I spent a long time on Ash Wednesday sitting in the candle light considering what I would dedicate myself to until Easter. I remembered 3 years ago I had chosen silence and solitude. That experience resulted in a weekend silence retreat and much contemplation of the power of language.

I have decided to do a similar practice this year.

Recently, I’ve noticed the momentum of bringing stress from work into my home. The drive from work to home is less than 3 miles and sometimes involves continued phone calls related to work. Without that transition time, the stress and attention to work may continue unmitigated. It is a bad habit, creating unintended stress for my family.

With this in mind, I chose to transition from work to home by going into my basement to spend time in intentional silence when I get home. The time in silence has proven throughout my life to serve as a reset. The resulting prayer and meditation leads me into a much more mentally healthy experience.

After a time in silence and focusing on my relationship with God, it is much easier to bring that sense of peace into my relationships with people.

I look forward to dedicating myself to silence and solitude.

I don’t make a habit of fraternizing with our Revealing Voices guests, but I made an exception with Susan Lockwood from Episode 20. Not only did we fraternize, but we started dating regularly, became engaged, and on December 20, 2018, got married.

Some might look at my diagnosis and claim that I swept Susan off her feet in a case of mass mania. But it wasn’t that way at all. We are in our mid-50s. We have been single for 7 years and have grown quite confident in our solitude. We don’t desperately need each other to be complete. Instead, we have the desire to share our lives together to enrich them and bring glory to God.

What will this mean for Revealing Voices? On the whole, I believe it will greatly enhance our show. Susan is passionate in the field of correctional education and networks with many persons who overlap with mental health ministry. With her, we can make connections with potential guests who know mental illness inside and out.

Yet, in a few practical ways it will change the nature in which I prepare the program. I will not likely pull all-nighters and send Eric dozens of emails about ways to improve the show. Hopefully, I will also not get lost in a depressive haze where I find it difficult to engage with guests, brainstorm new possibilities, even commit to a date on the calendar.

For some time, I have found great joy delighting in the Lord. Now I am receiving the desires of my heart. I pray my voice of praise inspire others to reveal their own as they wrestle with mental health disorders.