As I address Suicide Awareness Month this month, I speak to the family and friends who are left to live without their person. I write with the utmost reverence and respect for the life ended and for the families and friends who are suffering and trying to put the pieces together. I don’t pretend to be in your shoes—I write from what I’ve read and heard. The road ahead will … [Read more...]
What I’ve learned about suicide
I’ve worked with many people who are left to survive after a suicide. The stories are tragic, and the despair is warranted, accurate, and often crippling. Here’s a bit of what I’ve learned about suicide: It does not discriminate based on a person’s color, religion, politics, sex, national origin, age, disability, talent, genetic information, or financial status. It’s a … [Read more...]
Do you really want to know?
My youngest grandson was recently in Children’s Hospital with a broken leg. I left his room to get some water and met a pretty woman wearing a purple blouse in the snack room. She asked what brought me to the hospital. I told her, and I asked the same. She looked me square and said, “Do you really want to know?” I nodded and said, “Yes.” In very few words, she told me her … [Read more...]
Do what you can while you can
This week I was inspired by an article in the Fence Post: Your Trusted Source for Ag News & Information. “As iron sharpens iron: Stories of mental health from rural Colorado” was written by Rachel Gabel and published on October 29, 2021. Gabel is an agriculture journalist, author, and member of one of Colorado’s beef-producing families. The complicated subject is rural … [Read more...]