Family tragedy.

This is a hard one. Two of my clients, both brothers, a while back lost one of their two sisters. What’s worse is that is was at the hand of their sisters husband. He was an in law for over 30 years. They welcomed him into their home and their lives as any of us would our sister or brother in law. They had children that are now grown. They spent every holiday together and were a very close family until one day, she came home from work and her husband took her life. As it turned out he suffers from some metal disorders and felt his life was in danger of this woman. That she might leave him for another man, that she would divorce him and take the kids, etc. Either way the tragedy for my clients and their family is immeasurable. They find themselves asking whether or not they saw signs, or if there was anything they could have done to have their sister with them today. They have to live with the fact that they loved and welcomed this man into their home for years and aside from mourning the loss of their sister, they also have to mourn the loss of their brother in law that took their sisters life – and in some respects also took his own life. He is in a locked mental facility, but to the family and especially their kids, they lost both of them. I have my own experience with the loss of a sibling but mine was to sickness. How can an outsider be able to say anything comforting or helpful when it’s such a senseless and tragic event that took their sibling? All I could do and have done is listen, shed a tear with them, and remember the person that they loved is no longer with them and just offer any support I can. I’ve grown and learned that death, like life, is a natural thing and that it can be beautiful. To share time with someone and know that our lives aren’t guaranteed and to treasure the time we have together. But this is unimaginable. My heart goes out to them from the day this happened and forever. I hope one day they will all be together again and the pain will fade from their memory. The loss of a sibling is one of, if not the hardest things I’ve had to experience in my lifetime. To accept something so horrific that one never asked for or wanted. No one should have to go through that. But then to have to carry on with life even when you don’t feel you want to. That’s one of the hardest things to have to go through and my heart is full for anyone that has to.