I spoke with a 25-year-old woman today and learned that she has three younger siblings, the youngest being 14. Their mother died of Lou Gehrig's disease in 1994, and their father was left to raise them. He did so, until yesterday morning when he was involved in a horrific collision involving three big rigs. He died instantly and his employer knew it was him, but officials couldn't actually identify him for nearly 12 hours. His children are in shock, and they can't see how it happened, especially since all indications are that he was not at fault in the collision. Until this morning, they didn't really know how bad it was, or that they won't be having an open-casket funeral.

Why am I writing about all this, and perhaps going into more detail than necessary? Because I know people who have contemplated suicide, and I recently learned that another friend of mine had also considered it. That accident from yesterday is still in my mind, and that family is tugging at my heart. I heard about this friend who contemplated suicide, and images from recent accidents flashed through my mind. In two weeks, we've had eight people die on local roads, and any vehicle accident is pretty sobering. When you're there on the scene, and you see the skid marks and the mangled vehicles, and sometimes even the bodies, it's even more sobering. And I'm not related to the victims. I'm a bystander, but I'm still affected. How much more painful is it for the family members and friends who just lost a loved one?

For any of you who think of ending your lives, please think of your families. Think of your friends. Life may be extremely difficult for you right now, but imagine that multiplied ten-fold. Permanently. Your friends and family would never truly get over your death. People who lose loved ones want closure, just as this 25-year-old girl I spoke with wants closure. But that never really comes, because there will always be a hole. Please think of those who care about you, and let us never need to find that closure.

Ellmyruh