Today’s post is a much sadder, much more personal one than I usually share. I learned yesterday that I lost one of my oldest friends to suicide. This is someone I have known since middle school. I know their whole family well. I won’t be any more specific than that out of respect for their surviving family, all of whom are grieving intensely at the moment.

Before yesterday, I had never thought seriously about what it feels like to be affected by suicide. Today, I can tell you definitively that it feels like being hit with a sledgehammer. I cannot imagine what it is like to survive this in your immediate family. I weep for the departed, and I weep for the ones who have been left behind in their passing.

Tragedy of this kind is a powerful reminder to tell the ones you love that you love them, in plain English. Terrible though this is, my friend’s passing has made me abundantly aware of how many people I care intensely about. I would hate to lose anyone else in my life this way. I have been sending a lot of texts, emails, and phone calls to that effect in the last 24 hours.

If you are considering suicide, please reach out and seek help. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available, 24 hours a day, every day, at 800-273-8255, or via chat at http://suicidepreventionhotline.org.

I would also ask that you consider a donation to your local suicide prevention organization. My friend’s family has also asked that donations in their memory be sent to the Montana Meth Project.

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