My Empty Nest Was Supposed to Have Two Birds: A Recovery Journey Following Suicide

by McKay Moore Sohlberg

Over forty-five thousand adults die each year in the United States as a result of suicide. These individuals leave a cast of spouses, children, parents, siblings, friends, and colleagues all struggling to understand and move forward under the weight and complexity of suicide. While the media chronicles this rising national health crisis, society’s conversation remains largely impassive, relegating suicide survivors to secret keeping.
My Empty Nest Was Supposed to Have Two Birds is a memoir recounting one woman’s journey coping with the aftermath of her husband’s suicide. The memoir provides poignant stories depicting the pain and hope that pave the winding path forward following the loss of a beloved spouse to suicide. It provides an antidote to the closeted thoughts and questions that confront survivors, and in so doing, offers transformative hope to those of us left behind.

All proceeds from book sales will be donated to Everytown for Gun Safety working to reduce the number of gun suicides in the U.S.

156 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2021

Reviews

[Mitzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think anyone who is experiencing or has experienced grief would greatly benefit from this tenderly and honestly shared experience of McKay and her 3 daughters in the loss of their husband and father to suicide. I had the pleasure of knowing the 3 daughters a little bit because they took piano lessons from the same teacher as my 3 children and our lesson times often overlapped. In addition, their sweet and silly dad would often be the one to pick the girls up after their lessons. So this 'story' is very real to me because the people are real as well as the fact that I lost a 4-year old son to leukemia many years ago. How I wish that someone had written a book like McKay at the time of my loss. Even though she would be the first to say that experiences vary greatly in terms of everyone who experiences the death of a loved one, McKay shares her story with the hopes that it will be of help to others. Even though I have plodded through my own grief, the tips that McKay shares could be a real life saver for so many. Even for me, all these years later, it made me feel 'normal' and maybe more importantly, reminded me of all the challenges that so many people face and how I can be more supportive of those who are grieving. It's a beautiful book in so many ways!

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is heart breaking and hopeful. There were so many places where I related from my own loss experiences. Written in a straightforward, candid way, the author pulls the veil back on spousal loss, parenting after the suicide of a partner and the messy road that is living past another. Thank you for this book.