My brother's suicide saved my life. It was like he knew that it would take an act of supreme selflessness to save me. That he would even hesitate to make such a sacrifice has
always been ludicrous to me, though I have never thought about it before now.
At the time, almost nothing could have shocked me enough to wake me, to make me see that I was standing unsteadily on the precipice. Yet, the unthinkable did happen, and it saved my life.
Now I stand, not on the precipice, but gazing into a chasm of grief. I
know I am a fool for squandering my brother's gift to me. I
know that he would not want me to destroy my life, the life he saved--intentionally or unintentionally--by sacrificing himself. I
know that he would be disappointed to see me succumbing to my grief for him.
I know that I dishonor our love for each other by not pulling myself up by the bootstraps.