When I had my first visit with a counselor and filled her in with what was going on in my life, the first thing she said was, “Have you contemplated suicide?” Now I know that counselors are suppose to screen their clients and make sure they don’t need more help than a once every week or two visit to talk, but still it struck me . . . maybe I really had been through a lot and it wasn’t a personal weakness but more of a reasonable response to a lot of loss and bad situations in my life.