In addition to medication, supplements, and counseling, I have been writing these little posts and short stories as an outlet for my creativity.  My recovery has been slow, and I still have bad times and difficulties finding pleasure in God’s blessings.  People ask me if I am excited about my upcoming trip to visit my children and grandchildren; I am honest enough to say that I am glad I am going, but it has been many months since I have been truly excited about anything.

But last night I almost smiled.  I had a sense of accomplishment.  God led me to the mountaintop, and I got a glimpse of happiness.  My first attempt to self-publish one of the stories as an ebook was successful, and a dozen people had downloaded it before I even knew it was available.  It will be a few days before its final review is completed and it is added to the catalogs at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but it has been officially published, and the goal of eventually publishing the collection of Stories from the Psych Ward has taken a giant leap from “Maybe” past “Someday” all the way to “I can get this done!”

Let me ask a few prayer requests:

• Please pray that the story will make others aware of the reality (and pain) of mental illness;
• Please pray that this free story will stir enough interest so that people will want to buy the collection;
• Please pray as I write “The Preacher’s Story,” which will include a Gospel presentation;
• Please pray as I edit and type the 5 stories that have piled up while I was formatting “Eva’s Story”;
• Please pray for stability.  It is common for a depressive episode to follow a victory or success (just ask Elijah about that.)

In the meantime, you can download the published story here or by clicking on the image above and save it directly to your Nook or Kindle; or download the PDF version and read it on your PC.  (Sorry–the RTF version still has some kinks.)

Thank you for your support and your prayers.