"I would rather write her a song, because songs don't wait to resolve, and because songs mean so much to her. Stories wait for endings, but songs are brave things bold enough to sing when all they know is darkness. These words, like most words, will be written next to midnight, between hurricane and harbor, as both claim to save her." -Jamie Tworkowski

Ultimately, what Jamie did write would become so much more powerful than a story OR a song. His pen jotted down the manifesto for a movement, shaded in prose and inked in love.

It's well after midnight here in Las Vegas, on what has been deemed by some as "To Write Love On Her Arms Day." -- A fitting time to reflect, I'd say.

For those of you not familliar, To Write Love On Her arms is an organization that began with a story. A story of recovery, of the five days that Jamie and his friends took care of 19-year old Renee Yohee as she waited to be taken into treatment for addiction and self-abuse. You may have seen the t-shirts floating around, but it's much more than some company putting whimsical or inspiring words on t-shirts. Since it's inception, it's been a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people that suffer from depression, self-injury, and suicidal thoughts. They primarily do this by raising funds for other organizations such as Hopeline, S.A.F.E Alternatives, and other such organizations, but more directly they have networked thousands of people worldwide suffering from these problems, via the internet, via speaking tours, and via music. Many, many bands are involved with TWLOHA and often you'll find a member of the organization at one of their shows, speaking between bands or just talking to anyone that will approach. Infact, a band is how I discovered the whole thing.

It means a lot to me, personally, because it's something I wish I'd had around as a kid.. Something, someone to tell me "hold on, it'll be okay." As it stands, I was on my own for my ride through depression.. I hope to help as many people as I can with their their struggles. Ever since I first discovered TWLOHA I've passed out flyers, played at shows where I could speak about it or collect donations, and even donated some pretty decent-sized chunks of my own funds at their "Stop the Bleeding" events.

People don't realize that not everyone that cuts is looking for attention. Most people that do it, don't even cut in places anyone can see. For every "emo" kid cutting for attention there are five others doing it because they're just compelled to do so for various reasons. Personally, I thought I was created for the simple purpose of feeling pain, be it mental or physical. And unfortunately I thought that way for a very long time.. Probably 12 years.. Maybe more. There wasn't anyone there to hold my hand, or post a myspace bulletin saying "you are not alone" - but if there had been, things might have been a lot less bleak.

The worst part is that compared to some, I made it out fine. Unfortunately I had some very good friends that didn't survive their own demons. I think that's part of why I got my wrists tattooed with that word: Love. To remind myself that there is always a light in the dark. There is always something to hope for, and to fight for. To remind myself how much it hurt when I lost those people, and how I would never want someone else to hurt that way because of me.. And to remind myself that even when there's nothing left, I still have something to give.