Hi! My name is Amarah. Kids are important to me, and they’re important to Jesus, too.

Jesus said in Matthew 25:40 (KJV), “Whatever you’ve done unto the least of these (kids), you’ve done it unto me.”

“Kids like me” are kids and adults of all ages whose parents are, or were, drug addicts, and alcoholics; kids who have suffered, or who are suffering, abuse and neglect on multiple levels; and kids who are victims of bullying.

Hey, kids like me! We were able to help at least 130 kids here in the SLV have a better Christmas this year with our toy/food/warm clothing drive and we are very grateful for the opportunity. With all of my heart, I want to thank Erwin Young, Dr. Barbara Troy, Mrs. Rosalie Martinez, Miss Pat, Lynne Young, Delia, Todd and Linda, Jeff, and everyone who helped me this year! I couldn’t have done it without you!

Today’s column is the last one for the year, 2017, and I want to re-share a special column that spoke volumes to me from July of this year:

Mom Shares Late Daughter’s Poem about Heroin Addiction
A parent’s worst nightmare became a reality for Brian and Bridget Farrell when their 23-year-old daughter, Delaney, overdosed from heroin and died recently, 7/1/17. She knew what her monster was, said Brian in a Facebook video that now has more than 11,000 views. She knew she was battling it.

Delaney lost the battle on Saturday. She was found by Williamsport, Pennsylvania, police at a Red Roof Inn where she had previously been employed. Although Delaney has died, she left behind a powerful poem that has struck a chord with many. The poem, which expresses what it’s like to struggle with heroin addiction, was included by her mother in her obituary (whose online version had crashed from a surge of traffic on Friday) after she found it in her daughter’s journal.

Here is the complete poem written by Delaney:

Funny, I don’t remember no good dope days.
I remember walking for miles in a dope fiend haze.
I remember sleeping in houses that had
no electric.
I remember being called a junkie, but I
couldn’t accept it.
I remember hanging out in abandos that
were empty and dark.
I remember shooting up in the bathroom
and falling out at the park.
I remember nodding out in front of
my sisters kid.
I remember not remembering half
the things that I did.

Arboleda, C. (2017). Mom shares late daughter’s poem about heroin addiction. https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/momshares-late-daughters-poem-heroin-addiction-210729832.html

Pray to God to save our kids and parents from Delaney’s fate.

Thank you, for reading my column. Write to me at Amarah’s “Kids Like Me” P.O. Box 354, Alamosa, CO 81101. If you know a kid like me, or parent, who is an addict/alcoholic, please tell him or her about “Amarah’s Corner, Kids Like Me” in the Valley Courier. Tell them to contact me, or you can contact me on their behalf. If you know a kid like me, or parent, who doesn’t have a Bible, but wants one, please, contact me. I’ll make sure he or she gets a Bible, “…and all the earth may know there is a God…” (1 Samuel 17:46, KJV).

My goal is to help kids like me, and I want to help their parents, too. Until next time, remember, Jesus Loves You, and JESUS IS LORD!