[Magdalen] a death in the family--prayers please

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

Suicide is a horrible ordeal for those left behind.  It makes us all wonder
if there was something we could have done differently, and of course, no
matter what all the pat-the-hand-there-there folks may say and insist over
and over, we all know that, yes there were things we could and should have
done better, and we all know it. Why? Simple: because none of us are
perfect. When my best friend from growing up took his life, it was a
horrible experience for all of us who knew him, but my professional gut
tells me that no matter what we do, it usually isn't going to be enough.

Yet, it torments us all, and I will have doubts in my heart til I die that
maybe I could have done more.

I hope there are some close trusted folks to sit with the lady who has had
the line of losses. She will need others to sit with her for some time.

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

On Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 5:35 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear pubbies, I wanted to let you know that my son Adam, for whom we've all
> been praying very hard this past year or so, could no longer bear the pain
> he was dealing with and took his life today.  Very strangely, I was almost
> not surprised when Jonathan called to tell me. I feel like I have been
> watching this coming for the last year, almost like watching an accident
> happening in slow motion.
>
> Jonathan is taking this very hard. He and Betsy have tried so hard to help
> Adam and he especially feels like he failed him somehow. I tried to tell
> him that he did all he could but sometimes you just can't help. I haven't
> talked to Betsy yet. She and Adam were very close and this coming on top of
> losing her dad and her grandmother in the last couple of years is bound to
> be another blow. It's also going to be very hard on Isaak and on Betsy's
> boys, who loved their Uncle Adam dearly.
>
> I don't know what arrangements will be. The only request Adam made was that
> he be buried in a Veterans' cemetery.
>