“ I lost my son to suicide 6 years ago. Participating in this walk has helped me feel less lonely in my pain. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about suicide; it can feel shameful and awkward to bring it into the open. There is no shame in this walk only comfort. Those I walk beside hurt for me, and it’s helped me to be able to reach out and comfort others. Walking from the darkness into the dawn, as the sun lights up Signal Point, holding a candle, surrounded by empathetic hearts, and listening to the beautiful notes of the dulcimer has healed my soul. I am so grateful to have been able to experience this the last 2 years and look forward to doing it again this year.”

“Last year was my first time joining this walk, but it was a very healing experience. Walking as a group, watching the sunrise, sharing a deep connection and purpose- it all felt very spiritual to me.

Both because of the ways it has touched me on a personal level, as well as through the work I’ve done with NAMI Chattanooga, suicide has been a too-frequent part of my story. Sometimes when I feel powerless to help someone, all I can do is sit with them. It doesn’t sound like much, but I know that when I’ve been on the receiving end it has felt like a lot. It doesn’t always take words…..”

For decades I longed for some tangible expression of love and remembrance for my brother, Greg. When I witnessed the beauty of a community, visibly moving together, in encouragement and support for each other, I knew I had found a pathway of peace in my long journey of grief. The pain of loss is lighter-less lonely-by the common ground we share. That we can be a light to others brings a measure of hope to our hearts.