We created Cheerful Gear as a love letter to our dad and to bring tools and encouragement to anyone seeking to live their most joyful, emotionally healthy life.
Our dad didn't have those tools and he died of suicide on the two-year anniversary of our mother’s funeral. We understand the pain our dad was feeling that led him to conclude that his life was not worth living. But, our dad’s pain was temporary — a natural byproduct of grief from the unexpected loss of his childhood sweetheart.
To our dad that pain, and life itself, was unbearable. We like to think he died of a broken heart. But, he died because he didn't have the help and the tools he needed to overcome his grief.
Following our dad's death, we spent time dealing with our own grief - the grief of losing both parents and the pain of wondering what we might have done to prevent our dad's outcome. We asked ourselves, like many survivors, if there were things we could have done to help our dad with his depression.
In hindsight, there were things we could have done. There was help available if we had known where to find it and how to advise him. There were also lifestyle changes we could have encouraged - simple things - that our dad could have adopted to improve his outlook.
Cheerful Gear was created to provide the help, the tools and the reminders we all need to live joyfully, regardless of circumstance.
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Cheerful Gear is 100% Volunteer Staffed and Funded.