“Weave the unveiling fabric of God’s word through your heart and mind. It will hold strong, even if the rest of life unravels.” –Gigi Graham Tchividjian

When I lost my brother, Matt Geary, to suicide four years ago, it felt like life had unraveled.

The grief process is not linear but tangled and messy. It has been like a long string of anger, resentment, and hurt all jumbled up and knotted together. Hard to sort out like a ball of string.

But as years have passed, I have learned that you can knit something beautiful out of the passing of a loved one. The perspective that you receive and the gifts of love, support and friendship can shape your heart into something beautiful which allows you to move past the negative feelings into feelings of love and eventually joy. Joy for your loved one’s life and for their presence even in death.“
—by Shannon Geary Weisleder

This #griefheart is dedicated to Matt Geary who died by suicide in January of 2012. He was a prominent attorney running for office who withdrew from candidacy. He had been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder not long before his very public suicide.

Shannon is an active mental health and suicide prevention advocate. She heads up the Matthew Patrick Geary Trust and is the Virginia Chapter representative for the AFSP, American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, leading the effort to change legislation as it pertains to mental illness in Virginia.

What is the #griefheart project?

I explain my #griefheart project here.

See all #griefhearts so far on pinterest or on this blog by#griefheart category.