I just learned of a woman who took the life of her 24-year old daughter with special needs and then took her own life. Friends say she was very depressed and overwhelmed. She had not been receiving much help.  How can caring for a family member with exceptional needs drive a person to such desperate measures? People are in shock. I am not. I get it.

When one becomes selfless, caring so intensely for another, there is an insidious darkness that creeps around looking for a place to take up residency in your soul. Loneliness, fear, guilt, resentment and inadequacy constantly murmur in the background. Where there used to be a life, there is now a selfless void where identity is lost, plans are eternally on hold, friends have moved on, God has turned His back – overwhelming nothingness. With that kind of hopelessness, there seem to be few options and the darkest ones seem to speak the loudest.

But the truth is, THERE ARE OPTIONS. We don’t have to listen to the darkness. What appears to be the end can actually be an invitation to a new beginning – an opportunity to see things differently. I hope this clip from an upcoming documentary will help someone see through the pain to the hope and love that is right there – available. Just choose it!