How is it that people around us can commit suicide and we have no clue? Are we so busy with out lives that we never look beyond the surface of the people in our family, friends and those we encounter on a daily basis? Should questions go through your mind about what you could have done, or you should you have been more attentive?
These questions are going through my head right now. I got the news on Friday: my cousin had committed suicide. I knew him as a child, but I had not spent time with him as an adult. I loved his father. He was one of my favorite uncles, but I didn’t really know much about him.
After the fact, everyone can speculate on what might have happened, but there were those close by, and no one had an inkling, a gut, an intuition, nothing. It’s finally happened in our family. I have heard of it happening to others but now it’s come home. It doesn’t feel good.
I am saddened but he is gone.
He had children and grandchildren he left behind. His health was poor. He was struggling financially. His spirit was crushed. Rumors had it that he posted a prayer requests online somewhere, maybe a few times; I don’t know. Again, speculation. It’s amazing at the speculation after his death.
I’ve encountered people whose lives were so bad they talked of dying. If they can talk about it, there is a good chance they needed to vent and won’t actually do it. So how do we know who is about at that point? Is there any way to tell? Or does it always come as a surprise?
We may not always know in chance encounters but what we can do is to take the time to
hear, look, care about and show compassion and love to others we meet. So what if that little old lady next door just wants to talk. It’s not just the old, but the young that cross your path. Stop! Take time with people; it maybe their last day of life.
0 comments:
Post a Comment