‘My friends have children that are dying. 8 separate friends received devastating news this week, and they’re waiting for the inevitable.’: Woman urges ‘find your suffering friends and show them they are seen’

“I’m sad.

My friends have children that are dying. 8 separate friends have received devastating news this past week. 3 of those 8 families are just waiting…waiting for the inevitable. Waiting for their child to die.

If it hurts you to read that, I can guarantee it hurts one million times more to live it.

I’ve learned that we’re separated by a glass wall — those who can see the suffering but don’t know what to do with it are on one side. Grief is on the other side. An impenetrable wall on its own; meant to put hurting people on display but give the rest of us the choice to see but still walk away.

Take a sledgehammer to that glass wall of ignorance. Be brave. Shatter the sh*t out of it. The best thing we can do for one another is bust it down and then walk over those glass shards barefoot to get to the friend on the other side. I’m telling you, it can mean the difference between a parent recovering and a parent never recovering.

There is searing pain in being seen but not being rescued. It takes brave and bold friendship to go after those in pain. And make no mistake—you will get hurt when you go to someone in pain. Your feet will bleed.

But I truly believe there is no greater gift than that. To lay down your life for your friend. And I don’t mean physically die for them, but kill your need to self-preserve when you have the one thing to offer: to see their pain and grief. To acknowledge it and validate it. To hold their heart in your hands for a brief moment while their own world tips dangerously to the side, threatening every good thing in it.

I’m asking is for everyone reading this to shatter the barrier and step through it. Find them. Find the people who are scared. Find the friends who are depressed. Find the person overwrought with terrible grief.

Get your feet bloody for them and walk through the glass. Show them they are seen and are worthy.

Find them, please. Because there is nothing worse that grieving on display where no one is willing to go. That barrier destroys the soul, it really does.

Be brave. Go get our friends.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Carly McClure. You can follow her journey on Facebook and Instagram. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.

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