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15 yrs ago this June I overheard my eldest son tell his best friend he was going to kill himself over the heart break of a lost love.
Today, he’s married with a son of his own and is building his dream house on the beach.
Always the hardest story I ever tell, bare with me
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Today, he’s married with a son of his own and is building his dream house on the beach.
Always the hardest story I ever tell, bare with me
Obviously, between my love for my son, my own struggle with suicidal ideation in my youth along with the individuals I know personally who took their own lives, and my personal life vision of helping others up the mountain of consciousness, I felt like I had failed as a father…
After the break up at the end of their first year of college, my son went into deep depression and a cycle of substance abuse to numb the pain. As a parent you know when something is off with your child no matter how well they try to conceal it.
Divine intuition struck me..
Divine intuition struck me..
…one evening when his best friend and him were talking in the back yard passionately. I felt a nudge to find out what they were saying as I was already terribly worried about his depression. So I decided to forgo guilt over violating his privacy and try to find out what was up..
“Tonight after my parents go to sleep, I’m going to get my Dad’s gun from his safe and kill myself…I just can’t take it anymore, man.”
His friend replied,
“You can’t do that, because if you do, I’m gonna have to kill myself too.”
In that instant my world imploded w/sadness.
His friend replied,
“You can’t do that, because if you do, I’m gonna have to kill myself too.”
In that instant my world imploded w/sadness.
I had a choice,
Wait and hope it was all bluster to avoid the confrontation?
Or take action and attempt to save him from himself, but, risk losing my relationship with him in the process?
(He’s hard headed like his father and I was sure this would break our connection)
Wait and hope it was all bluster to avoid the confrontation?
Or take action and attempt to save him from himself, but, risk losing my relationship with him in the process?
(He’s hard headed like his father and I was sure this would break our connection)
I told my wife what her baby boy said he would do and she begged me to do something. So I called a friend for consultation on options.
30 min later we called the sheriff and had him come to arrest my son.
He was defensive, wounded by the perceived ambush and broke down in tears
30 min later we called the sheriff and had him come to arrest my son.
He was defensive, wounded by the perceived ambush and broke down in tears
As he was led away he looked at us and said his younger brother was the only one that truly loved him.
We hit our rock bottom.
We hit our rock bottom.
At the end of his hold, driving home I pulled over to a park
Told him it was my failure as a father that he was suffering, that I couldn’t ask of him what I was not modeling myself.
So I declared that I was giving up drinking and in tears begged him to choose life.
Told him it was my failure as a father that he was suffering, that I couldn’t ask of him what I was not modeling myself.
So I declared that I was giving up drinking and in tears begged him to choose life.
After over 40 years as a drinker secretly addicted to the crutch of alcohol I, “earned” after a long day, I quit cold turkey. Haven’t had a drop since.
My boy had greater struggles ahead of him before he too gave up drinking and chose life. But those are for another day.
My boy had greater struggles ahead of him before he too gave up drinking and chose life. But those are for another day.
He has since met his soulmate and conceived his first child, a boy.
He has co-founded a major hydration drink company, LiquidIV, which recently sold to Unilever.
He moves into his dream beach house this Summer…
I’ve never seen him happier!
He has co-founded a major hydration drink company, LiquidIV, which recently sold to Unilever.
He moves into his dream beach house this Summer…
I’ve never seen him happier!
The point of this isn’t about substance abuse, mental and emotional struggles, or parental styles
no
This is about the preciousness of life
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEAKS AND VALLEYS
Wealthy/Poor Healthy/Sick Lucky/Cursed
Our journeys are irreplaceable and will never happen again
no
This is about the preciousness of life
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEAKS AND VALLEYS
Wealthy/Poor Healthy/Sick Lucky/Cursed
Our journeys are irreplaceable and will never happen again
I beg of you, cherish your life, tell your loved ones what’s on your hearts, harness your spirits to manifest the futures you want.
Futures totally unlimited by your pasts.
You have that power whether you know it or not…
God saved two lives that day
Peace be with you all.
Futures totally unlimited by your pasts.
You have that power whether you know it or not…
God saved two lives that day
Peace be with you all.
