Courage is not the absence of fear and pain, but the affirmation of life despite fear and pain.

Suicide is a whispered word, inappropriate for polite company. Family and friends often pretend they do not hear the word's dread sound even when it is uttered. For suicide is a taboo subject that stigmatizes not only the victim but the survivors as well.

Each person's grief journey is unique as a fingerprint or a snowflake.

Grief is not a disorder, a disease or sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.

Courage is not the absence of fear and pain, but the affirmation of life despite fear and pain.

For survivors, the word closure often connotes that the bereaved are underachievers who flunked a grief course.

Grief is love not wanting to let go.