You are needed, your voice and your story are essential for someone, be it a stranger or a friend. Your book has soВ many chapters to be written. You have a purposeВ in this life, whether you realize it at this point or not. You have proven wrong those whoВ expected you not to make it, those who gave up on you long before you gave upВ on yourself. Despite the rocks life has thrownВ at you, you have emerged with scars and grit. Your track record of making it through trauma, heartbreak and devastation is 100 percent. I will provide you with a suicideВ hotline ( 1-80 or text the word вЂњstartвЂќ to 741-741.) I will ask someВ of the most important words of all: H owВ can I help?вЂќ

I wonвЂ™t shove the ideas of therapy or medication down yourВ throat as that will not help at the moment. I willВ tell you suicide is simply not a solution. I will say that your problems might not be temporary, but I will beВ with you and help you to find a coping mechanism that works for you. I wonвЂ™t use the old adage вЂњsuicide is a permanent solutionВ to a temporary problem.вЂќ Yes, it is worse to get shot in the chest, but it does not take away theВ pain of being shot in the leg. I will never compare your pain to anotherвЂ™s.В It would be like observing two gunshot wounds, one in the chest and one in the leg. I will acknowledgeВ your despair and lack of hope. I wonвЂ™t ever tell you things could be worse or that otherВ people have it worse than you and donвЂ™t want to die. I am so proud of youВ for still staying with me. I will instead beВ here to listen and validate your feelings because they are as significantВ as you are. I wonвЂ™t ever tell you that you are being dramatic and donвЂ™tВ really want to die. I donвЂ™t know you, but I do care because I can empathize with your pain IВ feel it myself. You may not seeВ or even hear it, but someone out there values your life I value your life. I will tell you someone loves you despite how you feel inside.В I will remind you that you are not and never will be a burden. I wonвЂ™t make you feel selfish by telling you to stick aroundВ for your family or friends, because I know you feel that leaving would not onlyВ end your burden, but theirs as well. I will remind you that although I donвЂ™t know what tomorrow willВ bring, I will be by your side to find out. I will instead tell youВ I am here with you. I wonвЂ™t feed you some bullshit like itвЂ™s all going to be OKВ with time because it may not be, and it may not turn out as you wish, but youВ will never know if you donвЂ™t stick around to find out. You have kindly givenВ me a few minutes of your time, and I do appreciate that. I am so proud of youВ for reaching out, even if you have done so without words. If you are readingВ this there is a small piece of you that wants to hold on. And because I can empathize, take a minute toВ read this letter to you. That is how IвЂ™ve felt anyway, the countless number of times I haveВ and do fall into the darkness.

It has become the onlyВ feasible way to rid yourself of the burdensome weight that has dragged you toВ this level of despair. It is a last resort, a desperate attempt to quell the never-ending and relentless pain that monopolizes your mind. It affects all ethnicities, cultures and religions. The rate of suicide is on the rise worldwide in all ageВ categories.

I only want to be with you