The Rest of my Story Let the Tears Flow

The Rest of my Story Let the Tears Flow

The Rest of my Story Let the Tears Flow. The flow for the pain these people went through. The pain that their family and loved ones have gone through. The lost time, confusion, hurt, and then that moment of despair.

Office Buddy

The man that I worked with was the life of the office. We shared our office space, and we had the most fun, hands down, of any other office. He introduced me to his lovely ‘female friend’ and her son, C. They were all so dang cute together. We all loved hanging out, and C had a bit of a crush on me. He was like 8, so it was pretty sweet. There was no surprise that they would get married soon after they met. Then along came baby B! Wow, what a transition.

My friend got another job in another town (close by). He wasn’t too far away, and so he commuted. His wife continued to work, and both boys began school. Life seemed to be good for them until the moment when I got the phone call.

Screams

The screams of my friend’s wife still bounce around in my head from time to time. I didn’t realize that my friend was struggling with mental illness because their family put on an excellent show. It turns out he couldn’t move forward and made a devastating choice for those who loved him. I will never forget the look on her face when she told me what happened. She was talking, but she wasn’t present. This is something you never get over. You always wonder what you could have done differently. The pain does not cease with time.

All In the Family

Here is another family that is close to my heart. Well, when I met this family, they were infectious. The dad was loud and in your face. Mom was loud and loved to talk and make friends. The kids were big. Loud. Boisterous. Kids. A blended and unique family that seemed to figure out how to make it work.

Again, from the outside, life looked awesome. Great job for him. Great job for her. Kids in college, school, military, money, lovely house. Then, you open the door to this beautiful home and see what is going on behind closed doors.

Silence, arguing, pain, grudges, fights, booze, meds, threats, screaming. There was one person of stability in the house, and he was fantastic. Sadly, the Lord called this person home. That’s when things started falling apart. The marriage was dwindling, and the kids were not doing what they needed to do. Then prescription drugs and alcohol began to play a factor.

Instability

When a parent is unstable, and children witness or deal with suicidal attempts or threats, it alters their minds forever. Sadly this is the case. Due to undiagnosed medical conditions, the struggle has been consciously breathing in and out every day. So, it is no surprise when one of her children followed her in her footsteps. Generational curses can be broken! Thankfully, everyone in this family is doing their best to take the next right step.

2 Families, Same Story

Drugs, alcohol, abuse, feelings of unworthiness, and depression plagued two boys. One was a young boy, not even a teen. The other was a young man with a brand new baby to love. In my eyes, both of these boys were loved, but in their eyes, they were not worthy of love. They were useless, and people would be better off without them. Knowing the people that saw what happened that day and ran to their rescue haunts me. I cannot even imagine seeing what they saw and the strength it took them to save these boys. The thankfulness that these, now men, are still alive does not leave my mind.

Yet, they are still struggling with the same things they did when they were younger. The boy of the story cannot work, drive, or do much of anything. He is confined to one space. How heartbreaking to wake up every day to the same thing day after day with no hope of getting out of that space.

The young man in the story is working and doing okay. Raising children and trying to do life in the best way he knows how. He copes with drugs and alcohol and still suffers from depression. I hope that these young men can see who they are in God’s eyes. They are loved beyond measure.

The Screams of a Mother

There is nothing quite like that phone call. This mom has given her life to raising her children in God’s light. She loves her children and has made enormous sacrifices for them. She has made decisions that no parent should have to make. Then, her young son does the unthinkable and succeeds. It was the most heart-wrenching thing I have ever heard. All I could do was pray for peace—her voice.

My Sweet Friend

I met this sweet friend at a place that helped my son. She had a kind smile and a loud laugh. Shortly after we met and became friends, she was diagnosed with cancer. She fought that battle and won. We missed seeing her every week, but it was safer to be home and not get sick. Treatments are hard on a body.

I was thrilled when I saw her walking toward me one day. She had her bandana on her head and a smile on her face. My son was so excited to see her, as well. Again, this woman I knew had some struggles, but for the most part, she “seemed” happy until she wasn’t.

Sigh, I can’t even begin. Articulate properly. Precious human. She is now at peace though missed here.

Then There was Leigh Ann

My loud, firecracker, sailor-mouthed friend. Fearless. Brilliant. Beautiful. All of the stories I told have taken a piece of my heart. Leigh Ann, however, has taken a chunk. Again, the horror of hearing her mama and the words coming out of her mouth. The useless feeling washed over me as I held her sweet son while he sobbed. Her daughter. Brother. Even her dog was mourning.

I have written about her before, and I will not discuss her life or death in this post. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. Honestly, not a night goes by when I close my eyes and see her staring back at me. Her death was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I am not okay.

Parting Thoughts

I have dedicated this whole month to awareness and suicide prevention. I have posted myths and facts on my Facebook page, as well. Honestly, I have no idea how many people even read what I write, but it is healing for me. I heard this not long ago, this statement. If a person were in their right mind at that moment, they would never follow through with suicide. I say this because if they were in their right mind, they would think about the NEXT moment. For instance, who would find them? How would they live in or drive by the place where it occurred? What about their children? If they had them, what would they grow up knowing?

So many questions and so few answers.

Moments are fleeting, but the Truth of the Lord remains. Your life is worth more than all the rubies and gold in heaven. He created you in the image of His Son. Jesus loves you without abandon, and you have to do nothing to earn it. There is help, and there is hope. You are loved. Your life is worth living. Please think about that next moment after you imagine your “success.” Think about the other person who will find you and have to tell your loved ones.

Seek help. Medication. Therapy. Self-care.

Some of my friends survived, and too many were lost to suicide. I have put off writing this and posting this for a month and all day today. It is hard, and I know I will have bad dreams tonight. I am always trying to save everyone. You can save yourself by calling any of these resources to help you!

Resources

1.800.273.8255 Suicide Hotline

1.800.799.7233 National Domestic Violence Hotline

1.800.422.4453 Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline

1.866.488.7386 The Trevor Project LGBTQ? Hotline