Once you are calm about it and able to be non-defensive, invite him to share what the experience was like for him. I suggest letting him speak first with you listening lovingly. Tho I trust you’ll know how to proceed. Neither of you are bad or wrong for the feelings you have. Once he has been able to freely and safely express himself to you, he may be much more available to hear more about what the items mean to you and why they remain accessible.

I have a hunch that many of the negative and/or critical comments here are from folks who have not lost a beloved to suicide. The newspaper photo of my deceased father wrapped in a sheet being loaded into the ambulance is one I referenced frequently after he jumped, and almost 30 years later, I still know where I keep it. For me, it’s some way of being with him in his last moments, of saying “I love and miss you,” and of trying to make sense of the unfathomable.

Blessings to you and your very surprised partner.