The experience of being in the physical presence of other survivors has, in itself, a therapeutic value which cannot be duplicated by any other methods of resolving grief. A veteran survivor can instill a subtle message of hope with his or her very existence.

Rev.Charles T. Rubey, M.S.W.

I remembered reading this in one of the SOS newsletters and after recently having the experience with my neighbor on the loss of her son to suicide I believe that it's very true.

We are here for one another..our success is in our numbers.

My grief counselor said grief is like jigsaw puzzle, some people get all the edges first and then work on the inside parts. Some just dump it on the table and dive right in.

You meet a lot of people when you're starting this puzzle. Some give advice and some tell you how the puzzle "should" look when it's all finished.

But once in a while, you meet someone who shares their own finished puzzle and helps you make sense of yours. Then you find it's not as hard as before. Some of the pieces fit together more easily, and you sigh with relief...and remember. That's why I admire everyone here, you've helped me to finish my puzzle

You dear friend are a work in progress...just like the rest of us.
Remember...HE sees every single tear.

And He knows our names too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60

Bump...missing BJ this morning.

I absolutely love this!!
What is it about analogies and metaphors that make us understand what is so difficult to understand, so much easier?

Maybe one day I'll get the courage to share with you again how far I've come. My puzzle is not complete (nor will it ever be) but I think that back when I was looking at a scrambled mess of pieces everywhere 10 years ago, now I've actually found and put together majority of the puzzle so that I can atleast see a picture of what it is supposed to be.

PS love this too!!

Not only does misery love company, but the opposite can be said as well. We wanna hear how people flourish to ignite hope in us when it is nowhere to be found.