In the course of my work in mental health support services I am frequently asked some version of this question: 

“How did you get out of your severe mental illness / depression?”

My short answer is: Grace

My slightly longer answer is: God’s Grace manifested in the love, compassion and perseverance of the handful of people who carried me through my ‘dark nights of the soul’ experience; people who held onto Hope even as I had totally given up on myself; people who persevered in search of the light even though they were as clueless as me in my darkness. My wife Madonna, our son Cyrus, family, friends, caregivers.

I came across this song – Grace Wins by Matthew West – soon after I had come through my ‘dark nights’. It spoke directly to my heart and my experience. 

Borrowing from a line in this song, I, Percy, am living proof that Grace Wins every time.

Hence the name GraceWins.