Remember... There's Light.
Too many have learned in isolation these last 9 months the depths of depression and where that can lead. Loss of light. Loss of hope. Loss of perspective.
It is a spiral that some manage, others surpass and sadly some succumb to as it did to my father 24 years ago today.
The word suicide is still considered a dirty word but one thrust on me and my family when my father took his own life on December 20th, 1996, a loss I came to understand from a support group in a non descript basement of a church on the Upper East Side of New York City.
Today however, 24 years later, I use my father’s death and his spirit as a teaching of light and life.
Today, more than any other in 24 years, many are suffering and believe there is no light in the darkness we are all living through. But there is and being unafraid to reach out and touch another with a kind word, a (virtual) hug or a gentle smile could be the difference between the life that person chooses to live or chooses to end.
Looking back on the dark day that changed my life, today gives me hope, and in that hope I share so that others who are suffering know that there is light.
There is hope. There will be a better tomorrow even if you cannot see it today.
Today I urge those who can and are willing to be that person who sees through the darkness to raise up for those who cannot today see the light. Be that person who helps those most pained showing that hope is truly eternal and do not let them fall as they stumble, but hold on to them tight until they see but a glimmer of a better tomorrow.
My father is not here to read this but I am here in his stead to write this for him, about him and as a reminder that each and every one of us is special in our own way and that we do not stand alone on this earth even though sometimes we feel very much alone and afraid.
So today Dad, I stand up for you and with you being my best self because of you, so that others who cannot today see the light know that there is light, knowing that sharing our light of life will shine on those who need a glimmer of it most.
Asset Based Lender at Celtic Capital Corporation
3 年Thanks for sharing such a personal event, Scott. Sad and yet uplifting and certainly a reminder for us all to be aware of. Kindness and compassion the world needs more of both.?
May the memory of your father be a blessing. It apparently is. Stay well and strong. Yaser koach for reaching out to others .
Senior Managing Director | FTI Consulting | Transformations | Transactions | Turnarounds
3 年Heart wrenching and, simultaneously, uplifting. Thanks for sharing beyond the surface, Scott.
Master Connector and Problem Solver
3 年Scott Stuart, I am truly sorry for your loss but thank you for sharing this intensely personal story. I believe that your father's spirit and light lives on and "shines" through you! Here is one of my favorite quotes by Cardinal John Henry Newman: "God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep his commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity my serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about." Continue to be that light for others Scott!
Award-winning leader in legal marketing, public relations and communications and adjunct professor at Hofstra University. Smart. Creative. Innovative. Strategic. Generous. Driven. Nice.
3 年Well said. I’m sure he’s proud of you for sharing this deeply personal experience. It can truly save lives. The people around us are often more than willing to be a lifeline. Sometimes the hardest part is letting those who love you know that you need help. Sadly, I’ve learned from the loss of someone very close to me that shame and embarrassment are powerful shields. I pray that those struggling will recognize how important they are to those who love them and that there is a light ahead if they simply reach out. May your dad Rest In Peace.