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The author of this collection of essays and recollections was raised in a large, complicated family. Her parents met in prison during the revolution in Nicaragua. Her mother, Grace, related by marriage to the deposed government, arrived in America with five dollars and no English knowledge. Her father, Benji, was a physician. When Gilbert was about four, she was accidentally pushed into a swimming pool and had a near-death vision, later suffering trauma. After obtaining a bachelor's degree and good employment, an automobile accident caused her to lose control of rational thinking patterns. She believed she would never recover. With recurrent headaches and various other problems, she was prescribed medications that led to her experimentation with meth, which seemed to temporarily clear her mind. Then began long, realistic conversations with God on almost every possible subject. God told her to call him "DAD" as he is the father of all. A fortunate set of circumstances led her to a church whose beliefs accorded well with what DAD had told her, helping her achieve a more stable life.
Gilbert tells her story in vivid flashbacks, giving the reader a genuine sense of what she went through physically, mentally, and spiritually before, during, and after her troubled early adulthood. She likens her story to an Indian fable about a king who, learning that he is to be killed, decides to wound himself since the devil, symbolized by a lion, will not kill prey that is already injured. From this, the king is drawn closer to God, who shows him the righteous pathway. This powerful allegory infuses Gilbert's narrative, allowing a mix of poetry, short story, helpful healthy advice, religious wisdom, and memoir. Her book could make an engaging focus for any open-minded, spiritual study group or individual seeking inspiration.