The lady standing in front of me had a tattoo on her nape. “Wish you were here – May 12, 2010,” it read. What happened on that date, I wanted to ask. Did she lose somebody she loved? Another time, I saw a woman on the train wiping away her tears. She had a big bag with her. I wondered -- did she just leave her family? Was she thrown out of her home?
Just recently, my daughter told me that one of her friends committed suicide. What a tragic way to end one’s life at the age of 19. Did anyone know what he was going through? What demons did he battle with in his mind?
This story brought me back to my high school years when someone in our batch killed herself. Nobody had a clue that she was experiencing so much personal turmoil. Could we, her classmates and teachers, have done something to save her?
Every person has a story to tell. It can be a story of loneliness, pain, desperation. But that despair can turn to hope. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to reach out and care.
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do... We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. (1 Thessalonians 5:11,14)
No comments:
Post a Comment