finding good in great loss

A woman that I know recently posted a baby photo of her father, her father who died when she was only a few years old by way of suicide.

While Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade have been its “star victims” just this past week, I can’t help but think of the countless amount of human beings we lose this way. Just like the culprits it’s mostly associated with, mental illness and addiction, suicide can find you no matter who you are, in spite of your upbringing, race, religion, family or career status.

Like so many others, I have had to say goodbye to someone so dear to me because of this most distressing act. And I sometimes wonder how I wasn’t able to recognize the heartbrokenness and depression in his eyes. How was I not able to see he was at the point where he had no fight left?

For all of us who are left behind to grieve and ponder this senseless loss of life, we must remember that we are also left behind to share our loved one’s legacy and impact others through it. I believe every person has the ability to affect others for the better, even through their death. We can also find consolation in our compassionate and merciful God, who surely grants heavenly peace and healing to those who have struggled so greatly on earth.

It is my hope that this epidemic of suicide is somehow used for the greater good – teaching our world a lesson of kindness, awareness and love. It is my prayer that it will soon cease.