Читать книгу No Way to Behave at a Funeral - Noel Braun - Страница 6

In Australia, as in many countries, suicide is a leading cause of death. More people die each year from suicide than from breast cancer or in car accidents. Yet it is one of the least talked about health issues in our community.

So when a book like this comes along, I feel compelled to encourage everyone to read it, especially men.

Suicide is devastating, especially for the friends and family of someone who takes their own life. Words can not describe the unimaginable pain that can come when we lose a loved one, or someone close to us. Combine this with feelings of guilt and confusion that can almost engulf us after the suicide of someone we know, and the results can be debilitating.

Books like this can make a difference. The way Noel openly and honestly explores the feelings and deep emotions he felt following the suicide of his wife are powerful and so important for our society. Men in particular often bottle up their emotions, and this can have extremely detrimental effects in the long run. People bereaved by suicide are vulnerable themselves and Noel’s story helps us confront this notion and provides us with a pathway to a greater understanding.

The book is also a love story and we journey with Noel, as his relationship with his wife changes, but not in the way you might think. There is a message of hope in this book and the brave way that the author shares his very personal story and his relationship, means we can travel with him. I felt privileged to be a part of his journey.

From the funeral at the beginning right through to learning to live a life with his wife in a new way, the book provides us with an insight into the mind of a man who has experienced life, love and death, and who has arrived on the other side willing to share his experiences.

I felt inspired by his story, and it is a compelling one, around a topic that we desperately need to begin to talk about more openly. I know you will gain a great deal from reading it and I hope it leaves you with one key thought. While suicide is a whole of community health issue and we all have a role to play in suicide prevention, there is always hope, it is the glue that binds us all.

Dawn O’Neil AM

CEO Lifeline Australia

Come on a journey from shock horror and absolute loss, through pain and sorrow, to the cliffs of despair.

Always in the darkness there is a little candle flickering. Love is never extinguished. Slowly, ever so slowly, the light dawns.

You may have made this journey yourself. As you read, may you gain comfort and courage to carry on. Someone you know and love may be on that journey. Now you will have a deeper respect and understanding of them.

Whatever the case may be, you will be changed, encouraged to live each moment of your life with gratitude and grace. These words are not idly written. I know Noel, the man; respect and love him. Noel gives us such a great gift in this book.

Father Peter McGrath cp

Founder Passionist Family Group Movement