|
Abbie,
a shy and reserved, started ninth grade in the
big-city high school in the center of town. It
never occurred to her that she would be lonely.
This new school was much too cold and
unfriendly.
She
walked the halls every day almost invisible; no
one spoke to her, so her voice was never heard.
It reached the point where she believed that her
thoughts weren’t good enough to be heard. So
she continued to stay quiet, almost mute. She
joined a Christian youth group at a local
church, hoping to make friends. She met people
who on the outside seemed to welcome her, but
who on the inside wished she’d stay out of
their group.
Her
parents were very worried about her, for they
fear she’d never make friends. Her parents
tried everything they could to help her fit in.
They bought her the clothes and the CDs, but it
still didn’t work. Unfortunately, Abbie’s
parents didn’t know Abbie was thinking of
ending her life. She often cried herself to
sleep, believing that no one would ever love her
enough to be her real friend.
Her
new pal Tammy used her to do her homework by
pretending to need help. Even worse, Tammy was
leaving Abbie out of the fun she was having.
This only pushed Abbie closer to the edge.
By
Christmastime Abbie was so upset that she was
taking sleeping pills to help her sleep. It
seemed as though she was slipping away from the
world. Finally, she decided that she would jump
off the local bridge on Christmas Eve, while her
parents were at a party.
She
decided to leave a note in the mailbox; she
found that there were already letters in it. She
pulled the letters out to see who they were
from. There was one from Grandma and Grandpa
Knight, a couple from the neighbors… and then
she saw one addressed to her. She tore it open.
It was a card from one of the guys in the youth
group.
Dear
Abbie,
I want to apologize for not talking with
you sooner, but my parents are in the middle of
a divorce, so I don’t have a chance to talk
with anyone. I was hoping you could help me with
some questions I have about divorced kids. I
think we could become friends and help each
other. See you at Youth Group on Sunday!
Sincerely your friend,
Wesley Hill
She
stared at the card for a while, reading it over
and over again, “Become friends,” she
smiled, realizing that someone cared about her
life and wanted plain, quiet Abbie Knight as a
friend. She felt so special.
She
turned around and went back to her house. As
soon as she walked in the door, she called
Wesley. I guess you could say he was a Christmas
miracle, because friendship is the best gift you
can give anyone.
|
