Who is Lily the Pink?
Well actually there are at least two ladies who have used the name Lily the Pink. One was born in 1870 and made a patent medicine that was so effective and marketed so well that she became a millionaire in eight years. The other was born in the 20th century and wanted to follow her example.More about this Lily the Pink
Susan was born in Chesterfield Derbyshire. She came to Durham to do a degree however by the time she received the final results she had been married for two years her daughter was 4 days old. There seemed little point looking for a job at that stage in her life so she concentrated on caring for her home, daughter and husband, not necessarily in that order. While at home she learnt and practiced a variety of useful skills ready for the day when she would no longer have these responsibilities. She practised her creative and problem solving skills by making things for her home and family. They could be cooking or crochet. She even learnt to use a computer including creating her own web sites.Life was not a bed of roses with many things going wrong with the relationships with her daughter and then her family. Some of these things were due to the mental health problems experienced by members of her household. Others were reactions to these problems. Strangely things took a turn for the worse shortly after she thought God was calling her to be a history maker. It was during this time that she learnt the importance of fighting back and the resilience needed to become a history maker.
In the spring of 2005 she screamed at God saying that she wanted to be unstuck so that she could serve him better. Three years later it was a case of looking around and trying to find something that had stayed the same. So much had changed that it was hard to find something that was the same. She had a new home, improved relationships with her family, new soclal networks and no cotnact with those diagnosed with mental health problems form their choice.
She had made a new start and had become unstuck from the circumstances that bound her. The calling to help others find the freedom from the things that kept them bound that had been suppressed for many years has now been able to flourish and grow. This is the reason why Lily the Pink Ministries CIC was founded.
What does it mean to be free?
It means not being controlled by fear or anxiety. In other words your mind is free.It means having a body that works as it is designed to do. In other words you have no mobility problems, no sensory impairments, no painful joints etc.
It means not being stuck in circumstances. This could be not having enough money to pay the bills, living with an abusive spouse, controlled by a chemical like alcohol or even comfort eating.
Has Susan achieved this yet? She has made a lot of progress towards these aims. In fact the more progress has been made the more it has been realised that there is to do. It seems as though finding freedom is a journey that may take a long time but it is a worthwhile journey. Each little bit brings more peace more joy and enables her to be all that she can be.
In fact the benfits are such that it does not matter that she has not completed this journey herself yet she wants other people to join her on that journey. This is why Lily the Pink Ministries is about setting people free.
© 2008 Lily the Pink