Very sorry for your Sons loss and for the boys family.

I wrote this three days ago. I don't know if it's silly or if will ever help anyone:

Remember life is free
When it seems you always lose
Do not choose to cease to be

When I had gurlfriend issues, I would just get a new one or two. Times have changed.

I'm 58 had friends take their lives back in the 70's and 80's. When I was being used as a punching bag physically and emotionally as a kid I had those thoughts. Not just a new thing. Hard to type this but maybe it helps perspective for some.

everybody handles life's challenges differently:In that position I had some thoughts of death, too. But, not MY death.
Me too. Girls are a dime a dozen. Sooner or later one might stick.


That said, I have the deepest sympathy for the poor guy that never got the support, or guidance to handle a tough situation. I'm not sure what it is; but, that seems to be a way too common happening in this whacko world today.

My most sincere condolences. That's a shame and never will understand why people do that.

My 14 year old son just recently lost a good friend as well. He was an exceptional football player, was magical. He and my son, who was about a foot shorter than him, and a fraction of the player won the city championships. We were in Arizona when we got the news. Slit his wrists in the bathroom, was gone when they found him. Came from a recently separated family. Not sayin nuthin, but if you don't think your f'd up marriages have an impact on your kids...you're crazy.

my sons friend and co-worker the kid who got him his job took his life in March a few days after the stay at home orders for Covid.

it was so hard to get real info , kids all communicate with chat and everyone was at home no good way to get the info out and be sure it was real for all the million ways to communicate. learning about it via text message there was a some concern that it was a prank till it could be confirmed.

Unfortunately I had seen this before much like my cousins friend did about 27 years ago, both small farm towns , both jumped from the corn bin.

you just don't fully know what do to as a parent when your kids are going through this. uncharted parenting territory.

mostly remind everyone they can come and talk with you and there is never a need for that.

sorry for your sons loss , and for your loss.

It is speculated that suicide, which is now becoming more common all around us (our little TX town had two high school boys kill themselves in separate events two months apart)
has a different cause.

Not that long ago, therapists, councilors, and medical clinicians hypothesized it was mostly those with little hope of a future, or those who were afflicted or abused, who ended their own lives. Therapists deemed these as individuals who had lost hope in tomorrow and saw no need to endure.

Now, we have too many who seemingly have "everything" in life, who are killing themselves. My pastoral care courses in seminary have been eye opening as we learn of an American culture, the richest in human history, who have those with the most "stuff" killing themselves.

That was the case here in small town TX. Both these boys came from upper middle class families. They had, as some would define, "everything." 2 parent homes, nice house, cars. sports, good grades, etc.

So we ponder at one of this nation's leading seminaries, from profs who have taught for decades, if we as a nation have labored long and hard for stuff at the expense of the human soul.

As we walk away from the One who created us, and we labor for purposes other than what He intended for His Image Bearers, it seems some poor souls feel empty.

This is a very, very important discussion to have with our children as they now raise the next generation. Life is about success, and freedom, and personal choices, and a host of sports leagues, and so much stuff.... that we can lose the purpose of why we are even here? My folks and my grandparents eternally helped me by raising my family to succeed but with a perspective that there is a God, and we are not.

Sadly, the majority in our country now scoff at this old fashioned thinking.
One of the families who lost their only son Dillon at age 17, his father a military officer who taught classes on suicide prevention here at a military base in San Antonio (who I've become good friends with after helping trap some gophers on their property) just had their only daughter baptized in the name of the Lord this week at our church. Talk about a tear filled blessing. But God will help keep her and protect her so there were plenty of smiles also!

Speaking of, we had MANY new folks in church this week. Seems the pandemic and riots and all that is happening has quite a few reevaluating...
What and who will be remembered in 150 years.

Blessings!
Mark

I do understand. prayers for your family and the friends family.

Very sorry to hear this. Prayers

Very sorry to hear that. So many people are wandering with no direction these days.