The title of my post is how I refer to my 5 (almost 6) years in an assisted-living facility for the mentally ill (I suffer from bipolar disorder). To give you a little background,my precious Mom died suddenly,from a post-op blood clot when she was only 48 and I was 10. For the next few years,I was raised by an alcoholic father who never wanted children. My sister "Renee" was only 13 when Mom died. I'll spare the details, suffice it to say that Renee and I are both emotionally scarred by our years with Dad. Renee married at 17 to get away from him. We have three older siblings who Mom asked to take care of us and they didn't,to make a long and painful story mercifully brief.
The truth is I've never known what "normal" is but I guess at it every day,with the Lord's help. Lately, He's been telling me to stop figuring things out by myself and let Him teach me. I feel it was a mistake for me to come here (my oldest sister,who had my power of attorney at the time,committed me),but God has actually used it for good in my life. When you have 15 roommates,you'd better learn how to deal with people LOL. I can see,looking back at the past few years,how God has changed me and matured me.
My best friend here is a young man who was scarred by his childhood also. I love him to pieces,but he's not my gentleman friend,he's like my kid (since I never had any),or, at times, a hilarious younger brother. Please keep him in prayer as he does not know Jesus yet. And he's angrier than I am.
One thing I haven't learned yet is how to deal with my anger. I either bottle it up or explode all over the place. That's why Stevie (not his real name) and I get along so well, I think. We enjoy marathon talks and exchange gifts "just because". I am learning to be thankful to God and show it.
Not surprisingly,my favorite story in the Bible is Joseph's story in Genesis. I always try to find the humor in things and have said "My siblings haven't sold me into slavery, at least not yet" LOL.
I guess this is long enough. Please pray for me too.
Lauri