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December 2007 MIM Meeting: Dick Rice ... Wow!
Dick Rice, a master story-teller, a man of wisdom and heart, spoke to the Mental Illness Ministry gathering on Monday, December 10. He took our hands and walked us through the depths of depression and desolation and into the sunshine. He said our gold stars that we hand out to celebrate healthy choices are the perfect symbol for his talk, which he would change from Out of Darkness to “Into the Light.” He created a sense of oneness with him and the listeners with the first words he spoke…or maybe he did that even before he spoke. There was a sense of uplifting energy in the room. You know when everything connects between a speaker and the audience. You have just the right speaker with just the right audience. That’s what happened at our MIM gathering. What is that? It’s bigger than synergism. Grace filled our room and our hearts. He spoke from the depth of his heart with honesty and humility.
Dick was speaking to many people who have experienced depression and he knew how to share his heart and say what they longed to hear. He understood their hearts. He said if you have never had depression, you really don’t understand what it’s like, just as he will never really know what it’s like to give birth.
Theresa Dolata opened our gathering with one of her poems:
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God’s Breath
God Breathes
For we are ordinary people
For we walk
And we are lifted up again
Pouring like rain
Baptizing us again and again
God Breathes
The Spirit that carries us |
Dick said that the poem/prayer says it all. That’s it. He spoke of profound desolation that can sometime come with depression. He spoke of desolation as a spiritual phenomenon that is the experience of the total absence of God. Sometime people experiencing desolation think that they’d get through this if they just work hard at it. God works in providing us with assistance where we least expect it.
Some people struggling with depression are struggling with control. Some people may be susceptible to depression when they are so focused on goals and pursue those goals with such tenacity that they can’t bear not to reach their goals. When our plates are too full, we can slide into depression. When people reach a point where they are so miserable, they can decide to do whatever it takes to get well and stay well.
Dick said that the most important word in recovery is we. A network of support during recovery and after recovery is what is needed. Family and friends who ask how they may help is important. Finding just the right therapist at just the right time helps you to begin your recovery. A person recovering from depression needs to reach out and give back, ask how to be of service to others. This helps in recovery.
Reclaim your anger. Taking your anger into yourself, or blaming yourself for everything, can lead to sliding into depression. Instead of holding in your anger and blaming yourself, speak to others and claim your anger; say, “I am angry with you because…” Don’t accept being treated as if you are the problem. That is shaming. A good friend speaks loving truth to you at all times and takes care of him/herself and of you. Have empathy and understanding for others.
We asked Dick about his prayer life. He said his prayer life is centered on gratitude and each morning he thanks God for loving him into existence another day. He has favorite prayers he prays each morning and he meditates each morning. He practices Yoga regularly. He recommends exercising diligently. He said he tries to be as honest as he can all the time so that he doesn’t shame/blame/guilt himself.
The time was gone and we were just beginning. Many people said that this was just a beginning. We need to invite Dick Rice for a few hours one evening or afternoon. We would like Dick Rice to be a regular speaker at MIM. He gave us hope and filled us with courage to be our best person and be filled with gratitude for each day that God has loved us into existence.
Dick Rice is co-founder of Loyola Spirituality Center and currently Director of Spiritual Development at “The Retreat”, a twelve step recovery center.
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