SOS: The Fight

Have you ever noticed that the mute characters in a novel have the most to say? They are the ones with the most interesting stories. They are the ones that stay with us long after we physically close the book. They are the ones that we notice. They are the ones that need to be noticed.

Following this paragraph, I have two options. I can write about siblings and how they are so often forgotten and how they are silently compliant all the way through this eating disorder mess. I definitely have enough experience to share on the topic. I could also write about the eating disorder sufferers themselves. Today, I choose to write about the sufferers.

These sufferers, like siblings, are also silent. The sufferers, however, are silent in a different way. They cannot fight for themselves in this tough battle. This is why we, their family, have to fight for them. We have to speak for them. We give them a voice; we tell their story.

Face it: These sufferers are living on borrowed time. Death doesn't like to be cheated, and these sufferers are hanging on by a thread. The bow of Death's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string. There is nothing that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with the sufferers' blood. There is nothing that keeps them from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. There is nothing keeping them alive...except you and me. The sufferers are alive because of us. We keep them alive in our dreams, memories, and prayers.

It is our job to fight for them. That is what we must do for now. Once the sufferers are stronger, they can fight their own battles. They will win their own battles. But for now, we must carry the burden. We must finish what we did not start. We must fight this head-on.

If you are to remember one thing, remember this: God is on our side.