No One Left Behind

A battle buddy reached out to me this week, one who I personally know has faced the devil and his demons, he squared off toe to toe and eye to eye for over ten years.  I am proud and excited to say for the first time in as many years, is winning the battle, and has found strength and joy.  He is more than my buddy, he is my brother.  He is an example of strength and determination.  We joke all the time about where the journey has taken him/us, and recognize no matter how dark the path, we have always found the light.  A song that relates and has become a favorite for us and many veterans battling PTSD is Wrong Side of Heaven.  It brings awareness to the daily battle many veterans face every day.

Mental Illness in any form is real and extremely serious.  Too often we miss signs, and simply say, "Just get over it."  When we don't know what demons our loved ones are fighting.  The torment and darkness a person battling any form of mental illness is indescribable.  There are countless stuck points or factors that add up or contribute to a this terrifying reality.  Social Media; Bullying; Physical Health even loved ones can be a factor adding to the inferno raging inside.  

By the time we realize a problem exists, we are all too often trying to apologize for stepping aside, because we never understood.  

This same band wrote another song dedicated to building awareness suicide prevention.  Not all cases of mental illness lead directly to this worst case scenario, but it is a reality that can't be ignored. Watch the video to the end.  The images presented are exactly how I have had friends and describe their darkness.

My focus isn't intended to create hopelessness or a feeling of futility.  Rather to show the little things that can bring the light back.  As family and friends, it is not our job to solve anything.  We simply need to show love and support.  Show an outpouring of love and friendship and show, not tell, how much we are all needed and desired as well as remind ourselves and those battling any sort of demon of the brighter days.  We all fight in our own ways.  The greatest weapon we, standing on the outside, can provide is HOPE.  

I know the darkness is real.  That the moments of distress and hopelessness come.  Even more than the darkness, I know without a doubt, there is LIGHT; HOPE and JOY.  Referring to a recent post we must Let Him In!  We have a loving Savior who has provided an eternal atonement, and he asks and pleads for each of us to take part.  We can all be released from darkness, and can feel the overwhelming an abundant love He has for each of us. 

 I plead with anyone struggling or battling any form of mental illness to reach out.  Reach out to friends, family, religious leaders or anyone that will listen.  You are not alone and you are worth it!  You are loved more than you will ever know!

-Nate Taylor