2021 has gone by so quickly. The first quarter of the year is nearly over already.
So much attention is given to New Year’s Resolutions. A time of optimism and hope. A time to restart-to begin anew.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Personally, I’m not very good with following through on those resolutions. And, I hear I’m not alone. (Wink. Wink.)
I began 2020 calling it my year of “vision and clarity”. Well, it turned out it was more a year of seeing and watching how all of us would cope with and get through the unexpected COVID Pandemic.
We coped. We are strong souls.
For my Spring 2021 I’m calling it my “Plus One” – I still have the Vision and clarity but One Extra Bonus-We don’t have to do it alone!
Springtime Why
My personal favorite time of the year for awakening and recharging is Spring. It’s a beautiful season.
I love it when snow starts melting and the birds start chirping. I do love winter and the snow also; however, the anticipation of NEW fills me with energy, wonderment and excitement.
Each spring I look forward to watching the birds come back and make nests in the same places.
Witnessing new birth is awesome.
I enjoy seeing flowers start to bloom. I marvel at the critters scurrying around.
There is just a certain energy I receive from each of these wonders of seasonal transition.
Winter 2021 presented us at Craft LifeStyle Management our share of sorrowful client stories and crisis clients – more intense than usual.
We have experienced unbelievable obstacles and nearly insurmountable challenges while finding a healing plan of action for our souls’ futures. Each needed our help more than ever.
Was it the long, cold winter with Covid that caused so much seclusion? Or, was it the pride of our elder clients who were telling their kids “we are fine,” but clearly weren’t?
Was it just coincidental timing when parents/grandparents, taking care of their special needs children, reached their limit and decided they can’t do it any longer?
We don’t know the answers. We never will.
We just know how to come up with solutions to efficiently solve so many safety, dignity and health concerns.
Granted some days are more challenging than others. But the Craft LifeStyle Management team keeps going until a solution for whatever the challenge is has been put in place.
The Craft LifeStyle Management team is deeply appreciative of seeing light, hope and healing for each of the souls who came to us in crisis over Winter 2021.
We want it always to feel like “Spring” for them for whatever time they have left here on this earth.
I hope your 2021 spring feels more alive and healing than all of ours from 2020.
Joey’s a white, 54-year-old male living in a small town in rural North Dakota. He’s been married for 29 ½ years to fellow Napoleon native, Missy (Sperle).
He’s the proud father of three grown children (Amanda, Megan and Elijah) and has an adorable 9-month-old grandson.
Joey’s the middle child with two sisters and an in-law to Missy’s 12 siblings.
He’s provided for his family as a restaurant owner and manager, retail manager and maintenance worker at the Napoleon Care Center.
Joey loves spending time with his family, especially hunting with his son, mowing the lawn and watching TV.
He’s described as kind, soft-hearted, genuine and sweet.
Joey loves people, but is shy.
He works hard not to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Joey can also be a prankster and a joker.
He has a strong Catholic faith.
Joey has suffered with depression for 34 years.
On December 9, 2016, Joey ended his life by suicide.
Battling Depression
This wasn’t Joey’s first attempt at ending his struggle with life.
Three times he overdosed with medication chased by alcohol. The last time by a fatal gunshot in the master bedroom.
“In the 35 years we were together, it was like a roller coaster ride,” said his wife, Missy. Joey was hospitalized for the suicide attempts. He saw doctors for decades and took a variety of antidepressants. He even had shock treatments, which worked for a few years, but, according to Missy, also affected his short-term memory.
Joey’s depression peaked when he was under pressure or conflict was present in his life.
“Joey loved his family so very much but I believe the suffering just got to be too much. He was so tired of the struggle to keep going,” shared Missy.
Suicide’s Effect on Family
Joey’s children felt deep guilt in the months after his death. “These days were very hard. The kids felt guilty because they didn’t call or visit their dad more often.”
Somehow they believed if they’d have reached out and visited more frequently his suicide could’ve been prevented.
Not likely.
Hilzendeger Family
Joey and Missy often talked about suicide because of his 30-year depression battle. “I knew the day would come where he’d accomplish it. However, I always figured it’d be by means of overdose and not by shooting himself on a day when all the children were coming home.”
Missy assured and comforted her children and told them what she’d say to any family who’s suffered such a loss:
1. This is not your fault. Depression is an illness like cancer, diabetes or alcoholism. It is no one’s fault and certainly nothing to be ashamed of.
2. Use available resources for helping you cope: support groups, pastoral counseling, therapy, physician visits, retreats, spa services-whatever is available to you and makes you feel better.
3. Stay strong. It may feel like you will never get over this. It is not easy and you will never forget. Each day does get better and you will learn to live with it. You have to believe God loves you and will help you through this.
Though she coaches her children and others to be guilt-free, Missy sometimes blames herself for Joey’s suicide. “We were together for 35 years and I just couldn’t bring him back from the darkness this one last time.”
However, Missy has never been angry with Joey for what he did. “We were together so long and I knew how much he struggled on so many occasions. I can’t be angry with him.”
She admits, though, she’s been disappointed that he didn’t fight harder, especially after they had their first grandchild. “He was so unbelievably proud of that little boy.”
Missy is comforted knowing that she and the kids did not miss any warning signs of Joey’s impending suicide. “He battled depression for 30 plus years. Though it was difficult, it was part of our lives for so many years.
I wish I could have him back, but for Joey’s sake, knowing how much he suffered for so long, I truly hope and pray that he is now at peace.”
Moving Forward
Joey is terribly missed by all. Thinking of him brings both a smile to Missy’s face and tears to her eyes.
She talks to him regularly, asking him to watch over the family and to keep them safe, always, but especially from the current pandemic. “I pray every day that Joey is at peace and is right beside God.” That was always his greatest wish.
Missy’s relies heavily on her immediate and extended families to cope and is deeply grateful to each of them for their commitment to her. “They’ve helped so much with everyday life since Joey’s death. I wouldn’t have been able to get through this without them and my faith.”
Her toughest days were the grief-filled ones the first four weeks after Joey’s death. “I cried every day, many times a day. I remember thinking I’d just lost my husband yet everyone is moving on like nothing happened.”
She returned to work and kept busy, yet when summer arrived, she was hit with another wave of grief. She was alone to tend to yard work-one of Joey’s favorite chores that he enjoyed so much.
I had a wake-up call. Life was moving on with or without me. “The pain of his death has not gone away. I have just learned to live with it.”
“It’s been 3 ½ years. Every day is anyone’s guess how the day will be. Some days I feel like crying when I hear a certain song or relive a special memory. The next day, I’m just fine.”
Wishing Missy and her beautiful family days of peace and happiness ahead.
Thank you for sharing your story so that others may have hope.
If you’re experiencing thoughts of suicide, please seek immediate help from a physician or mental health professional. Effective July 16, 2022, call 988.988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline | SAMHSA
In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). For more information, visit the NSPL web site (www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org).
To keep Joey’s memory alive, every March his family hosts a pinochle tournament in Napoleon with funds donated to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) in memory of Joey Hilzendeger.
If you’d like to make a donation to the card tournament, send a check to Missy Hilzendeger 322 Avenue C East, Napoleon, ND 58561.
The 5th Annual Pinochle Tournament is scheduled for March 2021. The day is not yet available.
What Can You Do?
Seek help if you are suicidal. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Leave notes of encouragement for Missy below.
Donate and participate in the Pinochle Tournament.
Send a donation in Joey’s name to AFSP.
Encourage loved ones to seek help.
Objectively listen and pay attention.
Keep the lines of communication open.
SHARE this post with others struggling with depression and/or suicidal thoughts.
SHARE with family members left behind.
North Dakota Facts
North Dakota saw the nation’s largest increase in suicide rates from 1999 to 2016- 58 percent.
That was more than twice the national increase of 25 percent, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That means that in North Dakota, which has the nation’s 10th-highest suicide rate, a person dies by suicide every 57 hours.
In 2019, 154 people committed suicide.
Guns are the leading means of suicide nationally as well as in North Dakota. They account for slightly more than half of all suicides in North Dakota.
Easy access to firearms, along with increased social isolation and lack of behavioral health services, are among the reasons cited for higher suicide rates in rural areas.
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Linda Leier Thomason writes freelance business and travel stories along with feature articles. Her work experience includes a Fortune 500 corporation, federal government, entrepreneurship and small business. Read more about her background and qualifications by clicking on the “Meet Linda” tab above.
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According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 7 men will experience intimate partner violence annually.
(One in Four Women) 1:00 minute
Being in an abusive relationship can be scary and confusing. You may feel isolated, guilty and ashamed.
If you are being abused, please seek help. Call 911, the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799–SAFE (7233), a local Crisis Hotline or your church office.
There is HOPE. You do not need to remain in an abusive situation. Hear from women who have reclaimed their lives. You too can be someone who gets her life back. Reach out today.
It’s a Sign of Abuse if a Partner…
Courtesy USCCB Publishing Washington, D.C.
Calls names, insults and constantly criticizes or humiliates
Isolates her from family and friends
Monitors where she goes and how she spends her time
Controls finances, refuses to share money, or gives her an allowance
Threatens to have her deported or to report her to a welfare agency
Threatens to take her children away
Threatens to kill or hurt her, the children, other family members, or pets
Threatens her with a weapon
Destroys property, such as household furnishings
Pushes, slaps, hits, bites, kicks, or chokes her
Forces her to have sex or to perform sexual acts
(Warning Signs) 2:37 minutes
Make Your Safety & the Safety of Your Children a Priority
No one has the right to hurt you or your children.
Did you know that 3-4 million children between the ages of 3-17 are at risk of exposure to domestic violence each year? U.S. government statistics say that 95% of domestic violence cases involve women victims of male partners. The children of these women often witness the domestic violence.
Whether or not children are physically abused, they often suffer emotional and psychological trauma from living in homes where their fathers abuse their mothers. Children whose mothers are abused are denied the kind of home life that fosters healthy development.
Children who grow up observing their mothers being abused, especially by their fathers, grow up with a role model of intimate relationships in which one person uses intimidation and violence over the other person to get their way.
Stop the cycle of abuse. Reach out for help. Call 911, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799–SAFE (7233).
Are you a victim of domestic violence?
Trust your instincts
Know it is not your fault
Don’t be afraid to call for help
Value your freedom to choose, learn and grow
Helpful Numbers to Call:
1.800.799. SAFE (7233) National Domestic Violence Hotline
1.866.331.9474 National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline
911
Share with anyone you suspect may be domestically abused. You may be saving a life.
I’m at an age where endings are more common, though none less painful: Divorce. Death. Abandonment.
That’s why I picked up the non-fiction book Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman and read it. If you have lost a loved one through death, divorce or abandonment, I encourage you to read it.
The author was kicked out of a grief support group and created her own to take the next steps with her after loss-six young widows. All agreed to allow her to tape their monthly gatherings and not edit their words. Though there was little in common between the women except for their loss, the group bonded over the year and even traveled as a team.
The truth of grief was vivid and the struggles of new beginnings graphic.
The predominant message was that grief is a process of finding comfort in one’s life again and that requires going outside of oneself through action. Not easy but clearly doable as shown through the words and behavior of this group.
Sometimes we make choices in our lives but sometimes our lives make choices for us-leaving us in a state of grief. Make a choice-read the book. Connect and bond with a group that doesn’t wallow in sorrow but yearns for new beginnings. Assume responsibility for your new beginning.
Taken from Psalm 42: Why are you so desolate, my soul? Why weighed down in despair? Trust in God; He will save you; You will sing to Him with great joy.
