October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Read and share stories to honor survivors whose lives have been changed by domestic violence.

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E.D.

My neighbor, Jean, completed suicide by a gun when I was 5. I remember, to this day, coming home from a trip to see relatives in a different state and seeing caution tape around her home when we pulled into our driveway. I didn’t know what happened or how she died until two years ago, when I asked my parents again. Up until then, all I knew was that she died in an unexpected and sudden way, but I wasn’t told details. I’m from a smaller suburban town in North Carolina, and our whole neighborhood was shaken. I still remember when I found out the reality of her death, and I remember how shocked I was that she had been struggling so severely. She was a sweet old woman, who always had a bowl of candy in her house. I played with her grandkids, and I remember how kind she was. We miss you, Jean. You’re in my heart. Fly high and rest in peace.

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