The biggest crisis of functioning came at age 21, while she was in college. Family friends were able to provide special care while her parents were oversees. Debbie’s younger brother helped her cope when she couldn’t get through each day. Her mind felt stuck, becoming locked in situations, such as repeatedly putting food away after a meal, feeling that the sequence of mustard before ketchup was “wrong” and vice versa. Her brother literally stood by her side saying, “The order they are put away doesn’t matter. Let’s go for a walk.”

As an adult, she still struggles and has found some churches and work situations to be more accommodating than others. She tries to practice good self-care and stress reduction, both of which help her deal with OCD. Her story will be an inspiration to anyone—or a family member—living with OCD, and to friends and churches who want to know how to help.

Dr. Sherry Davis Molock is both a pastor and a professor in psychology, which very helpfully combines two fields that sometimes seem at odds with each other. She is associate professor of psychology at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. In addition to her work in academia, Dr. Molock is also co-pastor of The Beloved Community Church in Accokeek, Maryland. She is also on the board of NOPCAS, the National Organization for People of Color Against Suicide.

She received a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to support her research on suicidal behaviors among African American adolescents. She has published articles on suicide in The Journal of Black Psychology.  This program continues our May “Mental Illness Awareness” month.

Jerome Lawrence is a personal friend of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter, and has donated numerous of his luminous watercolors to charity art auctions for the Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga. One of his paintings fetched over $20,000 for mental health work and projects. Yet Jerome lives with the ongoing mental illness, schizophrenia.

He hasn’t let that stop him in writing a book, painting, speaking about his story, or encouraging others to set goals and pursue them. One of his goals is to educate more people about the reality of schizophrenia. He speaks about the effects of his illness and the resulting stigma often present in society. Medication helps lessen many symptoms. This program continues the May “Mental Illness Awareness” month.

David is the first guest we’ve had on Shaping Families for which we are not using the recording of his interview nor his photo. David is Amish and we wanted to respect the religious convictions of his faith community regarding technology. But we were delighted to sit down with him to talk at length about how both Amish and non-Amish farmers are now more able to make a livelihood even on smaller tracts of lands with organic farming, and because of opportunities brought by the popularity of farmer’s markets and more people wanting to eat locally produced foods.

David is passionate about everything nature—which comes from the teacher in his one room school many years ago, a teacher who also taught his father.  David is the author of Letters from Larksong: An Amish Naturalist Explores His Organic Farm; Great Possessions: An Amish Farmer’s Journal; and Scratching the Woodchuck: Nature on an Amish Farm. He is also editor of Farming Magazine, a quarterly publication.

Valerie Showalter and Christine Burkholder address some of these questions as guests on Shaping Families this week. Valerie is a young married woman who began to consider a vegetarian and eventually vegan diet, partly out of budget needs and also concern for how much of the world’s land was devoted to raising food for livestock.

Christine and her husband run a Community Supported Agriculture farm and also market their products through a local farmer’s market. They talk about how they got started and how their efforts relate to their faith.

Duane Sider has also written a play on the topic with Ted Swartz, ”Stealing Home,” and performed in the Valley Playhouse’s productions in Harrisonburg of “The Waverly Gallery” by playwright Kennneth Lonergan and “Proof” by David Auburn, both depicting families living and coping with Alzheimer’s and mental decline.

Laura Jaynes, a first grade teacher and mother of a three-year-old son was stunned to learn she had a very aggressive, untreatable form of breast cancer. After initial shock and rage, she picked up her life and rarely even asked “Why me?” “Why not me?” she responded, thinking of how many have suffered and endured hunger or poverty or the Holocaust. She shares how her faith in God leads her one step at a time.

This phone message for Rose Shenk topped a string of nightmarish, unreal events for Rose and her mother, Edith Shenk Kuhns. In the space of nine days, Rose’s husband was killed in a terrible accident, and Edith’s husband and Rose’ father died from complications of an accident he’d suffered earlier in Tanzania, Africa.

When you read or listen to Rose and Edith share their stories this week, you’ll learn further twists and complications that leave you wondering, how could anyone bear this much trauma? Where was God? How did Rose explain and cope with her four small sons after her husband’s death? The interviews with Rose and Edith bear witness to God’s unfailing love even when facing some of life’s unfair and heavy burdens. The program offers practical helps for recovering from grief and caring for others.

The images of cute adorable infants received for adoption from a country other than one’s own are endearing. But the path is not all cuddly coos and sweet kisses. Especially when a child is already three when adopted and facing a significant language barrier.

Martha and Eugene share the sometimes challenging journey they experienced after adopting their son, Clint, who was adopted from Korea at age three. They explore what was going on in their specific situation and ponder impacts of possible racism in society. Ultimately, they celebrate their son’s successful graduation and adjustment to adulthood and a responsible career.