Many of you sweet moms are either personally affected by a bipolar child or family member or know someone who is. Today, we are honored to have Dorothy Ruppert share about her own experience with a bipolar daughter and the book she wrote to help others who are walking through life with someone they know and love who is also bipolar. AND…Dorothy is GIVING AWAY two copies of her book to one blessed winner. SO…SEE THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN, GOD PLACED HER IN MY PATH!
And now for a word from Dorothy Ruppert…
GOD HAS THE BEST PLAN ~
A mom never stops being a mom, no matter how old her children. Nevertheless, I may be one of the oldest moms still raising a child. Our daughter went to live with Jesus four years ago and my husband and I took on responsibilities for rearing her two children. Our grandson is now 20 years old and living on his own. Our granddaughter is 14, a freshman in high school, and is still with us. We are in our seventies.
I have always been a planner – a goal setter. When I married my husband, I had already planned what my life would look like. Of course, everything was going to be perfect, but God had another idea. Planning is wise; however, leaving God out of the equation is a mistake. Accomplishing goals is a good thing, but if my goals do not coincide with God’s goals for me, they will have no eternal value. God’s thoughts are forever higher than mine…
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9.
God blessed our marriage with happiness, a home in the country, and a delightful son. Nevertheless, my first unmet goal occurred when I was unable to have a second child. (My infertility lasted 12 years.) A womb shut up by God, resulted in the adoption of our beautiful three-week-old baby girl in 1969. We named her Tammy and, for the first two years, our lives were picture perfect.
As Tammy grew into toddlerhood, I observed that she often displayed an unexplainable moodiness. With each passing day, she became more irritable and our home became chaotic. By the time she entered kindergarten, I had read all the books on child development and behavior in the local public and two university libraries. To obtain further advice on what could possibly be wrong, I consulted every professional I could find. There were no answers. I could not fix whatever was happening to my child and, apparently, no one else could either.
One evening, when Tammy was six years old and dreadfully ill, I sat in a pew at my church in utter despair; my spirit was broken, my plans demolished. Nonetheless, God had a better plan – one that I did not fully understand at first! That night I surrendered my life and all my plans and dreams to Him.
My trials did not cease – they intensified, but God was now at the helm of the ship instead of me. It took another eleven years for Tammy to receive the diagnosis of bipolar disorder and the treatment for it. My book, God Placed Her in My Path – Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bipolar Disorder, is the heart-gripping story of my journey through those troubled years.
More importantly, this book is about God’s marvelous grace, imparted to me, in difficult times. God repeatedly reassured me with these words…
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. II Corinthians 12:9.
So now, I am a “grandma-mom.” My granddaughter is a teenager with special needs and she teaches me every day that God’s grace is sufficient. I jokingly tell my friends that I am mothering again because I did not learn all my lessons the first time around with our three children. However, I am fully aware that this is one more divine opportunity, one more gift from God to discover His plan for my life.
Believe it sister, God has the best plan for you and for me – one we could never envision on our own.
HOW YOU CAN REGISTER TO WIN:
Register to win a free PDF copy of thirty devotionals from the book, God Placed Her in My Path – Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bipolar Disorder, by going to http://dorothyruppert.com and clicking the “Contact Dorothy” page. On the form provided, type in your name, email address, the message “enter me in the drawing,” and email it to me. All entries must be submitted on or before 12:00 a.m. CST, April 15, 2013. Two winners will be randomly drawn from the names submitted.
To purchase an author signed softbound copy of the book, go to http://dorothyruppert.com and click on the “Purchase a Book” page.
Unsigned copies and eBooks can be purchased at online retailers or your local bookstore.
My second book, Sixty Days of Grace Devotional, contains 60 examples of God’s profound grace in the life of an ordinary woman. Watch for its publication sometime in 2013. In the meantime, for more stories of God’s grace read my blog: http://godplacedherinmypath.wordpress.com
Dorothy Ruppert is the author of two books, an inspirational speaker, and an advocate for mental health. During her working career, Dorothy owned three businesses and served as CEO of a non-profit organization.
Dorothy has been married to her husband for 52 years, is the mother of three children, and grandmother of six, ages 4 to 28. She lives in Minnesota on the banks of the beautiful Mississippi River.
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