Goodbyes and new beginnings

my first strawberries of the year

This post is going to be difficult and serious, so I'll attempt to be brief.

Last evening I received an email telling me that a good friend had committed suicide.  It's quite devastating, and I assume it will be a long time before I can find a way to wrap my mind around it even in some small way.  He left behind a wife and two young children and the tragedy of it is more than I can really stand to think about.

Some day I will make a post about my friend and what an amazing guy he was.  But for now I want to focus on those of us who remain to find some sort of hope and happiness in the world.

This morning my husband and I were both too upset to sleep so we decided to get up and get out of the house for breakfast.  It was a rough night and we both looked like it.  As we headed out the door, this is what I saw.  Our first strawberries of the season, looking all fresh and yummy first thing in the morning.

I know it's just a couple of strawberries, but somehow they made me feel a little bit better, like life would go on and that there is still beauty surrounding us even when life gets very ugly.  So I'm not going to go on and on, but I do want to say that life is always worth living.  There is always hope, there is always beauty, and there is always someone who cares. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide, please get help. call 1-800-273-8255