Hello dear folks,

this is happening to my aunt/uncle/cousins - i am close to their family although we don't see each other often.

about six weeks ago, a good friend of my cousins' was killed crossing the street on a pedestrian crossing. he was 47 and had been in good health. he was survived by a wife and two kids. today we found out that his wife took her own life - presumably overwhelmed by the shock and grief of losing her husband - not aware of any pre-existing issues. she is survived by the two poor kids. and friends...

one of my cousins in particular had been close friends, ever since childhood, of the suicide victim. and i was very close to this cousin. i tried to call her twice today but she didn't answer. i don't want to call againn soon, as i don't want to bug her - maybe she doesn't want to talk about it at all, or maybe not to me. in recent years we have kept in touch but do not see each other frequently.

i was thinking, i would write her a letter to offer her condolences and support - you know, let her know she can talk to me about this if she wants to and when she wants to, be it in a day a week or a year. because as you all know this is a hard thing to talk about to people "at large" without running into a lot of judgment and insensitivity and i am afraid of that for her. i thought this could be a way to let her know i am available to her without intruding on her grief.

or do you think i should try to call her again in, say a week? (or do both?)

what do you guys think?

... and if you have any other ideas... all thoughts are welcome.

thank you, everyone.

~ waves ~