Testimony of a Suicide Survivor

I am a suicide survivor. I am also a Christian. This article explains how anyone, but especially people of faith, can survive or help others to survive the tragedy of a suicidal death of a family member or close friend.

My father committed suicide with an overdose of prescription medicine taken in conjunction with alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant that exacerbates suicidal tendencies in those who are prone to such self-destructive acts. I was 16 years old at the time. I was wrongly ashamed of my father’s suicide for most of my life. In fact, that feeling of shame is one of the great regrets of my life. With the combination of drugs Read more

The Grief And Belief Connection

“Grief is healing: To take away our grief is to take away our healing. And learning about life after death helps us heal with greater hope, comfort and peace.” ~ Bob Olson

In approximately five years of investigating the possibility of life after death, I have discovered convincing evidence that there really is an afterlife, that we really do continue to exist after death, and that our loved ones continue to watch over us and guide us in the spirit world. But this is just the beginning of my discoveries. Read more

The Empty Chair Around The Holiday Table

Many Americans will be sitting down together around the dinner table very soon, to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza. These dinners re-enforce a sense of shared family values, a feeling that all is right with the world as long as we can be together at holiday time.
But the truth is, all may not be in order at the holiday table. There will be empty chairs this year, chairs that were filled last year with our beloved parents or grandparents or close friends, those who have died and gone on to their next journey. We will look around and those Read more

Understanding Your Grief

Grieving is part of the realities of life. Losing a loved one is one of the most painful and profound losses of all. Every one of us has experienced or will experience grief at some time in our lives. It is a devastating feeling of sadness and loss. Often times this process is accompanied by physical aches, pains and even serious illness. Read more

Grief Support: The Don’ts

1) Don’t try to make the grieving person feel better. YOU CANNOT. For many grievers it only serves to make them feel guilty or worse. Grievers MUST experience the pain of grief for healing to ultimately occur.

2) Don’t tell the griever to give it time. Time has stopped for the griever. Life proceeds in slow motion. Life is too surreal to be identified with time. Read more

Losing the One You Love

I can’t imagine a more difficult or trying period: coping with the death of a loved one. This is especially true when they are relatively young or not showing a sign of a previous illness or disease. Auto accident victims immediately come to mind because of their proliferation. But there are other ways and means to cut short a life. Yet, does it really matter in the end? The result is that friends, relatives, and other associates remain here on earth to deal with the tragedy. I feel somewhat qualified to write about this because it happened to me twice. Read more

Death and Grief: Unacceptable Reasons Given

Many reasons for death are given to those who have lost someone close to them. Some of these reasons, while well intentioned, do not provide any comfort. Most often, people suffering through the loss of a loved one or friend are not ready to have legitimate answers given until later. It is completely natural, however, to ask “Why?” This is in response to the sense of a lack of reasoning on “why bad things happen to good people.” To ask is expected; but to get a satisfying answer is not expected. People dealing with grief may be ready at a later date for philosophical explanations, but for the first few weeks following the death is not a good time to give answers; that may come later. Read more

Death and Grief: Acceptable Reasons Given

Many reasons for death are given to those who have lost someone close to them. Some of these reasons, while well intentioned, do not provide any comfort. Most often, people suffering through the loss of a loved one or friend are not ready to have legitimate answers given until later. There are helpful reasons, however, to give to someone when their suffering may seem so senseless.We suffer as a result of living in a fallen world. (Matthew 5:45) Read more

The End of a Life

Imagine the opening and closing of an oak roll top desk representing the opening and closing of life. If there is only one time to leave a first impression then there is only one time to leave a last impression. Spiritual leadership guides the memory of the final imprint of the breath of life.

Religion, an instrument of spirituality, reflects grief’s rights to closure at the end of a life’s journey. The dead do not require clergy to pray or hear their final thoughts. Clergy respond in the time of loss to offer guidance, prayer, and grief counseling to the living during the hour of loss. Read more

The Afterlife Connection: Jane Greer

HEALING THE GRIEVING HEART
The Afterlife Connection
Host: Dr. Gloria Horsley
With guest: Jane Greer
March 2, 2006

G: Hello, I’m Dr. Gloria Horsley. Welcome to Healing the Grieving Heart, a show of hope and renewal for those who have suffered the loss of a child and a show of hope, understanding and insight to those who support the bereaved both professionally and personally. When the show first aired on June 1, I thought of it as a show for parents, grandparents, and siblings who had lost a child. I now realize that the show is a great benefit to friends as well as caregivers who work in this most difficult field. A bereaved parent who was on my show recently, emailed me that her sister had listened to my interview with her. She said that her sister was continuing to listen to the live shows as well as the archived shows. Her sister felt that the shows gave her a better understanding of what the family had gone through. It’s my sincere Read more