SUICIDE: Unanswered questions

I woke up last Friday morning after having dreamed about an old boyfriend I had when I was 16 and loved him as much as a 16-year-old heart could love someone. In my dream we spoke and I asked him, “Why on Earth did you jump off the Golden Gate Bridge?” Unfortunately, my dream ended and I still had no answer.

I started reading the paper and there was Art Macomber’s My Turn regarding suicide (Nov. 29, page C1). What an excellent opinion piece and so true.

The haunting questions of why? What was SO wrong these people took such drastic measures? The people left behind always wondering, “What was so bad here on Earth?”

Maybe those closest to them know the real reason. Then again maybe not. Are the people left behind embarrassed by the reasons?

While I was in high school, one of my best friend’s boyfriend killed himself. He was only 17. Why? Because he had wrecked his mom’s car and found out his 16-year-old girlfriend was pregnant. He couldn’t handle all of it… only 17.

I’m 60 now and these two suicides bother me to this day.

People are going to continue doing it. There is no stopping it whether because of personal problems, pain, illness or just plain old sadness. Suicide will always “be here” for the ones left behind reeling from it for years to come.

Thank you Art for your true and honest opinion about it.

LORI MILLER

Spirit Lake