When I heard of a new book about seven saints in history who struggled with depression and doubt, I wondered who it might include. Maybe Martin Luther---the great reformer of the sixteenth century---and his experience with depression. Or the twentieth-century Mother Teresa---well-known for her international charitable work---and her less well-known dark night of the soul. … Continue reading When Depression Seeps into Your Spiritual Life
This week I received a free calendar in the mail along with this note: I've never once felt the need to urge you to throw away something I sent you. But this year, PLEASE, throw away your 2020 calendar. Let's do our part to put this year behind us. In many ways it's been a … Continue reading The Top 10 of 2020 from April Yamasaki
I know better than to blame anyone for being ill. Whether the illness is physical or mental, no one who is ailing needs the added burden of being shamed for it. When my dad's back pain forced him to lie down after supper, that wasn't malingering or laziness. When a friend's depression descends like a … Continue reading Escaping the Self-Centeredness of Mental Illness
last updated August 16, 2020 I'm not a parent, but I care about kids, families, and mental health, so I'm excited to introduce you to Bring Them Closer: Calling Parents to Courage through the Mental Health Crisis by Connie Jakab (Word Alive Press, 2020). I know Connie since we're both part of the Redbud Writers … Continue reading Kids, Families, and Mental Health
One of the few Japanese words I know is tsundoku. While it's new to me, it's actually an old word that dates from at least the Meiji era (1868-1912), and it means letting books pile up to read later. Or as we might think of it today, tsundoku is "the art of buying books and … Continue reading Reading My Way Through Tsundoku
Overwhelmed. I've been there too. And not in a good way like being overwhelmed by the beauty of a spring day, or overwhelmed by soaring music, or overwhelmed by love that fills your heart to bursting. It might not be a 9-1-1 emergency -- no need to panic and act quickly, but how to get … Continue reading When You Feel Overwhelmed
In Be Held, first-time author Sue Nickel tells her own story of living with depression, weaving her personal experience together with her professional experience as a nurse and clinical counsellor, with helpful information on mental health and illness, and words of comfort and encouragement. Her purpose is to come alongside others living with depression, especially during the … Continue reading Be Held and Kept in the Promises of God
At this time last year, I knew that my one word for 2018 would be a phrase prompted by this wonderful painting by Linda Klippenstein: Walking Strong in the Spirit. Walking Strong in the Spirit has been a great focal point for me in the past year: as I've continued to write and celebrated the … Continue reading The Top 10 of 2018 from April Yamasaki
April Yamasaki 