Louise Banks: If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?Ian Donnelly: Maybe I'd say what I felt more often. I-I don't know. (from the 2016 movie Arrival)Arrival is a film about difficult, life-altering choices masquerading as a space alien drama. That's ... Continue reading
Survivor’s guilt
December 16, 2023 By Leave a Comment
You had one job! An internet memeParents are supposed to keep bad things from happening to their kids. That's the rule and everybody knows it. If something terrible happens to a child, our first thought is often, Where were the parents?, not, There, but for the grace of God, go I.If you've ... Continue reading
Those who mourn
November 28, 2023 By 7 Comments
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. — Matthew 5:4 (NIV)In my previous post, I talked about how it might be possible to be grateful in the midst of grief. I don't want to imply that I'm not heartsick about my son's death. I'm trying to hold two true but seemingly ... Continue reading
Can I be thankful?
November 22, 2023 By 4 Comments
While most of America celebrates Thanksgiving, my calendar will mark the fifth week since my son committed suicide. What do I have to be thankful about?Last Thanksgiving, I was thankful that my beloved son had survived one more year with his crippling depression. He'd lost his job, yet ... Continue reading
Unplanned destinations
September 5, 2023 By Leave a Comment
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people." —Genesis 50:20 (NLT)Joseph was the first human to be ghosted. His brothers didn't like him, so they sold him to slave traders, told their father, Jacob, he'd ... Continue reading
Finding joy
March 12, 2022 By Leave a Comment
“It is hard to talk about joy. … When my leg hurts I can talk about it. I have a lot of words to describe how much it hurts. When it doesn’t hurt I don’t think about it. When I am well I don’t talk about it. My language is limited. My language is much more elaborate for anxiety than for joy.” – ... Continue reading
When suicide sat down to dinner
September 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment
“After you were born, your mother told me: 'We're just here to be memories for our kids.'”Cooper saying goodbye to Murphy in the movie InterstellarI barely remember my father, and what “memories” I have might be manufactured, for all that I know. I suspect most of them are just impressions ... Continue reading
Gravity
January 22, 2017 By Leave a Comment
In Alfonso Cuarón’s beautiful film, Gravity, Sandra Bullock is part of a team of US space shuttle astronauts on a mission to repair the Hubble space telescope. As Dr. Ryan Stone, Bullock feels lost on earth, weighed down by grief, loneliness, and gravity. She spends her nights driving aimlessly, ... Continue reading
