It's Hard Not to Give Up - I'm Ashamed to Say, I was Afraid to Post This When I First Wrote it on April 8, 2022
Our dog, “Pedro” gets more and more vocal. Not in the way of barking, but sweet pitched grunts as though he is trying to talk. It’s nice. We like it. We talk back.
It’s generally in the car when we go by a large body of water. He loves the B.E.A.C.H., so he feels compelled to talk about it - before his tail shakes his entire body, and then we cave, and turn around, and let him run, his sleek black body streaking across the sand.
It’s the kind of joy that is fleeting for many of us humans. “Been there, done that, seen it, Next!”
It never gets old. Every time we open the door and invite Pedro to run, it’s like his very first time. Right now, we find ourselves (us people) in similar circumstances. A bit more tempered. A lot more reserved, but it is there. The unbridled joy, that my daughter Allison, Julian’s mom, is finally coming home.
Like so many others, we could have lost her. Julian lost his dad and his step dad. Allison lost so many friends. My friends loved and lost their children. I am lucky. She is still with us - two tragedy-littered decades later.
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Today is a beautiful, cloudless blue-sky day in Niantic, CT. It is an unseasonable 68-degrees. Birds are chirping. Spring and endless possibilities are in the air. Winter finally seems to be over. There is hope.
Anyone who has been on this side of the fence of addiction understands the anger, fear, frustration, and hopelessness and misery that comes with the damage associated with a loved one in the throes of addiction.
Please don’t give up!
May 31, 2022
She has been home for two months now (21-months clean), and things are better than ever. There are many Recovery Programs out there. Allison finally seems to have found one that worked. After 12-months of inpatient at Lightway Recovery in Flowery Branch, GA where she had the time and support to do the work, she seems centered. Maybe she was just ready. She has a new outlook on life and learning. She is a positive member of our household, as well as at her job. I feel lucky, and I am very, very, very grateful.
- Ingrid
Speaker at National Alliance on Mental Illness of Georgia
2 年Thank you for posting. I appreciate your bravery, and all the best to your daughter and your family!
Relatable Rebel VO. Unfiltered. Unforgettable.
2 年Completely understand why you were ashamed to post this before, (even though there was no real read but feelings are feelings) Striking the balance of keeping someone's anonymity for whatever the reason while sharing the story is hard sometimes. DEALING with it is hard. I've been through addiction with someone I love and I'm wishing y'all the best going forward. For me, at least, it has gotten easier. I'm certain he works at it hard. Every day. But he's on 6 years of sobriety now and says it's worth it. (Our dog, Daisy, talks too. We love her so much!)