A while back I wrote about having depression and I’ll be honest, the response was unreal. My community, especially the group of people in the greater Northern Guard Supporters/Detroit City FC community, has been nothing but incredible in supporting me. It turns out that many of us share a fight against mental illnesses and adversities.
Some time ago I came upon this beautiful letter that the lovely and wonderful Stephen Fry wrote to a young woman. She too suffers from depression and needed some encouragement. He wrote back a lovely note and one phrase, in particular, stood out to me, which you will see below momentarily. If you’ve never read the letter before, stop, go read it, then report back here.
I’ve saved that letter and read it often, especially on the days that are the worst. Last year I asked my incredible friend Sarah if she would draw me a tattoo that would go on my arm under the Love Wins. She drew me an incredible image of hope, of light, and of encouragement, an image that ties so many aspects of who I am, of what I believe, into this message of hope that Stephen put into words to a complete stranger.
There is a certain profound timing, I think, that the same day I got this tattoo was the day my grandfather passed away. It seems a Holy Nudge happened that suggested I might need the visible encouragement and hope immediately.
