After church yesterday, we headed to the capitol grounds for the Central Texas Out of the Darkness Walk. Based on the videos and photos from the website, I was kind of expecting a somber (for this weeping woman, read: emotional) atmosphere. Instead, there were kids running and playing, music blasting, people laughing and recalling stories of their loved ones.
They had a couple of speakers before the actual walking kicked off. One was a young girl telling her recovery story; the other was a mother who lost her son. Those were the most somber, emotional times–well, that and the dates on shirts that absolutely broke my heart. One of the teams was walking for a thirteen year old. Thirteen. I cannot imagine feeling such pain and isolation at thirteen–at any age, really, but wow. Through the heart break, I find myself feeling immensely grateful that I have never known those kinds of thoughts or feelings.
What I do know is that I can help. I can continue to raise awareness for those suffering from depression and other mental illnesses. I can share the news of the gospel for those who are lost and hurting. I knew from the get-go that I wanted to be involved. I still don’t know exactly what that will look like. I’m still praying through exactly what my involvement will be.
After we walked, Baby Gray made crafts in the kids’ area, and then we headed for some Amy’s Ice Cream. Yum!
We rounded off the afternoon with a visit to Aunt Cookie’s new home. She’s close now–I hope we’ll be seeing a lot more of her these days.
