; there are other instances where loved ones knew and were doing everything they knew to do in order to prevent it but the person still suicided. Asking this question only adds to the guilt survivors already feel. It is not helpful in…
This April my dear friend, Melody Hester, and I are hosting a women’s retreat called The Invisible Beauty of Suffering in Oak Island, NC. This has been a dream of ours for several years. We plan to offer biblical truths to women who are hurting or have been hurt in order to provide hope. Several people have mentioned that they would love to come, but…
Recently I’ve seen a lot of posts on social media asking, “What’s your word for 2020?” I am praying that 2020 would be a year of DELIGHT in my life. When I think of delight I think of a groom’s expression as he sees his bride for the first time on their wedding day. I think of a parent’s excitement as his child takes her…
After losing both my husband and my mother-in-law to suicide, I felt both guilt and shame. I wondered how could I have missed this? If only I’d said this or done that…the list goes on and on. I also felt shame. I thought others blamed me. “She must have been a horrible wife or he would never have done that.” Then there was the shame…
I heard the familiar vibrating sound notifying me that I had a new message. I clicked on the message and what I read made my heart cry out. A dear friend (who I will call Peter) was telling me goodbye. He was prepared to end his life. After twenty minutes of talking the phone went silent. I waited. And waited. And waited. No more messages….