Alone, in the dark she sits perched unaware on the edge of a vast crevasse with no end.

A hand reaches out, grasping hers; gently but firmly, with good intent. “It’s OK”, a voice whispers in the breeze. She barely notices, but the hand remains non-judgmental and does pull her up, rather wait for her to decide to make a move.

Suddenly, she sees the hole, but her mind feels so empty and alone. The hole looks so tempting to hide in and escape, from her fear, for which she does not know what of.

She is then reminded of the hand, which still is intertwined with hers. “It’s OK not to be ready, but I can show the way” Her mind flickers and memories flood back in good and bad. “What if bad things happen? What happens if it hurts?” She asks. “It will hurt at times and especially at first, but I will be there for you. I promise you that the pain is temporary, but the reward will be worth it”.

“It sounds too hard though and I’m so close to the edge”.

“You are here today, despite all the bad memories and the bad things that have happened to you. Trust me, you have done that and that is harder”.

“If I change my mind and it gets too hard, can I come back?”

“If you want to, I am still here for you and always will be”

“OK”, she shuffles away from the edge nervously. She then with the help of the hand pulls herself up.

“No journey is perfect, but in the end, it will make you a stronger person. You can show others that it is possible”.

She then looks again at the hand and realises the hand was in fact her own hand. However, she looked older, and her kind nature shone ear to ear.

“You are here today for a reason, though it is hard to see right now, and it will get better. You may not trust me, but I am always here waiting”.

In memory of those I have lost. Let’s beat the 1 in 5!! xx