love on her arms.

i remember when i was in 7th grade,a friend came up to me and gave me a hug.

we walked, arm in arm, for a while. i always liked to play with her wrist-bands. it was one of my annoying habits, i guess, but this girl had a LOT of wrist bands, and so i made fun of her in my own little way.

i played with them.

constantly.

only this time, as soon as i touched her wrist, she jerked her arm away from me.

i looked down, and there, half hidden beneath her bright pink and neon green cover-up, were three slash-marks going sideways across her arm.

that day i learned that my friend was a cutter. but more than that, i learned that my friend was hiding a part of herself from the world because she didn't feel the love of a world that didn't seem to care about her anyway.

today is National "To Write Love On Her Arms" Day.

a day set aside to bring awareness and hope to people who suffer from depression and hopelessness.

through this organization, many people, boys and girls, have found hope and love in places they never thought were possible.

so today, i encourage you to write LOVE on your arms. and to show people all around you that, regardless of what they think, someone out there loves them and hope is possible.

love is the movement.

move.

for more information about this organization and what you can do to help, please visit www.twloha.com