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"Learn from this and help
each other." ~Timothy McClelland
"You don’t really think at the time you want to kill yourself. You
just want to stop hurting so badly."
Corinne Kemp,
daughter and sister of suicide victims
"Nobody told me what the warning signs and risk factors were. Nobody
told me suicide was so prevalent in our teens."
Bonnie McClelland,
mother of suicide victim
"At 4am in the morning a confused girl felt a moment of helplessness
and did something drastic. Something that can never be taken back..."
Angie,
best friend of suicide victim (click
here to share Angie's memories of her friend, Jesse)
Remembering
Brandon
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You may not
think the world needed you, but it did.
For you were unique: like no one that has ever been before or will come
after.
No one can speak with your voice; say your piece; smile your smile; or shine
your light.
No one can take your place for it was yours alone to fill.
Because you are not here to shine your light, who knows how many travelers
will lose their way as they try to pass by your empty place in the darkness.
~ Author Unknown |
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We Remember Them |
In the rising of the sun and it its going down,
We Remember Them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We Remember Them.
In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring,
We Remember Them.
In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer,
We Remember Them.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
We Remember Them. |
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We Remember Them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
We Remember Them.
When we are lost and sick of heart,
We Remember Them.
When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share,
We Remember Them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us.
~ From the Jewish Book of Prayer
as
provide to us by Jack Cassidy 9/15/2003
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Parent of a Suicide |
Questions left unanswered
torturing to the head
Lie in bed awake at night
Wondering what you could have said
Gone forever, never to be seen
Their eyes which did sparkle and so brightly gleam
Are they here or not, I wonder everyday
Again questions left unanswered, much to my dismay
Memories are foggy , turning into blur
To speak their name aloud has become just another slur
Forbidden by society, the silence becomes so loud
Don't tell them how they left you, it might upset the crowd
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A Wonderful human being has left and no one really cares
All that's left is open mouths with nothing but silly stares
No questions or answers there for you,your shoes they never wore
Its not a pair for anyone, can't be bought in any store
If the price tag was visible, I know not one would buy
The cost to wear these shoes is just to Friggin high
~ Denise... Carl's mom Dedicated to greypoupon8 |
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I am
Alive
This moving speech was given by Jeff Shuck, V.P. of Productions, at
opening and closing ceremonies, at the OUT of THE DARKNESS event for suicide
awareness/prevention, in Wash. D.C. the weekend of Aug 17 &18th, 2002.
My printed words cannot convey the power, the emotion, and the conviction
in which the speech was spoken, but for the thousands of us who stood,
trembled, and wept as we listened to it, we were deeply and forever moved.
Respectfully,
Carla Stumpf-Patton (FFOS & H.O.P.E. crew)
wife of Sgt. Rich Stumpf |
I am Alive
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I am alive...I may have lost my brother, my sister, my parent, my child, my
friend, but I am a survivor of the long dark night of unspeakable loss, the
unbearable pain, of my own darkness...and I am alive. I am unwilling to
stand idly by and allow shame to defeat love, or silence to defeat action. I
stand for the enlightenment of a society that would hide from suicide, that
would avoid, that would pretend...and I am alive...
I am unwilling for my perseverance to be in vain, unwilling for the
passing of my loved one to be in shame. I loved them more than I loved
myself and their life will have meaning in my action. |
I am resolved and I am alive...in a world blinded by pursuit of pleasure, I
am here to say that people are in pain. In a world rushing to get ahead, I
am hear to say that people are being left behind. In a world obsessed with
the value of the market, I am here to speak for the value of life and I am
alive... This will be no quite fight fight, for I am the voice of audacity
in the face of apathy. I am the spirit of bravery in a world of action.
I am a commitment to action in the face of neutrality. I am out of the
darkness...I am into the light and I...I am alive.
~ Jeff
Shuck, August 17, 2002 |
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The Cord |
We are connected,
My child and I, by
An invisible cord
Not seen by the eye.It's not like the cord
That connects us 'til birth
This cord can't be seen
By any on Earth.
This cord does it's work
Right from the start.
It binds us together
Attached to my heart.
I know that it's there
Though no one can see
The invisible cord
From my child to me.
The strength of this cord
Is hard to describe.
It can't be destroyed
It can't be denied. |
It's stronger than any cord
Man could create
It withstands the test
Can hold any weight.
And though you are gone,
Though you're not here with me,
The cord is still there
But no one can see.
It pulls at my heart
I am bruised...I am sore,
But this cord is my lifeline
As never before.
I am thankful that God
Connects us this way
A mother and child
Death can't take it away!
~Terri Apostolakas
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Mom
Shawn Smith was 13 years old. At the time of his death he was incarcerated at
the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Daytona, Florida. Shawn
complained that he was constantly harassed, bullied and beaten at the hands of
those entrusted with his care. Those hands belonged to employees of the Florida
Department of Juvenile Justice. On
October 30, 2001 —
when the pain of dealing with his daily torture proved more that
this child's ability to cope —
Shawn Smith completed suicide.
Shortly after his death, a friend of his grandmother wrote this letter on
Shawn's behalf:
Mom,
When tomorrow starts without me and I’m not there to see, If the sun should
rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me; I wish so Much you
wouldn’t cry the way you did today, while thinking of the many things, We didn’t
get to say. I know how much you love me, as much as I love you, and Each time
you think of me, I know you’ll miss me too; but when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand, that an angel came and called my name, And took me by
the hand, and said my place was ready, in heaven far above, And that I’d have to
leave behind all those I dearly loved. But as I turned to walk away, a tear fell
from my eye, for all my life, I’d always thought I didn’t want to die. I had so
much to live for, So much left yet to do, it seemed almost impossible, that I
was leaving you. I thought of all the yesterdays, the good ones and the bad, I
thought of all the love we shared, and all the fun we had.
If I could relive yesterday, just even for a while, I’d say good-bye and kiss
you and Maybe see you smile. But then I fully realized, that this could never
be, for Emptiness and memories would take the place of me. And when I thought of
worldly things I might miss come tomorrow, I thought of you, and when I did, my
heart was filled with sorrow.
But when I walked through Heaven’s gates, I felt so much at home. When God
looked down and smiled at me from his great golden throne, he said, “This is
eternity, and all I’ve promised you. Today your life on earth is past, But here
life starts anew. I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last. And since
each day’s the same way, there’s no longing for the past. You have been so
faithful, so trusting and so true. Though there were times you did some things
you knew you shouldn’t do. But you have been forgiven and now at last you’re
free. So won’t you come and take my hand and share my life with me?”
So when tomorrow starts without me, Don’t think we’re far apart, for every
time you think of me, I’m right here in your heart!
Love,
Shawn
[Terri Mestre is Mom. She can be contacted at
Tmestre@cfl.rr.com]
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There Were Many Moments With
You...
(Just Not Enough Years)
A child is a gift from the Heavenly Father
that comes with many moments of love.
But what you think you'll hold for a lifetime,
may one day soar to the Heavens above.
Oh, now, I think back at the moments;
Precious moments I shared with you.
I think of the times that I heard you laugh...
There's nothing to compare it to.
I think of the times you sat with me;
Sharing the dreams you treasure.
And sharing the failures that you feared most...
Even these were moments of pleasure.
Every moment I shared with you was a joy!
So much more than you could know.
Just to hear each time your heart would beat...
Meant one more beat to help you grow!
Tonight, I sit & hold onto the photo albums;
Holding onto every single minute.
I look back & long for more time in life with you.
For more life while you were in it.
I see others around me and know that they
understand exactly how I feel.
For every moment I live without you|
is a moment too painfully real.
So, I sit tonight longing to hold you.
I just can't hold back my tears.
There were many moments with you...
Oh ... Just not enough years.
Kaye Des'Ormeaux ~ © 2001
Special dedication to all Moms who have lost a child.
For Cathy in loving memory of her son, Chris W.
Submitted by Carol
Dustin's Mom
3/01/86 - 12/09/02
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