Spiritual growth, here and hereafter

"They were all—including my former husband—wrapped in God's love."

By Carolyn Dain

I was volunteering in a museum when a staff member called me to the phone. He said that my daughter was on the line and was quite upset. Her first words were, "Mom, Dad took his own life."

Her father and I had been divorced for 16 years, after being married for 32; he'd remarried right after the divorce and had been living in another part of the country. Two of our four grown children had made some effort to keep in touch with him. During his last few weeks, they had tried to lift him out of a deep depression. He had been having financial difficulties, and these had only increased his overwhelming conviction that he had ruined his own life as well as the lives of those around him.

Over the next few days, I spent a lot of time on the phone with my son and daughters, whose attitudes and approaches varied substantially, as each one attempted to come to terms with the event. I tried to be as loving and supportive as possible.

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