Post Traumatic Stress Disorder...or, "That Punched in the Stomach Feeling"

        One of  the most helpful things I read early on in my process of recovering was that if someone experiences a sudden or tragic death of a loved one, they may actually experience Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, especially the first several months of their grieving process.  The symptoms of anxiety, shock, flashbacks, confusion, and inability to sleep

Stars





Perhaps they are not the stars,

but rather openings in Heaven,

where the love of our lost ones pours through...

and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.

Author Unknown

   

                                                                          

Making Decisions - Cruel Irony

      I had often heard that we shouldn't make any big decisions for a year following a life altering event such as divorce, loss of a job, or death of a loved one.  Yet, upon the news of your child's death, you need to make very deliberate and sometimes complicated choices

It Makes a Difference

Today I am digressing from the story of the aftermath of my son's death.  I wanted to share this instead.
This story came to me years ago...it always warms my heart, and makes me feel good.  I hope you enjoy it.



One day, at dawn, a man was walking on the beach and in the distance he saw a figure that looked as if it were dancing.  As he got closer, he saw that the beach was littered with thousands of starfish and the figure was a little boy who was picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean.

As the man approached the little boy, he said to him
"What are you doing?"
The little boy replied,
"I'm throwing these starfish back into the water.  If I leave them here, when the sun gets hot, they'll dry up and die."
The man pointed at all the starfish and said,
"But look how many there are.  What you're doing can't possibly make a difference!"
And as the boy picked up yet another starfish and threw it into the ocean he said,
"Well, it makes a difference to this one."

  
                                    Author Unknown

"The Crime Scene"

         The trouble with life is, I think, that we often think we know a lot about something, only to find out we had no idea about some of the most basic issues involved in a life event.  Because my son had a previous suicide attempt, and I had learned as much as I could

The Longest Mile

        It was the longest mile I would ever have to drive.  My hands clutched the steering wheel, but I was not trying to keep the car from veering out of control.  Somewhere deep in my gut I knew I was desperately trying to keep my life from veering out of control...