STORY
Most days, a little blackbird can be seen hopping around the back garden, waiting expectantly for a few breadcrumbs or a dip in his pot of water.
This bird symbolises so many things – loss, pain, hope, joy. It represents a special person who, on 12 November 2018, left this family forever. 18 years of togetherness gone in an instant. A broken wife, and two young children left to pick up the pieces. Evie was nine years old and Ada was just two at the time.
It was a very normal Monday morning when Steve left for work after kissing the family goodbye. This was the moment the nightmare began. Steve was missing for three days before his body was found by police. He had taken his own life without any warning or reason given.
Caroline describes the challenges they faced when their family suddenly shifted from four to three. She talks openly about how this tragic loss impacted every part of their lives as well as their relationships with others. She shares all she has learnt about suicide since Steve became one of those 6,000 people who die like this every year in the UK. And she describes the many ways that others can take comfort from the strength that emerged when this family of three, this mighty little triangle, began to heal.
Through Daddy Blackbird, Caroline tells the story behind this tragedy, from the very early days of joyous adventures, through the horror that ensured after Steve’s suicide and into the months and years that followed, where hope and a little blackbird now reside.
