New Direction

This weekend I was blessed to attend a Bay Area Christian Writers’ Conference at Redwood Chapel. As a writer, it was a wonderful blessing to get instruction from professionals. As a Christian, it was great to be in a place of fellowship with others seeking God’s plan for their lives.

While there, my brain was filled to the brim with rules, tips, and tricks to improving my craft.

One tip I heard was actually something I had been mulling over in regards to this blog space:

Write what you know…


So I thought, what do I know? What can I share from?


From experience: I know Depression. I know Anxiety. I know Cutting. I know Suicidal Ideation. I know Paranoia.
From my studies: I know an even broader scope of Mental Health Issues.

It is precisely this that inspired my novel Please, Never Forget (Available soon through AngelInk Illuminations). The book is about two girls and their affliction of depression, how it weighs on their souls. How the search for a way out looks for each as one chooses God and the other chooses the world.

On the other side, from experience: I know Grace. I know Forgiveness. I know Freedom. I know Beauty. I know Love.

And, to this point, this blog has focused on these areas. The ways God has blessed me and is teaching me each day how to live as a whole person. But, I want to share more.

Another thing shared at the conference was that though we are all unique, if you are dealing with something, chances are at least one other person out there is too.

So, I that’s who I want to reach out to. I plan to start including more posts related to mental health and wellness. I want to bring resources into light, I want to open up doors to discussion, doors to understanding. Most of all, I want to reach out to the others out there (even if there is just one) who are going through now what I went through then:

Those that feel the darkness all around them. Those who wake up and don’t really see light like everyone else. The others who know what it’s like to wonder if Joy is real, much less attainable. Those who feel like they are worthless, and wonder if they are capable of feeling anything else. Those who feel the need to drag a pin or razor across their skin (or deeper) just to know that they are still alive.

I want to reach out to the ones who know what it’s like to be suffocated by anxiety. Who are afraid to walk out their front door because all their mind can process is the horrors that may await them. I want to connect with the one’s who don’t know if they will ever truly be at Peace, because the anxiety chokes everything else out.

So, though I haven’t quite figured out how, I will incorporate more posts on these subjects. Perhaps starting with a bit more of my own story. Perhaps with some resources for anyone who needs them.

I am praying over this, and anyone who may read this.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE…