Fallen Rose

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Plato

This week ended on quite an unfortunate note - a beautiful rose has fallen. I received news that one of my highschool mates committed suicide. 

Growing up, as a creative individual, I loved taking mental walks into the unknown possibilities of the world of fictional novels. Ah, bliss. My all-time favorite author was J.K.Rowling, the mastermind behind the Harry Potter series. The detail it took to create every little character and every little scene....I was in love with her writing, so much that I would literally sit from morning to evening, engrossed in what was the brilliance of her mind. (Dear future children of mine, your mother has taken it upon herself to preserve said books for you. Despite having moved countries and houses quite a few times, there are no dog ears, coffee stains or spit marks on said books. Thus and such, beloved offspring, you will appreciate, read and love the books. Mummy amesema  (^-^) )

Years later, I came to find out that J.K.Rowling actually battled depression, and this was evident in her writing. In the books, there are creatures called dementors, which were allies of the dark world. When in the presence of these demon-looking things, the happiness is literally sucked out of one, and all one feels is a deathly coldness. That was their power. To suck every single drop of happiness out of one. There is no description more accurate, than a dementor, of what depression is. Depression is a creature of darkness that sucks the life and happiness out of one. You are alive, yet as cold as a dead person.

This girl who lost her battle with depression was just an acquaintance at school, and after highschool, we never kept touch. However, the news of her death touched a soft spot in my heart, like it was my sister I lost. Firstly because I remember her as a beautiful, ever smiling girl, and secondly, because I know the dark, scary and lonely coldness she must have felt before she fearlessly went ahead and did the unthinkable.

One thing I have learnt in life is never to judge anyone. Yes, even those who deserve to be beaten 15 times with a wooden chair. Never judge anyone, because everyone has a battle they are facing, handed down according to what God believes they are capable of. Everyone has a different threshold for pain; what is minor to you may be major to them and vice versa. What we as human beings have in common though, is that we all need love. Love, the greatest commandment, is everything in life, because God is love.

Even though it's too late for my schoolmate, this is what I would tell her (or any other person) if I had the chance to:

Rise above the currents, beloved. God is love, and you are of God, therefore, you are love. The pain is only temporary, rest your head. The blood of the all powerful God flows with authority through your veins, mightier than any existence. You can overcome. You will overcome. You are entitled to overcome. He believed in you, so you must believe in yourself. You are not alone in this battle. The world needs you. You are enough. You are more than enough. You are perfect, loved, cherished...