Category: Vocation
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The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church
Last Friday I attended The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church at Saddleback Church. The all-day conference was a joint effort of Pastor Rick and Kay Warren of Saddleback Church, Bishop Kevin Vann of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, and NAMI-OC (National Alliance on Mental Illness-Orange County), as well as other faith and community leaders.…
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No More Grad School For Now
Okay, so the other night, or maybe it was in the morning, I’m not sure, through LinkedIn I checked out Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of Psychology and their PhD program in psychology. Got to thinking, do I want to pursue a PhD integrating theology and psychology? What they are doing is what interests me, yet…
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Lent | The Rites of Spring
For many, spring is a time of celebration and remembrance. – Deseret News, March 7, 2009 Two days ago was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Although I did not have my forehead smudged with ash, I do acknowledge my human mortality, I mourn and begin a period of atonement. For dust you are…
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Mother and Wife
When my son was young, I juggled working outside the home with mothering and homemaking. By the time he was four, I found it unsustainable and ended up in a psychiatric hospital for two weeks and then months in partial hospitalization spending my days in structured group therapy sessions. Since then I have been a…
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Playing Therapist
At group this week, I played therapist. I was a PATIENT, not the therapist, who, by the way, calmly and ably led the group. For a while, I took over. I could not contain my reaction to what I heard. The part of me that reacts to perceived danger and is impassioned about protecting people…
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Do I Need an Editor?
Do I need an editor? Do I need to organize my writing into a more cohesive whole? Or, does this format fit what I am trying to accomplish? What is it I am trying to accomplish? I believe that I have a ministry to educate others on mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, more to the…
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Public Speaker in my Thoughts and Dreams
Imagine myself as a public speaker. Keep on seeing myself orating, speaking to others. I enjoy it. I am a narcissist. Besides, I’ve done it well. Two eulogies, one for each of my mother’s parents, were my most satisfying speeches. Brought people to laughter and to tears. Drama geek in high school. Won debates in junior…
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God’s Call
What is God’s call for me? What is my purpose right now? What should I be doing? As I took the first steps to enroll in Social Security Disability Ticket to Work Program, I began a discernment process. Is it truly time to re-enter the workforce, to begin preparing myself for re-entry, or should I…
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To Blog or Not to Blog
Last week as I started interviewing for part-time positions, I considered taking down my blog, worried that I would be found out and that prospective employers would avoid hiring me, fearing the worse. We hear of nightmares on the news, of mentally ill who did not receive adequate treatment and did unthinkably violent things. My…
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Autobiographical Update
Today I added some autobiographical writing to my About pages. I describe the beginning of my struggles with mental illness and the sense of religious calling. For me, the two are confusingly intertwined, as I can describe some of my manic symptoms as mystical experiences and have found meaning in them.