The 'S' Word
There is another, with two of them
I just finished the book, The Sixth Stage, written by grief expert, David Kessler. In this book, he posits that there is a sixth stage of grief, beyond the five of which most of our familiar with. But in this sixth stage, it is where those of us who have lost someone, find meaning in their death.
Obviously, I sat with this possibility, because of the two suicides in my family.
The very nature of deaths of suicide certainly elicits the very strong feelings of normal grief-shock, anger, denial, but likely ten-to a hundred-to a thousand fold.
Obviously, many of those who have lost someone to suicide strive to de-stigmatize mental illness or work to prevent suicide, raise awareness of them, etc.
However, what I found most surprising in this book was learning that there is another who lost both her brother and father to suicide. Additionally, I believe she has also lost a sister to an overdose, who struggled with bipolar disorder.
There is often tremendous solace in knowing that another has been through what you have gone through. I didn’t think that there was never anyone who hadn’t lost both a parent and a sibling to suicide. However, they weren’t writing about it or so visible with their stories.
Lisa J. Klein decided to create a documentary about suicide to do her part to reduce the stigma of it.
Though my heart breaks for someone who has also experienced those losses, and two of the tragedies, it also gives me strength and fortitude.
Sometimes just knowing that we are not alone, carries us, and fortifies us more than words can say.