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Thank you to the Walton County (FL) Fire-Rescue Department and Sheriff's Office for hosting two Grieving Behind the Badge programs for their members. Your candid remarks and positive feedback were appreciated.
Thank you to all of our readers for your continued support.
Stay safe and HUGS, Peggy
Peggy Sweeney, Editor
830.377.7389
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Heading down a dark path, I've had my moments of crying, screaming and wishing I were dead. Moments of remembering it all, trying to take it all back and drowning out the pain.
I often think about whom I would be if I didn't take the same path; if I didn't make the same choices.
What if I hadn't chosen this career? What if I hadn't seen the things I've seen or endured the trauma and the pain that I have? What if I hadn't self-medicated? Who would I be today? Read more here »
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Finding Calm in the Chaos
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A special retreat exclusively for women first responders. Designed with today's female firefighter, officer, EMS or 911 dispatcher's needs in mind, we are bringing together current and former female first responders who can relate to your concerns. They will share their stories and offer guidance in areas such as: diversity and harassment in the workplace; balancing home, family, and department duties; and coping with special issues you may have such as grief, marital problems, or retirement. There will be quiet time for reflection, and "sister" time for fun. For more information, please contact:
Peggy Sweeney
830-377-7389
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by Tim Trimble
The call comes in --
awakening my --
restless slumber.
Another auto wreck --
off I go.
Never really making --
a clear transition from --
dream to --
reality.
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November 14, 2009 was a beautiful day, my 34th birthday and the worst day of my life.
November 14 was the day my beautiful mother was brutally murdered. The events of that gruesome, horrid day have never been released to the media or press. Only the victims involved, the Houston Police Department homicide investigators and the District Attorney's office knew the exact details and prosecution evidence of this sensationalized case. Now am I able to share the true confidential information: my story, but more importantly, my mother's story. She was a victim and my hero, because on that day my mother sacrificed her life. By doing so, she saved mine, forever changing it. The very core of Houston and our state shook at losing one of its finest DPS [Department of Public Safety] officers, my mother, my hero, Brenda.
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by Anonymous
"You're just a dispatcher. You know nothing, and you see nothing, so it can't bother you".
Really? Dispatchers don't see anything. They should all be fine.
These are just some of the things many dispatchers are told during their careers. On the surface, these comments may sound reasonable, logical, and correct. After all, they spend eight to twelve hours a day answering phones and responding to the radio, how bad could it be? Read more here »
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The Sweeney Alliance, publisher of the Grieving Behind the Badge Newsletter, is inviting you to share your story. Helping other first responders and public safety officers and their families cope with traumatic loss and grief, addiction, or mental health issues is our goal. If you are interested, please contact:
Peggy Sweeney, Editor
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Grieving Dads to the Brink and Back
by Kelly Farley
Grieving Dads: To the Brink and Back is a collection of candid stories from grieving dads that were interviewed over a two year period. The book offers insight from fellow members of, in the haunting words of one dad, "this terrible, terrible club," which consists of men who have experienced the death of a child. This book is a collection of survival stories by men who have survived the worst possible loss and lived to tell the tale. They are real stories that pull no punches and are told with brutal honesty. Men that have shared their deepest and darkest moments. Moments that included thoughts of suicide, self-medication and homelessness. Some of these men have found their way back from the brink while others are still standing there, stuck in their pain. The core message of Grieving Dads is "you're not alone." It is a message that desperately needs to be delivered to grieving dads who often grieve in silence due to society's expectations.
Don't Take My Grief Away from Me
by Doug Manning
Gently, with warm, consoling, and practical guidance, Doug Manning addresses the painful, often disorientation aftermath of the death of a loved one, helping the bereaved cope with the emotions and confront the decisions that are an inevitable part of this time of radical life adjustment. Beginning with the premise that "grief is not an enemy; it is a friend. It is the natural process of walking through the hurt and growing through the walk," Manning helps readers face up to grief, move through it, and learn to live again.
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GRIEVING BEHIND THE BADGE ~ IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT GRIEF
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We are a death and grief denying society. When a loved one dies, most people are at a loss as to how to cope with the mental, emotional and physical effects of grief. This is no different in the first responder professions. Not only do they struggle with grief in their personal lives when a family member dies, but also when they respond to a death on scene due to a motor vehicle casualty, a child's death, homicide or the death of one of their own.
Furthermore, post-traumatic stress, addiction and suicide are hot topics in today's emergency response professions. The number of responders most in need of help to deal with these issues is growing at an astounding rate. The Grieving Behind the Badge program will address these topics, teach basic grief education with special attention given to bereaved parents, grieving children and survivors of suicide, and provide resources to have at your fingertips.
Who should attend: firefighters, EMS personnel, public safety officers, 911 dispatchers, families, department chaplains, ER staff and mental health professionals. Call Peggy Sweeney [830-377-7389] today to discuss training options.
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