I received this email from a friend in California whose mom recently died and herself experienced the suicide of an uncle last fall. Since our precious grandson took his life, many have shared their own stories of close family members who took this desperate way out to escape their pain. At this point there is little consolation from anything except, for me, to meditate on the suffering face of Christ, but the reaching out of friends has been like a lifeline. Thank you to everyone who is praying for our family and having Masses said for our darling Brendan. May God reward you for your kindness.
Mary Ann,
What you just wrote to me is precisely one of the greater goods that Our Lord is bringing from your and your family's suffering: an increased awareness of suicide. Your experience is more devastating because it has happened in your family with a precious young adult, your grandson, but no matter the age of the person who commits it, it is always devastating to surviving loved ones.
