Don't Do It...Call for Help!

Less than two weeks ago I was driving home around 8 PM from my counseling job when I got stuck in traffic. I was taking my regular journey through downtown Dallas; however, at this time of night, traffic issues had never really been a problem before. As we crept along I found myself scanning the horizon ahead looking for the source of our stalling. I couldn't see a wreck. What could it possibly be?

Several minutes into the delay the situation began to pan-out before me. What I saw up-ahead was an exit ramp coming off the interstate I was on, which had been blocked off. It was just beyond that police line that I noticed an interstate bridge towering over that exit ramp which had several police cars with lights flashing up on it and then several police officers standing on the bridge, outside their cars. It was then that I glanced to the right of them and noticed about 20 or 30 feet away a dark looking shadow was on the edge of the bridge. As I continued to roll ever so closer in our crawling traffic situation, the dark shadow was revealed. It was a man who was sitting over the bridge edge and preparing to jump. It was all making sense to me now...that interstate bridge and the interstate exit ramps below had all been cleared to handle the situation of a potential suicide jump.

Thankfully, I didn't witness the individual jump; and I am uncertain about what ended up happening in the situation, as I ended up moving past the scene as traffic continued to crawl along.

Did the man jump? And if so, did he survive? Were the police able to convince the man that suicide was a permanent form of relief for the pain he was obviously suffering at the time; rather than a temporary relief?

I don't know what became of the situation, but I do know we all can find ourselves in situations where we want a sense of relief. It's at those points where we need one another the most. And it's when we do find ourselves in those situations and we commonly feel as if we don't have anyone to turn to, that we need resources like 1(800)SUICIDE.

It's been within the past month that I had a client share with me how they turned to a crisis hotline for someone to talk to when they were having a rough time. These options are life savers -- literally.

Let's help in whatever ways we can...



http://www.hopeline.com/

One year ago today I lost a close friend in a murder-suicide. Her husband shot and killed her, and then killed himself. These sort of things can and need to be prevented. Let's reach out and help one another. Let's give hope!