‘Love song for a wounded warrior’ was published in June 2020. It honours the wishes of the late Colin Gardner, in that it publishes some of his writings about conflict and trauma, and tells something of his story.

Thank you so much for reading this. Veterans have such a hard time in our society. When they return from conflict, they often have so many wounds, visible and invisible. This website has been put together to promote the book ” Love song for a wounded warrior” – the story of one veteran when he returned to civilian life, his struggles with trauma, guilt and disability, the result of injuries sustained. Colin showed amazing courage, stubbornness and wit in dealing with his situation. Sadly his epilepsy was not able to be managed, and the resulting degenerative brain damage was eventually catastrophic.

This book is available directly from the author, contactable through this site, or from Amazon. It costs £ 10, and the proceeds are divided between The Coming Home centre, Glasgow, and Epilepsy Connections.

The book is a bit of a hard read, but it tells the story, so it is authentic. It has been airbrushed a little, to minimalise distress. So many people end up going in and out of hospital, with their families trying to support them in the midst of mood swing and multiple trauma, and at times lack of capacity. My heart goes out to you if you find yourself in this situation.

Colin passed away in April 2018, and I seek to honour his memory, and I blog to offer people insights as to some of the things I learned on my journey, to offer them in case they might help one other human being, on whatever journey you find yourself. Our Christian faith helped so much, even though we still have many questions and scars. May God shelter you under His healing love, and grant you strength and grace on that journey.