Card Spotlight: 9-23-11

1912 T207 - Morrie Rath

Morrie Rath is one of several MLB players to commit suicide. Why do I bring this up? I mention it because I have had two family members and a few friends' family members commit this selfish act in the past decade. In 2007, my uncle, who I was extremely close to, left this world in this manner. In 2008, a cousin also chose this path.

For the second consecutive year, I will be participating in the AFSP Out Of The Darkness community walk. It will be held on Saturday morning, September 24th, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. While I won't be raising any money this year, I will be supporting others who are. The annual event raises money for AFSP's vital research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide, advocate for mental health issues, and assist survivors of suicide loss.

While we do not live in a perfect world, things are never as bad as they appear in the moment. Time heals, if you allow it. There are no answers to the tragic endings of suicide. It is fruitless to speculate the why after the fact, but where we can help is in prevention.