Hi Legalmania, people say the strangest things when they don't know what to say. That is such a judgemental word...coward. I'm not sure I agree that it's "courageous" either. It's often, imho, an impulsive act and an escape from the pain. Some people just dispair and are unable to see that it will get better. When the pain outweighs your ability to cope with whatever life is handing you at the moment...well, that's a dangerous place to be in...that's when you need to surround yourself with people who care.

Our son was 31 when he put that gun in his mouth. We have had two recent suicides in our community...a 30 yr old woman who took pills, and a 31 year old man who hung himself. I'm wondering about that age group...have they lived just long enough to lose their objectivity? Do they believe that they have seen and done it all?

And we know their parents....they are lovely people whose lives are ruinned and the silence that surrounds them gets in the way of their healing. ~sigh