Grief is Not a Straight Line: Honoring the waves after suicide loss

Grief Is Not a Straight Line – Honoring the Waves After Suicide Loss

Trigger Warning: This post discusses suicide, loss, and trauma. Please care for your heart and your mental space as you read. You are not alone.

Grief is not a checklist. It’s not a five-step plan. It is not clean, linear, or something to "get over."

Grief is a wave. It ebbs. It crashes. It pulls you under. Sometimes it lifts you in quiet moments of peace. And when the loss is by suicide, the waves often carry extra weight: guilt, shame, questions without answers, and a silence that society doesn't quite know how to fill.

In this week’s RISEUP Voices From the Frontlines – Grief Edition, we unpack what it really means to survive suicide loss. We talk about the nonlinear nature of grief, how different types of loss (a child, spouse, parent, sibling) bring different pain, and how you can hold space for all your emotions—including rage.

You Have Permission to Feel It All

Anger, numbness, longing, even relief—none of it makes you a bad person. Emotions carry messages, and when we deny them, we also deny our humanity. Neuroscience and psychology agree: feelings must be acknowledged, felt, and processed to be integrated.

There is no "right way" to grieve. There is only your way.

Say Their Name. And Remember.

In partnership with Battle2Be, we invite you to join us in remembering those we’ve lost. Whether it was a friend, a partner, or a stranger who meant something to you—you are invited to say their name aloud, light a candle, and let yourself feel.

We’ve created a sacred space to honor the fallen heroes who gave their all and left behind those carrying the weight of their memory.

🎖️ Support The Ferryman Project: Our memorial initiative that honors military and first responders lost in the line of duty or to suicide. Your donation helps ensure no hero is forgotten.
👉 Donate now at battle2be.org

🌟 Join the Friends of the Ferryman Community: Stay connected with our Ride2Remember events, see the memorial profiles of those we honor, and follow Phoenix—the memorial Jeep—as it travels the country serving families and communities.
👉 Become a Friend of the Ferryman for just $10.42/month (a tribute to the “10-code” for end of watch) and help us ensure no one ever has to fight alone. PM me or comment your email and I'll send you a personal invitation to the community.

Final Thought

Grief doesn’t follow rules. But it does deserve reverence. Your heart is doing sacred work.

If you’ve experienced a suicide loss—or love someone who has—please listen to this episode. Please share it. And please remember that your grief, your rage, your love… it all matters.

🎧 [Listen to the full episode here – RISEUP Voices From the Frontlines

🕯️ We see you. We honor you. And we rise—together.

#GriefIsNotLinear #SuicideLoss #RiseUpPhoenix #Battle2Be #TheFerrymanProject #MentalHealthAwareness #GriefSupport #RISEUPVoices