I am a Catholic who struggles with faith every now and again. I'm sorta struggling right now, and have been since my husband died. I want to think he's in Heaven with Jesus, but OTOH we are taught that most people will go to Purgatory first. I don't want to think of him in Purgatory. I want to think of him as being happy and whole and filled with the light of peace. So I go back and forth, wondering sometimes if God is really there for me but I continue to pray, not formal prayers but just asking for His blessings on my family and friends. And I thank Him for all my blessings, of which I have many. I may not be the most exciting person on earth but I have been given so much in the way of love throughout the vast majority of my life.

And I don't think talking to God or having Him talk to me is a sign of mental illness. I have had some religious delusions in my life, thinking I was His messenger sent to be in the right place at the right time like when my co-worker's husband was visiting and became grey and sweaty. Being the nurse I am, I quickly called 911 and took his vitals, assessed him and reported the results to the dispatcher. The EMTs came and did an EKG which showed he was smack in the middle of a heart attack. I still wonder sometimes if I really was put there on purpose. The man survived after having a triple bypass.