Along Came A Gardener
Hallelujah; I can finally say my latest book, Along Came A Gardener, has a publishing date. It’s coming March 15, 2025. This non-fiction book is part memoir, part self-help, and part stories from the world of mental health. It’s also a wonderful introduction to psychotherapy, letting the reader know the kinds of problems therapists deal with but also when to go and what kind of therapist to call.
The Gardening References
I love gardening, but it’s not why I used so many metaphors and inpirational thoughts from this occupation in my new book. Rather, the reason I chose gardening as a theme is because a teenager who I helped decades ago wrote me a poem called “The Seed of Hope.” As her counsellor, I had planted the seed of hope.
Over the years, I’ve found many lessons in my garden, that have applicaton for living a good life, so I wove them in as well into Along Came A Gardener.
Stories from the Mental Health Trenches
Previous to writing novels, I worked for twenty-five years in the mental health field in many different settings: psychiatric ward in Winnipeg General Hospital (now the Health Sciences Centre); Child Guidance Clinic of Winnipeg (linked to the school system); Greater Vancouver Mental Health Services in Richmond, B.C.; Children’s Foundation (residential treatment centre) in Vancouver; Cancer Clinic of Vancouver, B.C; Ministry of Health in New Westminster; Interlock Employee Assistance Agency in Burnaby; Corporate Health Consultants (a national EAP firm); and my own private practice.
So, the stories in Along Came A Gardener cover people of all ages and from many diverse occupations—blue-collar workers to high income professionals. Of course, my sessions with them were confidential and remain so. However, I am able to share some stories with names and details altered so that confidentiality is maintained.
A Trail Guide of Sorts
This book is kind of a guide, a guide to the therapies out there, and a guide to getting you over the unexpected cracks and holes and bumps on your journey.
We all know life isn’t easy, nor is it fair. But there are ways to make it easier, ways to nurture ourselves, and ways to find the joy and comfort we all crave.
Blessings
When I review my past work as a psychotherapist, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people: clients, patients, and co-workers and their families. I’m thankful they trusted me with their pain and sorrow and also their hope that had brought them to my doorstep. I’m honoured to have had their trust. I wasn’t able to help everyone, but I helped many and am grateful for that.
Life throws everyone a curve; some get them more than others, but we all get them. We’re human after all. Sometimes, we manage to ride through it, leaning on those we love, but sometimes we feel alone, confused, and frustrated. Those are the times, if we can, to see a psychotherapist, who can be those extra eyes and ears that get blocked when we’re in pain. I write about this and more in Along Came A Gardener.
I also share some of my own struggles.
A Long Time Coming
Along Came A Gardener comes out on March 15, 2025. I’m excited that this book, which I started writing in the late 1970s on a manual typewriter 🙂 will finally see the light of day.
I’ll be posting updates and maybe the odd excerpt on my Facebook page. I hope you’ll follow me there. Or you can sign up for my newsletter (top right of my website), which is now on Substack. Those who sign up will be the first to know of any new developments, like getting a sample chapter and when it’ll be available for presale.
Soon as Robert (my husband) gets through reading my manuscript, I’ll be sending it to a professional editor. He has a Master of Social Work as well, and is familiar with my journey. I value his opinion. After that, I’ll be looking for beta readers, someone who is willing to read it before publication and let me know what they think. Maybe you’ll want to be one of them.
Comments
Ah, comments. I like comments because I can connect with readers. One of the pleasures of being a writer. So, please feel free to jot down your thoughts, but if you’re not inclined to so, that’s fine, too.
Congratulations on completing Along Came a Gardener. I look forward to reading it, and, from one gardener to another, I’m sure I’ll appreciate the gardening references.
Thank you JP. It’s been a slog, but so thankful I hung in and got it done. Now, I have to finish the research page, the blurb for the back, and get an editor to polish it up. Lots to do still but I see the finish line. 🙂