The book is published. It really is.

I'm Not OK, You're Not OK, But That's OK With God; subtitle: Finding the Humor and Healing in Life, "premiered" at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, at the PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Conference May 1-3.

If it weren't for Melanie Wilson, Ph.D. nagging me in her wonderful way, and the fact that I was asked to be the banquet speaker for the above-mentioned conference, the book would still be a non-book. But it is now an un-non-book.

Excerpt:

Definitions of bug: 1) a virus 2) a defect or imperfection 3) a craze or obsession
Random House Dictionary

For as long as I can remember, I have had bugs in my brain. My husband coined the phrase “bugs in my brain” after he noticed I was playing the piano . . . on my face. But I wasn’t playing the piano. I was adding. I moved my fingers up and down my face like I was punching numbers on a calculator. But I can understand how my husband miscalculated what I was doing. Even I had a hard time describing my obsessive compulsions.

Other habits included scratching imaginary and real sores, nose twitching and picking, nail biting, and rubbing the ink off book pages with my knuckles. As a child, I loved reading so much that I absorbed every book I could get my hands on, literally. I rubbed my knuckles across the pages really fast. My knuckles burned from the friction of the fiction and turned gray from the rubbed-off ink. My favorite books were mysteries: the Happy Hollisters, Trixie Belden, and Nancy Drew series. Yet none were as mysterious as my knuckle nonsense.

Most kids do weird stuff—some chew their hair, scratch their fingers until they bleed, or maybe wear their underwear backward. Lots of us still do weird stuff, and maybe that’s OK. But it’s not OK when the weird stuff turns into depression, anxiety, or other emotional problems, causing confusion, embarrassment, and shame.

My purpose in writing this book: I believe that by employing a hybrid perspective of part memoir, part self-help, part how-to, and part laughter, I can help readers through some of their own issues. In the process I’ll share stories from others’ semi-mental journeys. By sharing these experiences I hope readers might be more inclined to talk with a friend, pastor, counselor, or doctor regarding their own stresses or long-term emotional problems.

Mental illness touches one out of four to five families,1 and is no respecter of race, sex, financial status, or religion. Huge numbers of those affected suffer from the shame and blame that often coexists with their mental health challenges. My hope is that sufferers will come out of the closet and into the light, with a new understanding of their problems, and new ways to deal with them. And even if you’re not presently struggling with mental health issues yourself, maybe you’ll gain empathy for the spouse, family member, or friend who is.

And because I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist, I’ve asked those who are to give credibility to my mental meanderings. To that end, Dr. James Mallory, psychiatrist and retired director of the Atlanta Counseling Center, has contributed the footnotes and other “brain-speak” explanations in terms we can understand. Readers looking for practical advice on mental health topics discussed should see the Mental Notes at the back of the book, written by psychologist and author Dr. Melanie Wilson, whose comments are also interjected throughout these pages.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration and motivation, at the end of each chapter are applicable scriptures and words of encouragement. Related note: I will often refer to Jesus as Jay-sus—it’s a term of endearment.

Lastly, be advised that laughter is good medicine. If all anyone gleans from reading this book is a few laughs, well, I’ll just be 'tickled pink,' as my mama used to say.


I’m Not OK retails for $15.00 and can be purchased by sending a check or money order for $15.00 + $4.00 S/H for total of $19.00, to Harper Ink, 4980 Thornwood Cove NW, Acworth, GA 30102. (Georgia residents add $1.14 sales tax for total of $20.14.)

A portion of every book sale—$5.00—will be donated to PSC Partners Seeking a Cure (pscpartners.org); an absolutely amazing bunch of folks who seek to raise funds towards research, treatment, and a cure for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare, autoimmune liver disease that affects my husband Fred.

I thank you, Fred thanks you, Fred’s liver thanks you.