From horror and hurt to healing and hope. by Judy Bruns When my mother took her life, she took a part of mine, too. It felt as though she had rejected me, along with her faith in a God who sees us through. Didn’t she love me? Didn’t she love God? Didn’t she care…
Read moreCategory: Suicide-Euthanasia
Making Contact
by Anna R. Hageman “I don’t know what to do!” The caller’s voice was racked with anguish. “I can’t go on this way, and I can’t go back and do it again.” “Would you like to tell me what happened?” Diane Steward asked empathetically. Within an hour she had learned of the caller’s financial,…
Read moreMy Right to Die
by Beth Swain “I have a problem about wanting to die.” I struggled to get the words out while sounding casual. After months of thinking about suicide, this was my first attempt at talking about it. Maybe sounding casual would soften the impact of my disclosure in this, my first counseling session. Odd…
Read moreLife, Death, and Euthanasia
by Kimn Swenson Gollnick When Eleanor James’ father developed esophageal cancer in 1990, questions about compassion for the dying and assisted suicide leaped out of the news and became reality for her family. As her father’s health deteriorated, they admitted him into hospice care. Eleanor and her family visited him daily. She later wrote…
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by Susan J. Shelley “What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.” — Colette [1] On a warm May evening in 1996, Jamie*, a 36-year-old divorcee with two adolescent daughters, committed suicide in her home. So distraught over the course of her life, she decided to end her misery….
Read moreDying for Control
by Kimn Swenson Gollnick “Can you come with me?” my mother’s tearful voice asked over the phone. “Grandpa’s dying.”The hospital had sent her father home with medication to make him as comfortable as possible. My aunt and cousin had already moved in with him to provide around-the-clock care. My mother felt she should be…
Read moreAll the King’s Men
by Douglas Raymond Rose A rainy day in Texas. The winter wind blew briskly on the wet gravesite. Those of us standing there sang “Amazing Grace” with more true grit than we’d ever mustered before. I didn’t want to believe Tom was dead. He was only 27 years old and hadn’t been sick a…
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