I was grown up now, just out of college. Night after night on the roof I’d tell myself, “Rosemary, act your age.” I knew I should take responsibility for my actions. But I could not control my behaviour.

I stared down into the darkness and then up at the stars. This was it. It would only take a second. I stepped up onto the roof ledge. “No, no!” I heard.

The kid in the baseball cap was by my side in an instant. “It’s going to be okay,” he said. I stood still. Dumbfounded. Angry. Get out of my face! I thought.

“Go home,” he whispered. “It’s going to be all right. Really, I promise.” I hesitated, but he kept his eyes on me. I glanced at the exit door. “Go on,” he said. I took a deep breath and stepped down from the ledge. I walked slowly toward the door. I felt a sense of surrender, not in defeat, but in letting go.

I don’t know if it was to take a last look at the stars or to thank the kid, but I turned back. I was alone on the roof. Where was he? There was nowhere he could have gone.

The wind was still cold, yet I felt warm, as if someone had wrapped a blanket around me. The guy’s words had been like that, warm and kind. I started to believe him.

The next day I went to Overeaters Anonymous and found people like myself struggling with food issues. Eventually I reduced my weight significantly.

I believe in the future now because of a stranger who helped me surrender to a faith I didn’t know I had. — Beliefnet.com (Concluded)