“Tears of Appreciation”

“CRYING tears of appreciation, I have just finished reading the article ‘How to Help Depressed Ones Regain Joy.’” (The Watchtower March 15, 1990, pages 26-30) So began one of many letters of appreciation received by the Society for the articles on depression appearing in our March 1 and March 15, 1990, issues. This particular expression, however, came from a sister in Japan whose young son was recently afflicted with schizophrenia. She explains:

“Comforting and encouraging a depressed soul every day, at times I feel too exhausted to go on. When darkness sets in, my son is seized by fear and anxiety. So I give him sleeping pills and sit at his bedside rubbing his hands and putting my hand on his forehead until he goes to sleep. It is just like putting a baby to bed, and after about an hour, he finally falls into a deep sleep. That is when I feel relieved, but at the same time, I tell myself that tomorrow morning will bring another day to get through.

“My son says, ‘I am no good for anything. There’s no hope for me.’ Every day he sadly asks, ‘Will I be cured of my sickness? When will I be free of medicine? How long will this kind of life continue?’ At such times I use questions to change his thinking as the magazines suggested, and this helps him to pick up to some extent. But we go over the same ground day in and day out.

“There are also times when my son calls elders [from the local congregation] in the middle of the night when he feels extremely anxious and asks them to pray for him. This seems to be of great comfort to him and puts his mind at rest. . . . Oftentimes, my son’s condition worsens when my husband (an unbeliever) is away on business trips. When I ask for help over the phone, many brothers rush to our home.

“I thank you, brothers, from the bottom of my heart for your publishing articles of this kind from time to time and showing you care for the needs of the weak.”

[Signed] H. H.