Books

The Lemonade of Mental Illness

What happens when a child witnesses an extremely traumatic event? What happens when we don’t recognize the extent of the damage done to a child as a result of a traumatic event? Is it possible that schizophrenia or other mental illnesses can be passed down or inherited as a result of experiences from childhood?

In this book, I give the kind of insight into mental illness that is not often discussed in many communities. I talk about how the trauma my mother and other relatives suffered by being forced to view multiple family and community lynchings worked itself into the lives of family members down through at least one generation to me in the form of schizophrenia. I and my family sadly discovered that severe trauma can be passed down from generation to generation.

As a community, what are we missing when it comes to caring for those who are affected by these illnesses? I transparently share how I have walked this mental illness path and what I have learned from it.

I believe, “We who have mental illness are Lemonade. God takes the bitter lemons of our mental health breakdowns and adds the sugar of His power to enable us to be His ambassadors to the world with the Lemonade of hope, love, and our abilities. We are the Lemonade that refreshes the world.”

The Warrior Warring (Paperback)

The Warrior Warring addresses the ever increasing epidemic of suicide in the United States. It details how to quiet the tortured mind, and thus prevent suicide and gives insight into how to develop the ability to be victorious over the shame of mental illness. Through personal stories and factual data, readers will explore the steps to recovery and regain the ability to hope again.

"Anguish and pain are in my mind, cannot control my thoughts, what I see nor what I hear. Would someone please free me from this HELL! I want to overdose! I want to die! No matter how I try, I cannot turn off my mind!"
Journal entry excerpt for March 5, 1978