This is the brown bag that contains the clothing Charles was wearing when he died by suicide. What do you do with something like this? I still don’t know.
So I just leave them in a bag in a box in the closet. I do take the bag out and hug it every once in a while. I also hug his backpack on tough days. His scent is no longer there which is heartbreaking. I wish there had been a way to capture his scent.
I am an emotionally naked TEDx speaker, and author of the Book, Diary of a Broken Mind and co-author with Kim O'Brien PhD, LICSW of Emotionally Naked: A Teacher's Guide to Preventing Suicide and Recognizing Students at Risk. I raised two boys, Richard and Charles, and lost my younger son, Charles to substance use disorder and suicide on June 5, 2015. I help people foster a culture of connection to prevent suicide, reduce substance misuse and find life after loss. My motivational, training and workshop topics include suicide prevention, addiction, mental illness, coping strategies/resilience, and grief.
As talented and funny as Charles was, letting other people know they matter was his greatest gift. And now the legacy I try and carry forward in my son's memory.
Professional Speaker Website. Trained in ASIST and trainer for the evidence-based 4-hour training for everyone called safeTALK.
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3 thoughts on “Sad sack heart – #griefheart number 119”
My daughter-in-law made a quilt out of all of the clothes we had stored in the attic each time he went to rehab. I still search for his scent in every piece, even after 2 years 3 months.
I made a quilt out of Dawson’s T shirts but also still have his white box of torn up clothes ( from 1st responders) from city of Richmond. & ps I think the quilt still smells like him & I cherish it
My daughter-in-law made a quilt out of all of the clothes we had stored in the attic each time he went to rehab. I still search for his scent in every piece, even after 2 years 3 months.
I made a quilt out of Dawson’s T shirts but also still have his white box of torn up clothes ( from 1st responders) from city of Richmond. & ps I think the quilt still smells like him & I cherish it
A quilt or a pillow. I need to get one made. I need to smell harder to see if he’s in those clothes