“At approximately 2:oo p.m. on November 2, 1993, my husband took his own life.” Barb Pekich puts words to a hurt that few of us have known. Barb courageously shares her experience as a widow by highlighting the stages...
There is no deeper sense of abandonment than the feelings provoked by a parent’s suicide. It can be tempting to quickly respond to such pain with: "It is not your fault. Your parent is in a better place. It’s...
What is in your Bible? A faded dry flower? A note? A special picture? Recently at Bible study, Dori gently removed an envelope from her Bible and said, “I think I finally have the courage to read this card to you. ...
Grief is a normal and natural process by which a person makes a healthy adjustment to any significant loss in his or her life. Any significant loss (the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a broken marriage, deterioration of health, a shattered dream) triggers the process. Most people experience some or all of the below emotional responses when they lose anything or anyone important in their lives. But first, read Barb’s story:
Editor's note: when we first published this post nearly a decade ago, it was common to use the phrase "committed suicide." The term "died by suicide" is a more accepted term now. We've chosen to keep the original title...
Dear Karen, This is really more about YOUR story than mine. Shortly after receiving your book The Compassionate Congregation, a friend of mine lost her husband to suicide. I went to the chapter on "Suicide". My boss...
At approximately 2:00 p.m., on November 2, 1993, my husband took his own life. That event brought me and our four children face-to-face with a death we did not understand--indeed, did not want to understand. The pain...
Wisdom for the Caregiver (from Barb Pekich) Friends brought dinners every day for two months. This was coordinated by the parish administrator and my best friend. Two women did my grocery shopping for almost six...
