Lyons woman writes a book to help weather personal storms

By Steve Metsch

Diane Marie Lumpkins has spent much of her life helping others.

And now she’s written a book with that goal in mind.

Lumpkins, who works as a case manager specializing in housing for the DuPage County community services department, has written “When the Moon Goes Dim,” published by London-based Europe Books.

“The book is trying to empower you – if you go through a storm – how to regroup and keep moving forward,” Lumpkins, 52, said.

That storm she refers to, of course, is not the kind that brings rain. Rather, she means emotional storms we all have to deal with now and then.

A native of Maywood, who in 1988 graduated from Proviso East High School, Lumpkins has lived in Lyons since 2015. She has a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.

Writing a book – using the pen name Diane Marie – came pretty easy for her.

“I love to write. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed writing until I grew older. For this book, my friends, when they go through things, reach out to me. I try to encourage them in texts, ‘keep your head up’ or ‘pray’.

“My passion is to help people,” she said. “I want to help people. I always have. I wanted to write a book (based) on my own experience and sharing them. How I overcame things,” she said.

By sharing her own life challenges and how she handled them, she’s hoping others will be assisted.

“You have all the negatives thoughts and you have to find a way to pull yourself out of it. You have to regroup, step back, re-evaluate yourself,” she said.

Problems at work and with the dating world are two topics she writes about.

“I got some of the best experience working through job agencies, but it can be discouraging when nobody wants to hire you,” she noted. “I share a lot of stuff, little things I experienced.”

She started the book several years ago, jotting down ideas. When COVID-19 reared its ugly head, she got serious about writing the book.

She found the experience therapeutic.

“There’s a section about grief because I lost my mom (Margaret) on May 12 of 2020. … That was the hardest time because we couldn’t have a service. I added it to the book. It helped me process everything by writing (about it),” she said.

The 142-page book “may not be for everybody,” she acknowledged, but she hopes faith and prayer appeal to people.

“I pray and have very strong faith. That’s very important. Prayer and faith are something all religions have in common, no matter what your beliefs are,” she added.

She has already heard from several readers who said the book helped them deal with rejection “and how to handle it.”

“You can’t just climb into bed and not do anything. You have to move forward,” she said.

Forgiveness is the focus of another chapter.

“It can be very hard to forgive. Some people get stuck, they can’t move on, or it eats them up. You have to forgive yourself and move on.”

The past that can haunt us is easy to focus on, but she urges that we “do not live in the rear-view mirror.”

“One of the things that helps me all the time is I love to read positive quotes. They recharge me,” she said.

Positive words come in handy, she said, when “there are times the storms seem like they’re never going to stop.”

“When the Moon Goes Dim” is available at www.amazon.com and www.europebooks.com.