Maureen's Marchers - A Labor of Love

Monday, September 12, 2016

July 31, 2013 was the worst day of our lives. On that day, the Parker Police Department came to our home to tell us that our daughter Moe had taken her own life the night before.

The following year is basically a blur to me, hazy with the overwhelming intensity of my sadness and grief. I don't remember much about it, other than wishing my new reality away and waking each morning with a heaviness in my heart that I knew would never go away.

And I remember one other thing. The incredible way in which our family and friends lifted us up with love, provided a light at the end of the most horrifying tunnel in the world, and provided a solid point of emotional stability in a world that was dark and heavy on even the best of days. I am forever grateful to those who cared for us in that time, and they, along with the Smart Man, saved my sanity that year.

Two of the friends who made such a huge difference in our lives during that time are Sister Stacey and Brother J.R.. Sister Stacey was the first one on the scene (in spite of living over 1,500 miles away), and her compassionate, level-headed presence eased the most horrifying days of my life. The following year, they came to our home to help us recognize Christmas, and establish new traditions and remembrance. We were very good friends before Moe died, but now they're family, in every sense of that word.

And once again this year they're participating in the Annual "Out of the Darkness Walk," benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Westchester County, in our daughter's name. 

This is the third year they're walking in this event, and every year they choose to continue in my baby's honor makes me so very grateful that they're my brother and sister in this life and that they see fit to include us in their own family. 

So once again, I will ask my friends, family, and readers to consider a donation to the AFSP's important work in preventing suicide in my Moe-Moe's name. This tragedy can occur in any family, regardless of race, creed, orientation, or economic status, and I want so very much for no other parent to have to go through this most awful of circumstances.

You can pledge your donations at their Maureen's Marchers Fundraising Page. Thank you, Sister Stacey and Brother J.R.. Your continued support means more than you know.

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