Entry Twenty-Six
So many troubles. So many hurt souls. I have been receiving letters from... so many people in the last few months. I have read devastating things. Not many that I have been able to allow to be published in the newspaper due to their... delicate nature.
However... I believe a little perspective is needed.
On my desk right now I have letters.
1: A girl is being abused by her uncle. He comes to her when no one else is looking. She's tried twice to tell her family, but her uncle is beloved by all. They do not believe her. What is she to do?
2: I have two letters from girls who have become pregnant. One wishes for an abortion and the other wants to keep it. Both are worried about family, friends, their reactions. How to I advise these girls on what could be life changing situations? But I have to.
3: A boy has just lost his sister to leukaemia after fighting it for three years. He wants to join her. I can tell him no, but will he listen? If he does it anyway, am I responsible?
4: Another boy, this time he is being bullied. I wish I knew who he was. This letter says that it happens daily, that no one knows. That no one can help him. I wish that I could. I replied to that letter, I've asked for his name... Somehow I don't think that he will. He isn't the first letter I've had like that. It happens all the time. Yet I have never heard such despair before... A cry for help and yet... too afraid to reach out fully.
5: A person in love should be a beautiful thing. A person hurt by love... Cheated on time and again, and yet she loves him, stays with him despite the hurt. And yet the hurt is in every single line of text. In the tear stains on the paper. My heart breaks.
My heart breaks for all of these people. There is nothing I can do for them. I can offer advice as best that I can, insist they seek help, talk to friends, family, something. But in the end it all comes down to one thing; them. They must be the ones willing to do something. Sending a letter to me is just a tiny step, but it is a step.
However... I believe a little perspective is needed.
On my desk right now I have letters.
1: A girl is being abused by her uncle. He comes to her when no one else is looking. She's tried twice to tell her family, but her uncle is beloved by all. They do not believe her. What is she to do?
2: I have two letters from girls who have become pregnant. One wishes for an abortion and the other wants to keep it. Both are worried about family, friends, their reactions. How to I advise these girls on what could be life changing situations? But I have to.
3: A boy has just lost his sister to leukaemia after fighting it for three years. He wants to join her. I can tell him no, but will he listen? If he does it anyway, am I responsible?
4: Another boy, this time he is being bullied. I wish I knew who he was. This letter says that it happens daily, that no one knows. That no one can help him. I wish that I could. I replied to that letter, I've asked for his name... Somehow I don't think that he will. He isn't the first letter I've had like that. It happens all the time. Yet I have never heard such despair before... A cry for help and yet... too afraid to reach out fully.
5: A person in love should be a beautiful thing. A person hurt by love... Cheated on time and again, and yet she loves him, stays with him despite the hurt. And yet the hurt is in every single line of text. In the tear stains on the paper. My heart breaks.
My heart breaks for all of these people. There is nothing I can do for them. I can offer advice as best that I can, insist they seek help, talk to friends, family, something. But in the end it all comes down to one thing; them. They must be the ones willing to do something. Sending a letter to me is just a tiny step, but it is a step.