Suicide leaves behind more than grief. It leaves questions, silence, and a deep need to understand something we often can’t see. This piece reflects on the importance of compassion over judgment—and the quiet truth that we never fully know what someone else is carrying. Death is hard. There’s no way around it. But death by…
I spent years wishing I could be her. Then one day, she stopped aging—and I didn’t. This is what it means to carry someone with you through a lifetime they never got to live. I met Mary in seventh grade, back when everything felt big and important and permanent. She was the kind of girl…
https://www.amazon.com/Left-Waiting-Laura-Thompson-Kiefert-ebook/dp/B0FVS5HYLL Left Waiting is the true story of my youngest brother, Dave Thompson, and the devastating tragedy that unfolded while he was on what was supposed to be a simple vacation in Jamaica. When he became seriously ill, our family did everything possible to get him medical help and bring him home, but what we…
Some of us handle pain by talking through it. Others keep it close, private, protected. I should have known better. And in one careless moment, I crossed a line—and hurt someone I love. Everyone who knows me knows my life is an open book. Maybe even a little too open sometimes. I process everything—grief, joy,…
My brother died alone in an ambulance in Jamaica after a nine-hour delay. I didn’t know how to help him. Now, I’ll never travel—or let anyone I love travel—without adequate insurance again. There are moments in life that divide everything into before and after. For me, that moment came with a phone call I’ll never…
I’m not naïve. I’m not gullible. But I do believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt—and lately, that trust has cost me dearly. These are the painful lessons I’ve learned in a world full of deception. I’ve always considered myself a practical person. I don’t fall for get-rich-quick schemes or chain letters. I…
