Standing up for others 

Being a victim, having support and how that made me feel..

When friends leave you and go to heaven it can be really hard to function. On September 25th, 2011 a friend of mine by the name of Justin Henry passed away. At the time of his passing I was in Florida state with my grandma, we went to the mall and before we knew it, Daisha which is my best friend called us to give the bad news of Justin's passing. I thought to myself "where do I go from here" my grandma turned to me and said "pray to God and ask for protection over his family and to keep him safe in heaven". The minute my grandma said this I asked her for the keys to the van, she wondered why but, allowed me to take them. As I was walking towards the car and seeing people with their friends, a million thoughts went through my head. Wondering why God had to take him away from us. Justin's death was caused from falling off a cliff while with some friends. Up to this day we have no clue if he was pushed, jumped or fell. Being the victim was not an easy thing, I needed somebody to help guide me through this understanding and to be by my side at all times. My grandma and mom were those people. As weeks went by I became stronger and stronger with the help of my family and God. In this experience I learnt that having others help you is always a good feeling and it's important to return that favor. There was never a dull moment when Justin and I were together, laughing, making jokes and memories that up to this day come to mind. It's hard to overcome deaths but, when you have the right people in your life that are willing to stand up for you and help you, it makes things better. The person that stood up the most for me in this situation was God. I prayed almost every night that Justin would be okay in heaven and thanking God for making him even exist. 
         

       Being the healer and standing up for others.. 

       One day, my friends and I were hanging out and they started bullying one of the girls in our dorm. I stood up for her by interfering in an unethical situation. When she was hurting I heard a message from God saying that I should help her and stand up for her like a true friend would. Sometimes when people are hurting inside they don't express those feelings. When I spoke to her about how she truly felt, she opened up to me more and more and now we have a special connection, I go to her for help and she comes to me for help. This friend of mine struggles from some mental illnesses that not many people know of so I try to support her at all times. When this situation took place I was doing homework with her and as we looked up we saw 3 of the girls coming to talk to her. The first thing  I said was "you guys should really take a step back and think about what you're doing and how this might affect her, don't you think?" they responded, "Dee this really isn't your business and you should stay out of it" I replied "well what happens when you don't do anything?", I don't want to be a bystander, I am standing up for her and she deserves it, she never troubles you guys and this is affecting her in all ways. They thought I was being unfair and obviously this was a risk for me also, to step up and say something but, I did it because it was for somebody I care alot for and that person returns the favor to me all the time. Ever since that day, they don't talk to her when i'm around and, if they do she comes to tell me because, she knows that I will stand up for her. When you stand up for others it makes you feel good about yourself and even better when that person helps you also. I have learnt from this that being a healer is my strength. 

       Being a bystander and the possible regrets it can cause..

       I remember one Saturday morning I was with some friends in Toronto and we spotted a homeless guy on the side of the road sleeping while it was snowing. I had never seen this before and it crushed my heart. I had no idea what to do and how I could possibly help him as I am a young teenage girl and my money comes from my parents, not my own. I wished I was rich and I could just get him some shelter and food. I turned to my friends and said " do you guys see that guy sleeping?", they replied " yeah but he could be faking, let's go". We continued walking to the mall and started doing our shopping. The whole time I was shopping I remembered this guy and kept thinking what I could do but, I followed what my friends were saying and just moved on with my life. I regret this day because, that guy is somebody's family and, it would suck not to be with your family but, on the streets sleeping in the cold. I asked God that night to watch over him and prayed that nothing would happen to him. Up to this day I think about homeless people and what I as an individual can do to help them. I have a really big heart and enjoy helping others. If I could change what I did that day I would. I would've gone to buy him a snack and put a smile on his face.