In Loving Memory of Cory Chronister — A Call for Kindness and Awareness
R.I.P. Cory Chronister
There are no words that can fully capture the heartbreak of losing someone to suicide. Cory, I wish you hadn’t left the world this way. My heart aches with every breath I take knowing you’re no longer here. I love you. I miss you. And I will carry your memory with me always.
Your life mattered, and your absence has left a silence that roars. You were a light in so many lives, and I only wish that light had been reflected back to you when you needed it the most. We never truly know the depth of someone else’s pain, and too often, it’s hidden behind a smile, a laugh, or silence.
This world… it’s become so cold, so unkind. We’ve lost the essence of humanity — compassion, empathy, gentleness. So many people are carrying battles within them, silently screaming while appearing “fine” on the outside. And I know this because I’ve been one of them.
I’ve survived suicide attempts that by all accounts, should have taken me from this world. And yet here I am. I’ve asked myself many times why I lived when so many others — like you, Cory — didn’t. That question haunts me. I’ll never stop asking “why.” I’ll never stop wondering what more could have been done.
To those reading this: Please be kind — always.
Your kindness could be the lifeline someone is desperately holding out for. We don’t know what another person is going through. A smile, a kind word, a moment of understanding — it might seem small to you, but it could be the difference between hope and despair for someone else.
#SuicideAwareness isn’t just a hashtag. It’s a reality. It’s a call to open our eyes, to check in on our friends, to listen — really listen — without judgment.
We are losing too many beautiful souls to the darkness because they feel unseen, unheard, unloved. We are losing them because this world has grown harsh, indifferent, even cruel. Hate, judgment, cruelty — these are poisons that seep into our collective spirit and break people down.
But we can be the antidote.
We can choose love over hate.
Empathy over apathy.
Understanding over assumption.
To change the world, we each must first become the change we wish to see. That begins in our homes, in our conversations, in how we treat strangers, and especially in how we treat those closest to us. Speak life. Offer grace. Be present.
Cory, I don’t know why you had to go. But I will honor your memory by fighting for a gentler, kinder world. Your story, your life, your pain — it won’t be forgotten. I will speak your name and carry your legacy in every act of compassion I give to others.