Being a Diamond in the Rough

My wonderful husband had a saying about me before we got married - that I was a diamond in the rough. That's how he was able to love me even during my most destructible stages with bipolar disorder.

I think being a diamond in the rough is a good analogy for people with mental illness, because we want others to look past our outward selves, into who we really are. That's what we do with the IOOV program - we put a face on mental illness. We give hope to people who prior to that meeting didn't have hope. We tell them that they are not alone, like we thought we once were, before we became stable (recovered).

When we do an IOOV presentation, the goal is bigger than ourselves. We want people who didn't believe that recovery was possible for them to look at us and say YES! Recovery IS possible.

I love every IOOV presentation I do, because there is the very real chance to change a life! Have you ever thought of that? All we do is tell our stories. But your story has the potential to change someone else's life, who might look at you and be encouraged that if you could go through the same things they are going through and come out on the other side, then they can, too.

Our stories are powerful. They give hope. They tell people that they CAN recover! By being willing to open up ourselves from the inside out, we prove that people can overcome overwhelming odds and situations and come out free and stable.

Never underestimate your IOOV presentation - it could very well change a life!

Wishing you peace and stability,

Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele