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Tears are prayers too, they travel to God, when you can’t find the words. ~Rumi

Wild Woman Sisterhood

Maybe this will help.
~Beautiful Ramblings

On ***depreventionday, it's important to remember that su***de loss survivors are a high-risk population for su***de themselves. Your understanding, patience, and compassion can make all the difference.

Find support at allianceofhope.org

***deisComplicated ***dePrevention

As a widower I quickly noticed that many of the friendships we built together slowly disappeared.

At first, people were there. They called. They checked in. They showed up. But as the months passed, the calls became less frequent and invitations stopped coming.

People we had shared meals with, laughed with and supported through their own difficult times seemed to just drift away.

Eventually…I found myself mostly alone.

I think this is one of the secondary losses of grief that can be incredibly painful because you never expected it. You knew you were going to miss your person. You probably didn't realize you might also lose part of your social world.

Sometimes friends just don't know what to do with grief. They're uncomfortable mentioning the person who died because they're afraid they'll upset you. They don't know whether to invite the widowed person to something that used to include couples. Eventually, avoiding the awkwardness becomes easier than walking into it.

Here’s the thing…from the grieving person's side, it can feel like another abandonment.

And then there are the questions that come way too soon.

“Are you dating yet?”
“Are you ready to meet someone?”

Those questions might be well intentioned, but when you're still trying to understand how the person you loved can possibly be gone, they can feel as though everyone else has already closed the book on a life you're still very much carrying.

Sometimes what a grieving person needs isn't help finding someone new. They need someone willing to remember who was there before.

Say their name. Invite the widower or widow even if you're not sure they'll come, and call without expecting them to sound better than the last time you called.

Eventually, grief changes our circle. New people can enter our lives who aren't afraid of our grief and don't need us to pretend our person never existed. And they won't replace the friendships that disappeared.

But maybe…they'll remind us that we don't have to walk the rest of this road completely alone.

Gary Sturgis
Author of: ‘SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year’

https://allianceofhope.org/you-didnt-fail-your-loved-one-a-message-about-guilt/

You Didn't Fail Your Loved One: A Message About Guilt | Alliance of Hope If you're reading this, there is a good chance that you have lost someone to su***de. I am so sorry. In the aftermath of loss, survivors often experience

Prevention matters deeply. So does honoring the complex reality survivors face. This September – for the 9th year in a row – our “Su***de is Complicated” campaign is launching on social media.  

Our goal is to increase public awareness of the complexities surrounding su***de and su***de prevention and increase support and understanding for su***de loss survivors.

Su***de loss survivors have a direct and deeply personal experience with su***de that alters their perspective forever. The profound trauma of their loss, recollections of events prior to and following the su***de, and the knowledge they gain from other survivors leads them to realize the complexity of trying to prevent someone from ending their life.

Follow along, and join us in expanding the conversation this month.

We’re here at allianceofhope.org

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