Today is my father's birthday. I have not written about him recently, but I have thought about him often. After our basement flooded this June, I spent much of the summer in the company of old photo albums and family memories. I learned that family memories are not created equally, including those associated with a father who shot himself in the head.
My father became depressed long before he took his own life. He was a serious man who forgot how to play. He taught me how to be serious. I am grateful for the lesson. I hope that my son learns something different from me though, and I know that my son can teach me how to play. I hope I can be a good student.
I intended to write last month on September 10, 2011 World Suicide Prevention Day. The day is sponsored by the International Association for Prevention of Suicide and co-sponsored by The World Health Organization. According to the International Association for Prevention of Suicide, "as many as 1,000,000 people are estimated to die by suicide across the globe" each year. I decided not to write about WSPD, because it seemed like the only event that could overshadow the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
Father's Day 2011 - Images by bryan farley
I was going to write on Father's Day too, as I had the last two years. I do not know why I did not write this year. I took photos, as you can see above. Perhaps I was busy removing moldy carpet from the room behind and below the photos.
In the Father's Day 2009 blog post, I included old photos of my father. If one million people take thier life each year, there are millions more who are left to look through photo albums. My father died seven years ago. The first few years were difficult, but I found peace... or so I thought. I became stronger and I created new friendships, but every so often there are old memories.
Fortunately, the old memories remind me to continue enjoying my family. Hopefully, they keep enjoying me.
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