Do you remember the phrase, "Mind your p's and q's?" The phrase was a reminder to pay attention to what you are doing with your language and manners so that you will be on your best behavior. The wordmind used in this context means to pay close attention. Also, minding involves remembrance. You have to know what your p's and q's are in order to mind them.

In the month of May the word mind is being used to encourage us to pay attention to our mental health.

I appreciate the phrase Mind Your Health because it takes some of the stigma out of the term mental health. Being a pastoral counselor, I have received extensive training to help me understand the complexities of the human mind and soul so that stigmas can be replaced by understanding, acceptance and support. Minding your health is an encouraging charge to mind your p's and q's without the stigma.

This past week, Georgia Woody made a generous gift to JCPC to establish the Minding Your Health fund. This fund will allow JCPC to purchase state of the art books, videos, and other resources that pertain to developing and sustaining good mental health.

As a parent, to mind my p's and q's has meant that I wanted to understand how children best develop strong mental health. Allison Shearouse has identified a wish list of resources which include titles such as:

• The Whole Brain Child (Dan Siegel)
• Intentional Parenting (Sissy Goff, David Thomas, Melissa Trevethan)
• The Sticky Faith Guide for your Family (Kara Powell)
• Are My Kids on Track? (Sissy Goff, David Thomas, Melissa Trevethan)

Of course our mental health doesn't always

stay on track but that's not because of a lack of faith. These two resources will be helpful reminders and guides:

• Troubled Minds - Mental Illness and the Church's Mission (Amy Simpson)
• Blessed Are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family, and Church (Sarah Griffith Lund)

Here at JCPC we are blessed to have members such as Georgia Woody who are encouraging us to mind our healthand a Director of Christian Education, Allison Shearouse who helps us learn our p's and q's.

Prayer for Today

Merciful God, keep us mindful that the complexities of life are no so much a lack of faith, but rather opportunities for our faith to ground us and give us firm ground on which to work through the issues that confront us. Amen.