Pot Bless

I and my husband attended our first Pot Bless ( in the UK apparently it is not referred to as Pot Luck) dinner at the funeral home with other suicide survivor members. It was very well attended, around 30 people came. Each person got to share who they were, and which family member they lost. This group started 7 years ago, and have supported one another over the years.
One of the speakers from Abbotsford indicated that she has started to paint flowers, after she had a vision about her deceased sister who told her to acquire some paintbrushes. She was also told in this very real like vision to look for the flowers. Since then she has been painting and she is looking for the flowers in her life. The next day a friend of hers arrived with some painting supplies, and she handed her a painting with four flowers on it, addressed to her and signed by her departed sister' name.  Her friend told her that God had asked her to paint this picture for her.

Another lady shared about how nature has been a real source of healing for her in the past year. She noticed a year after her daughters death, that little birds were nesting close to her home, and they were full of life, so she in turn promised to emulate life also. Though life was very hard, their doctor told them that they must eat right, go out among people, even if it is for a short while, and carry on with life. After 15 years of the event of her loss, she says things are not easier, as you have poured so much love into that being, and you equally will miss them with the same zeal.

Many people new in their grief wondered how those who have lived with their grief longer, manage. All these "firsts" have to be lived through. Thanksgiving, Christmas, summer holidays, will all be hopelessly quiet without our loved one.

Some of the women who attended advocate for counseling for those who have committed gruesome crimes while mentally ill. Some people voiced how communication breakdowns have occurred in the mental health sectors that resulted in their loved ones death. Often these errors are recognized, and policy changes are promised along with the reviews, but it is all too late. My objection was voiced to the fact that diagnosis' are delayed and people die because they refuse to diagnose our youth in a timely fashion and thereby they receive the wrong medications. Information was shared as to a mental health fundraising run on the 16th of this month. The upcoming suicide prevention town hall meeting, the first of it's kind: was also brought to our attention. The confirmed date and venue:

 The town hall will be on Saturday Nov. 22^nd , 2-4 pm and will be at the Strawberry Hill Library located on 7399-122 St, Surrey BC (Newton).

Our group leader knitted together the yarns that we each held unto during our group sessions, which resulted in a colorful piece with lots of knots in it. Some people saw beauty in this yarn of grief that was now knitted together. I still only saw the grief and quickly passed on the fabric to the person next to me.