The end of each year is traditionally a wonderful time for many people, but it can be difficult for survivors of suicide loss, no matter how long it has been since their lives changed. Among the decorations, music, special events, and general holiday cheer are threads of memories that take us back to days when […] The post Finding Comfort with Others Who Understand appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

Editor’s Note: The following is a chapter from Eileen Vorbach Collins’ recently published book, “Love in the Archives, a Patchwork of True Stories About Suicide Loss.” When her fifteen-year-old daughter Lydia ended her life, Eileen struggled to survive. She found support in a community of bereaved parents who understood her pain and who did not […] The post You Light Up My Life appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

The 6th anniversary of my brother’s death is this coming Sunday. The best way I can think of to proactively deal with its arrival is to offer my own words of hope and healing to those who have recently lost someone. First, I offer my sincerest and heartfelt condolences and sympathies. This experience is unlike […] The post Hope is Never Gone appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

I miss our Christmas’ past. When my kids were young, I would throw out oats with sparkles, saying the sparkles would attract the reindeers. As they grew, I had their stockings posted, but they did not know there was anything in them because they were filled with gift cards for their favorite fast food restaurants. […] The post I Have a New Holiday Tradition appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

We all know the number of suicides increases over the Christmas holidays, right? Actually, wrong. The idea that more people kill themselves at Christmastime than at any other time of year is an urban legend. In fact, according to the National Institute of Health, studies have found that the suicide rate actually declines on Christmas […] The post Suicide and the Holidays – Myth or Reality? appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

1. You have the right to say “time out” anytime you need. It’s OK to blow off a little steam, step away from the holidays, have a “huddle,” and start over. 2. You have the right to “tell it like it is.” When people ask, “How are you?” you have the right to tell them […] The post The Griever’s Holiday Bill of Rights appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

Thanksgiving and Christmas were the two days in the year when I would cook. Turkey with all the sides and apple pie with whipped cream. Kelly was always helping out and eating a spoonful of whipped cream when I wasn’t looking. That, like so many other things, has fallen by the wayside. We spent the […] The post Thankful appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

If the holiday season were baseball, my game would look a little like this. Thanksgiving leads me from the comfort of the dugout and up the tiny set of stairs to the field. I’m the batter on deck warming up, practicing. My birthday lurks, and I find myself at the plate. Swing, batter batter batter, […] The post Holiday Baseball appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

The possessions left behind by my husband after he died were a blessing and a curse. They were a blessing because they reminded me of him. They were a curse … because they reminded me of him. I could walk into my bedroom and see his clothes hanging there and it comforted me. The sense […] The post Letting Go of Their Things appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more

Today I said “I’m fine”, not once But five times altogether When people asked, “How are you?” Then made small talk of the weather And so I hid behind my mask The one I’d worn a while I set in place my bravest face And dressed it in a smile And that was how the […] The post I’m Fine appeared first on Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors ..read more