My Life in the Stormy Seas is a book of passion of James Vincent who knew deep inside that Sylvia, his wife, was mentally ill. Yet, he wanted to save their marriage. This story tells how Dr. Thomas travelled through the lives of Sylvia, in various countries, and Vincent. This book tells how people with no discernment abilities made insincere and unwise choices in misunderstanding Sylvia’s mental illness. This is a true life experience of Vincent who lived with a chronically mentally ill wife who destroyed his life. This book is about stigma, ignorance, stereotypes of mental illness, and how it affects several lives.
The heartbreaking story of Vincent is about how he was ridiculed by his so-called friends and most family members. Some of them even wished that he was dead. Vincent was threatened with police and court action if he ever sought help from them. The story speaks of the hypocrisy of “Godly people.” This is a painful story of rejection, loneliness, in-depth faith, and trust in God as raging waters almost killed Vincent.
This book is the story of Vincent who lost almost everything as he tried to help Sylvia while she struggled with mental illness. Rev. Dr. Sam—who entered into their lives under the pretension of bringing them together by solving problems—in fact, had an ulterior motive of fishing in troubled waters to satisfy his emotions and lust in the guise of religion. As Vincent was thrown in the turbulent sea, he was scared, fearful of disappearing under the raging swells into the dark depths of the seas as the torrent of waves was beyond human capacity to overcome, surmount, and survive. There are details and simple explanations to help common man to understand the difficult, unusual, puzzling, questionable behaviors of “normal and good-looking” people who are chronically mentally ill, like Sylvia. Understanding the troubled mind of Sylvia can be challenging and can raise questions with no satisfactory answers.
Dr. Thomas has written the first edition of this book while Vincent was seeing a lighthouse far away on the horizon. This revised second edition is written while Vincent is walking toward a distant safe place from the shore. Though he had to overcome hills and valleys as he continued his journey on slippery roads, he is holding on to the hands of Jesus who said, “Fear not.” The journey is tough, but the early morning cool breeze and sunshine is giving energy to the weak body and spirit.
This book is about the graciousness of the Rock of all ages, God Almighty, the Great I Am. Vincent has seen the loving touch of Jesus as he faced the roaring and stormy seas. This is a story of God’s power to restore broken lives if we wait for God and his time. This book will help anyone in fear, anxiety, and those who are worried because their loved one is chronically mentally ill.
