Erin Michael Grimm

The Purpose of this Blog

In 2015 four years of increasing deterioration of my mental health led to my hospitalization, twice within a four month period, with schizoaffective disorder. I was not informed that I had the disorder until 3 years after, in 2018, because the news of such a devastating diagnosis itself has led people to self-hatred to the […]
Middle-Aged Expansion: Hope for the Future

I am 37, about to be 38. Antipsychotics have resulted in significant weight gain for me: I am 50 pounds heavier than I would be without them. But I exercise daily and find it almost comforting to not be flirted with constantly when I go out. Perhaps I’m also less of a flirt myself because […]
On Becoming a Writer

I run a tutoring website (seahurstlearns.com) and have been an educator most of my life, but I was recently offered a job teaching Spanish at a prestigious high school and I declined it. Prior to that I was offered to be an adjunct at a local university. I declined that too. Even though my qualifications […]
Trees

I’m trying to describe to my publisher what I would like the cover of my book to feature, and now I think I want it to feature a tree. If I could name one image that gives me hope it would be an image of a tree. Trees are so helpful to our planet and […]
A Prayer for You

Dear God, please help my readers feel safe this advent season. Cover them with love, blessings, and with the assurance that they are loved. If it is hard during the winter, remind them that spring that follows winter. If they are lonely, remind them that Scripture is a constant companion and that it is available […]
A Dedicated Husband in the Face of his Wife’s Multiple Sclerosis

by Andriel Scharff, one of Erin’s best friends, on how a dedicated spouse helps us when we live with chronic ailments…: Recently I had the pleasure of traveling with my better half, Scott, to visit family. I currently live on Guam. While back in the States, I noticed how each home we visited had unique […]
Prayer and Degrees of Contribution

What if we looked at our lives in terms of degrees of contribution rather than degrees of wellness or illness? What if the scale by which we assess our worth is not based on how we are doing, but how we are contributing? If we did this, then we would have to rethink what it […]
Gratitude: St. Teresa of Avila

I am reading a book called Holy Daring about St. Teresa of Avila. Let’s just say that it is not pious scribble. No! It is invigorating, about the rich and joyful and marvelous life of St. Teresa of Avila, the bridal mystic from the 16th century. As I read, I am filled with joy. As […]
Coming out of Fog

It’s not coming out of the fog. It’s coming out of fog. There are too many types of mental illness fog for me so I can’t just write that I’m coming out of the fog. Schizoaffective encompasses anxiety, depression, psychosis, mood, and also physical ailments related to the heart. What was my ailment the past […]
Is God abusive?

I can be dramatic, but this takes the cake. Last November I wrote on my prayer card: “There you are, God, helping me see where I have to go and where I have fallen short. My prayers have started to reflect what I want instead of what you are actually calling me to do.” I […]