Excerpted from Liz Moore’s Long Bright River, pg.186
My reflection: There is much about the passage above that touched me, especially the sentence, Each morning brings with it the possibility of change, each evening the shame of failure. The only task becomes the seeking of the fix. Fifteen years ago, my son told me, “They say that addicts aren’t afraid to die, they’re afraid to live without drugs.” I still remember those words.
Today’s Promise to consider: As much as other people can’t really understand what we parents go through as we continue to love our suffering child, neither can we really understand what our loved ones endure when locked in the grip of their illness. The trauma of addiction is bigger than we are big; its tentacles and indignity more insidious than we can ever imagine. Today, I will hold compassion in my heart for my loved one. I can’t fix the addiction, but I can pray and hope my child comes back to himself and our family.
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Again your thoughts speak directly to my heart. I get so wrapped in my pain I forget my son is suffering too
Dear Jill, I understand, and I, too, got so wrapped in my pain that I paid no attention to my son's. It took me fourteen years to begin to understand. Addiction breaks hearts, and only love can heal. My love to you.
Thank you Libby for the encouragement to continue to love and try to understand the others pain.