MARI'S LIFE
—"A man/child's journey with, and recovery from, chronic mental illness."
*Mari's personal proclaimer: The word "God" can mean anything you "believe" in. Don't let this word and my personal beliefs stop you from your recovery; find a "GOD" and move forward; simply put, JUST BELIEVE.
The first time I actually "heard" God's voice was shockingly frightful. I was 8 years old.
At night, lying in bed, listening to music quietly while my family slept, I would quietly lie there and allow my mind to race until I finally accepted sleep into my body. This exercise began like this, listening to music, allowing my already racing thoughts to flow rapidly in and out of my brain, racing, at times screaming for release; I had to be crazy, right?
I was raised Catholic. I never quite understood church at all. We never had a bible in our home growing up, which looking back, seemed a bit odd to me, even as a child. Religious confusion, or religious shock, aftershock, and the residuals that fester in our soul until we can find release from the "Religious" thought process, that "bondage" that many of us have experienced in our spiritual upbringing. Whew!
So, with all of the madness racing through my mind and no one to turn to, I called on God. I don't recall an exact date, or what he said the first time I heard Him, but I was a frighteningly excited, and confused child.
More on this later folks, small bits at a time, similar to a therapy session was the only way Mari was able to have me help him to get his story out there. Please stay tuned and read past blogs to hear more of his amazingly arduous journey, and the journey is still very much alive in Mari, today.