the balance. My prayer was des-
perate.
for her, fight for us!
her weary body, clothed in gray
and black, up the stairs to the
coffee shop's dimly lit loft that
offered faded seats and privacy.
A mixture of blue jazz played in
the background. She settled her
long athletic body next to mine.
Tentatively, she looked at me
through hair that fell like a veil.
plauded her courage by tenderly
touching her arm and knew she
would only be able to trust me as
I listened with my entire being.
down her beautiful face. These
silent messengers screamed, "Be-
lieve me, love me, help me!"
recounted the last six months of
her traumatic life. She was once
a straight A student, but now
her grades had plummeted to
D's and F's. Her despair, sleepless
nights, loss of appetite and con-
stant crying described the mer-
ry�go�round she was on. In her
hopelessness she thought the
only way off the crazy, dizzy ride
was to go to sleep forever and
never wake up.
did not need to hear quick fixes
or the proverbial "If only's." Amy
needed visible hands to touch
her with caring compassion; eyes
to acknowledge her pain by weep-
ing themselves; ears to listen
without judgment or interruption
and a heart that was trustworthy
and loyal. She needed Jesus with
skin on.
would go home. Dinner would be
served as usual, followed by the
normal school-night routine. Good
nights would be said, doors would
be closed and lights turned off.
Then ... a quiet silence ... a tor-
tured soul ... a bleeding heart.
inable grief. Our world would suf-
fer a terrible loss and never know
the contributions an amazing girl
like Amy could have made.
on her behalf to parents, coun-
selors, doctors and emergency
rooms. Arrangements were made
to get her to safety. Nine hours
later, Amy was stabilized for the
night. She tested ten out of ten
for acute danger of suicide.
not want to leave her, but it was
time. I felt so helpless. I knew I
could not fix her broken spirit
and put her together again.
she was slowly drifting off to
sleep. I needed to say goodbye.
Amy's large sad eyes reflected
mixed feelings of fear, courage
and thankfulness into mine.
What a brave soul she was! Gen-
tly I moved the hair out of her
eyes. Bending down I placed a
soft kiss on her forehead and
whispered, "I love you." Her hand
reached out for mine and together
we knew our lives would never
be the same.