One of the most painful, desperate experiences that humans encounter is suicide.
Death is difficult all on its own.
And then….here it is, caused not by an accident, but by the one who died (it seems).
Sometimes with these greatest and most utterly devastating experiences, we might think “how could The Work help with that?”
Answering four questions and finding turnarounds….really?
But I’ve witnessed it several times.
The most recent, with a member of Year of Inquiry whose son’s dear friend killed himself.
This inquirer sat in The Work with our group, answering the four questions and finding turnarounds.
ABLE to answer the questions.
Who would you be without your story that suicide can’t be recovered from, or that we can’t find peace of some kind when it comes to the suicide of someone we loved?
Without the story of horror, I notice the resilience of the human spirit, even during horrendous heart-shattering experiences of loss or shock like suicide.
Without our terrifying thoughts about suicide (I could have prevented it, it shouldn’t be possible, they made a mistake, I made a mistake, my life is over)….
….I notice how we make it.
We make it, we survive it, we learn, we’re brought to our knees, we learn again, we love.
We learn all about truly unconditional love.
“….Anger, frustration, terror, prayers. These are a few of the ways we react when we believe what we think. It’s what the war with reality often looks like, and it’s not only insane, it’s hopeless, and very painful. But when you question your mind, thoughts flow in and out and don’t cause any stress, because you don’t believe them. And you instantly realize that their opposites could be just as true. Reality shows you, in that peace of mind, that there are no problems, only solutions. You know, to your very depths, that whatever happens is what should be happening. If I lose my grandchild or my daughter, I lose what wasn’t mine in the first place. It’s a good thing. Either that, or God is a sadist, and that’s not my experience.
“I don’t order God around. I don’t presume to know whether life or death is better for me or for anyone I love. How can I now that? All I know is that God is everything and God is good. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. “
~ Byron Katie in 1000 Names For Joy pg 138
Much love,Grace