Suicide Survival: Prayers and Wisdom from a Friend

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.

No Man is an Island: We Need Community!

Our first community is Mom
and Dad and siblings.

I went to lunch yesterday with five friends -- real friends -- not the faux Facebook kind. Fortunately the restaurant wasn't busy so we weren't keeping our waiter from serving others because we shared and laughed and lamented for almost four hours.

We talked about our children and grandchildren, the tragedy taking place at Alder Hey Hospital with the deliberate move to euthanize baby Alfie Evans, about the insanity of gender fluidity and the failure of the Catholic parishes in Bob Marshall's district to support him in his race against transgender narcissist Dan(ica) Roem.

We talked about the books we're reading and how beautiful the bluebells are at Bull Run Park. We laughed a lot and cried a little.

When I left, I felt like I'd visited the fountain of youth. That's what a supportive community of believing Catholics does for the spirit. Hopefully, we'll get together in June for a rosary lunch.