To Write Love On Her Arms

My eyes grew weary as the clock was about to strike 5 a.m. I had no idea why I had signed up to work all three shifts as a Mental Health Counselor.

No one had communicated to me the reason as to why I had a one-on-one in which I had to watch one person nearly the entire night. This meant that I would virtually not be able to take my eyes off of them for the entire suite and the person's safety. It was then that I realized that if you stare at something long enough late at night, your eyes start to become blurry.

I did not understand why I was looking after her until the end of my shift when I found out that her former roommate had passed away. My heart suddenly felt compassion.

As a new Mental Health Counselor in training, I never knew her, but her story impacted the entire facility when I began work during that week.

People always joke about situations that are a matter or 'life or death.' When I found out that a girl from a different placement who attended our therapeutic day school had committed suicide that day, I knew my job was a matter of life or death.

And I was going to do everything in mine and His power to help these girls to choose life.

Prayer.

After working the adolescent girls from backgrounds of abuse, self-injury, addiction, suicide risk for six months, I came to realize that the greatest weapon of power is prayer.

While I am a firm believer of what TWLOHA stands for as far as showing love, the people working at the forefront of these issues need prayer more than anything so that they can have the strength and wisdom fulfill this call to love.

"The vision is better endings. The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships. The vision is people finding a life, finding freedom, finding love. The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise. The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change."
--To Write Love On Her Arms