Most people will never know the pain of seeing their own child living on the streets. It’s a tangle of emotions and helplessness that can’t be defined.
I walked under a bridge with a another father today. His daughter has lived there for over two years. As we approached we said a prayer, hoping to find her again and have the words to express true love and grace. After the “amen” we immediately found her. She shook her head and walked a away.
As we approached her, she started screaming. She immediately started cussing and threatening him. He stood there and took it. At one point she screamed “Do you have anything you want to say!” He responded with the words “I love you.” He opened his arms like the story of the father of the prodigal son, but her response was more screaming, throwing something at his face and more threats. She eventually walked away.
This father is hurting. Not only is his daughter struggling with mental illness and addiction, his wife (her mother) is dying of cancer. Today his wife is in the ICU and the prognosis is bleak. His continued attempt to reconcile with his daughter is fueled by a mother’s dying wish.
For over six months he’s been meeting with me and trying to help his daughter. She’s killing herself with K2 and meth, only complicating her mental illness. What is this father to do?
Today he weeps.
Please pray for my friend, his dying wife, and his daughter. Please remember that every person on the street represents a family in pain.