Carol

I visited with Carol for the second time yesterday. We worked on a few more portraits including some different items this time. In the first image, she clutches Laura's Bible. After Laura's death, Carol found this written on the first page inside the Bible: All that happens to us first must pass through the sovereign hands of God. Finding this has been a huge comfort to Carol and she says that this saying is something she holds onto in life. It was also a huge comfort to her knowing that Laura felt this way about her own life.

In the second image, Carol is sitting in the breakfast nook of her kitchen, an area where she loves to spend time. I have to agree, it's so bright and open! This area is decorated with her study materials and photographs, including a photograph of her with Laura (on the far left edge of the image). The last photograph shows a close up of that image with Laura in the middle.

One of the things Carol has learned in losing her daughter to suicide is that everyone's experience is different. Everyone needs to grab onto something in order to survive such a significant loss. She chooses to hold steadfastly to her faith in God and her relationship to Christ. After losing Laura, who struggled with an eating disorder and depression, Carol has come in contact with many college-aged girls who have also struggled with eating disorders. She feels she can learn from them as well as offer something to them. Although some people can be very insensitive when it comes to a suicide, Carol has also connected with many others who have approached her with a similar experience of loss to suicide.