I was struck by this blog post, "Reflections on the Family of Suicidologists" from fellow wisdom entrepreneur and friend, Sally Spencer-Thomas. After her brother, a successful business man, committed suicide several years ago, Sally took on as her life's work the prevention of suicide in the workplace.

Sally's post is a wonderful example of kindred spirits coming together, from many walks of life, to learn and advocate and create together, to solve a problem in the world. Truly, this is a tribe and one that no one sets out to be a part of. (Most of the community has been touched by suicide in some way.) Once a member, the ties run deep. 

In Sally's posting, you'll find the clues to what makes a strong community, including:

• Ritual (e.g., lighting of candles, speaking the names of those they have lost)
• Shared experiences that are both common to the members and unique to each individual
• A question that everyone embraces, yet no one person has the answer (e.g., How do we prevent suicide?)
• Learning together
• Emotional engagement
• Respect for each other

I particularly like this quote from Sally's post, which speaks to the power of communities:

"With fire in our bellies, we continue to try to figure out one of the most tragic human experiences. And we don't give up. When funding gets cut, we get ultra-resourceful. When the media turn away from the good stories we have to tell, we keep knocking on the door. We are able to persist through the hardship because of our unwavering commitment to saving lives and because of the support we get from each other."

Find out more about Sally's work with the Carson J. Spencer Foundation by clicking here.