Learning to Breathe Again: Choosing to Heal After Losing a Loved One to Suicide

by Lark Dean Galley, Richard Paul Evans (Foreword)

Lark experienced the devastating loss of her 19-year-old son to suicide. Having already lost her father to suicide five years earlier, this second death hit hard. All expectations for the future were erased. Everything became difficult. Even breathing felt like a conscious decision. This is the story of her raw and painful journey through despair and grief. It is standing on the brink of an abyss ready to pitch into the darkness and making the very difficult decision to step away from the edge. Lark shares how this decision to use her loss to bless the lives of others helped her to heal from both her son's and father's suicides. It is her desire to instill hope in those who wonder how, or even if, they can go on.

Genres: Grief

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2020

Reviews

[Joshua Howland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I started it at midnight and could not put it down! The author beautifully weaves in personal stories and details that kept me turning pages well into the night. It is well-written, insightful, and full of character. I felt I was absorbing her experiences and could better understand why people grieve differently (it’s because each of us has our own life-shaping experiences that affect our reactions)! I loved learning about the author’s personal life experiences and thought her introspection and the way she connected those life experiences to her coping skills and frame of reference was poetically perfect. It was enlightening and invited self-reflection. I would highly recommend this for anyone who has been affected by suicide or may be contemplating suicide. I also think it’s a great book for anyone who enjoys reading about overcoming personal hardships and finding hope and courage.

[Jo Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster of the authors life. I finished reading it by the end of the day. It is a very personal look into the private story of her life as she tried to understand the feelings that came out following the passing of her son and finally acknowledging the similar passing of her father. Very heartfelt and gripping. A painful journey, for sure, however, a must read for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and are facing the complicated emotions that come with it.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a survivor of suicide but I felt this book was spot on for any parent! I loved the raw vulnerability and the extra perspective it gave, and especially the reflection it inspired for me to take a closer look at my own life, my parenting, my kids, and even grace for my parents and the struggles they had while parenting! So much was spot on regarding the struggles we all face and especially kids these days. Definitely poignant for any parent right now.

[Sandra Checketts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has brought up many emotions and much healing.
After loosing my husband, Chris, after 33 years together on April 6, 2019 (his 56th birthday) I have moved along making sure our kids and grandkids are doing OK. I didn’t realize that I really hadn’t taken care of my own grief until I got into Lark’s story.

[Sam Hunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been meaning to read this book for a while as I’ve exhausted the list of ‘coping skills’ already known to me. There were definitely some takings from this in regards to ‘your part to play’, and certainly when it comes to (I’m reluctant to say it) preventative advice for any friends or family you might currently been concerned about.

4 stars only because it was more biographical than instructional, which was my mistake. And it’s definitely aimed more toward parents (which I am not).

[Sterling Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Galley's much-needed book is personal, powerful, and spiritual. I strongly recommend it to anyone who's gone through this heartbreaking experience.

[Molly Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be honest. I didn't actually want to read this book, because this is a difficult topic. I knew the author's son had committed suicide, and I really didn't want to read about that - like most of us, some things we don't necessarily want to look at.

But truly, this book is so much more than that. It is a powerful story of overcoming and healing. It is a story of choices, and how the author made an incredibly courageous choice to speak up and out so that other parents don't have to go through what she did. There are plenty of myths surrounding suicide that don't get talked about enough, and certainly there were eye-opening moments of things I'd never considered before.

Read this book if you want to help more people stay on this planet - because every person is valuable and needed!

[J.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in tears. The good, healing kind. I love how her story extends beyond the actual event to see what contributed before her son's suicide and how that allowed her to make clear choices after. She had so many good ideas. Having suddenly lost a brother in the past year, the title just resonated so much with me and I knew it was something that I needed. I felt I was searching for anything and everything to help on my healing journey. She brought up ideas I hadn't thought about before and I felt validated in seeing some similarities I have already taken in this healing journey. Beautiful and well-written.

[Larry Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having experienced my own share of grief, I was interested in Lark's take on how she chose to move on from the death of her son. So what did I learn?

A lot. Here's one sentence that truly did resonate with me. "It's those who refuse to accept reality and try to change what cannot be changed who are stuck in their grief."

You see, my wife and I are still grieving the loss of our son just two years ago. Though his death was not the result of suicide, (he died suddenly from a ruptured artery) we have attempted to move on with our lives. As Lark said in her book, "I believed the saying time heals all wounds, and thought the grief would diminish with time. I was wrong." This has been true for my wife and I. We have accepted the reality of our son's death, and know we cannot change what transpired, but; our son's death has forever changed us.

We learned how temporary life can be and come to better understand the need for meaningful relationships. It's one day at a time as one moves on with life after experiencing a tragedy. A book such as Lark's, for me, is a part of the recovery process as I'm able to see how another has chosen to move on. By sharing her story of how she Learned to Breath Again, Lark has not just helped those of us who have dealt with tragedy, she has better prepared those who will.

[Kandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lark does a phenomenal job of pulling us into her world and the process she went through in healing from her loved ones' suicide; Her father and then her son. What a profound story, one that will fill you with hope and love for Lark and family and your own. This is a must read! Thank you Lark for opening up your heart and life, love and journey to the world. These words, this story is so needed in our world today.

[Amanda Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up and hardly set it down until I read the whole thing. It is so well written and insightful. Lark tells her story in a way that made me think about my own life and experiences. The book is raw and offers a real perspective on understanding loss. I would recommend it to anyone working through the healing process.

[Monica Shorts Erekson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very raw insight into Lark’s tremendous loss from suicide. It’s heart wrenching to walk a mile in her shoes as you learn about her feelings and perspective as both a daughter and mother caught in the aftermath of suicide. The message in this book is one of optimism. Despite experiencing the unthinkable, Lark has shared her story in hopes of preventing even one more life lost to suicide. With unbelievable strength, Lark is making every effort to rise above the darkness and find ways to not only continue on, but to try and prevent this from happening to someone else. Her advocacy, support, and devotion are courageous and invaluable to so many. I highly recommend this book! Such a good reminder about what is most important in our short time here.

[Carey L]

Having lost my own son at 25 years old, I respect Lark for sharing her story. It is not easy to share your family's tragedies, and to also be humble and courageous enough to see what we have learned and then use our journey to help others. I know this will touch many people's lives!

[Cindy Knudsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you!

This book touched my heart deeply. I’m on the path of losing a son to suicide. Her experience and desire to reach others is inspiring.

[Jason Hewlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Lark's book on New Year's Day after losing my best friend on Christmas Day a week prior. I needed to to Learn To Breathe Again after his passing, and although this book deals with the effects of suicide on the Galley family, it helped me so much to move forward with my own situation, and I know it can help you as well. Whether you have been through something as tragic as familial suicide or not, any type of grief needs to be processed and takes time to heal. Lark sharing her deepest thoughts and navigation through these waters have helped me with what I am going through, as well as how best to be prepared if such happens in our lives. I would say this is an essential read. Amazing, powerful, profound and important book for anyone to read.

[Lark Dean Galley]

For those of you interested in learning more about my story, I invite you to following me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/livinglifewi....

Looking forward to the upcoming release!

Cheers,
Lark

[Stan Cronin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart

Just finished Learning to Breathe Again. Great insight is found within its pages. If you have lost someone suicide or know someone struggling, reach out. You can change a life or lives. Love one another.

[Janie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story of loss and healing about a mom who lost her son. She offers very good information, and one book that I have never so far read about this subject.

[Mark A.]

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