by Deb | addiction, alcoholism, comfort, Easter, encouragement, faith, forgiveness, freedom, God's faithfulness, grace, hope, love, peace, reconciliation, recovery, substance abuse, surrender, Uncategorized |
In 1992, artist Thomas Blackshear II, painted a picture titled Forgiven. It took my breath away the first time I saw it. The image is a contemporary man wearing a T-shirt and dirty jeans, holding a mallet in one hand and a nail in the other. The expression on his face...
by Deb | addiction, alcoholism, difficult relationships, encouragement, faith, forgiveness, grace, hope, legacy, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, prayer, reconciliation, substance abuse |
I heard the news that a young couple in our community is getting a divorce after only one year of marriage. What went wrong? All I know is this is a tragedy. I remember the wedding announcement we received with their bright smiling faces, their eyes so filled with...
by Deb | addiction, alcoholism, blessings, comfort, compassion, difficult relationships, God's faithfulness, gratitude, hope, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, recovery, Uncategorized |
Several years ago, just before Christmas, my boss and his wife treated my co-workers and me to an afternoon of extravagance. Each of us was pampered with a massage, facial and manicure. As I lay on the massage table having the yummiest-smelling creams applied to my...
by Deb | addiction, alcoholism, difficult relationships, faith, letting go, mental illness, prayer |
This post seems like deja vu. I’ve written about my “little” brother several times. Yesterday was his birthday. I called him to tell him I was thinking about him. His mental confusion seemed more pronounced. He admitted to using meth “so he...
by Deb | Al-Anon, alcoholism, compassion, difficult relationships, encouragement, faith, gratitude, loving others, marriage, recovery, Sheila Walsh |
The half hour drive from Meridian, Idaho to Boise seemed like the longest of my life. Late one night, I packed our 10 and 7-year old sons in the car with me to escape the turmoil at home. My husband Randy had been drinking again. I suspected that he was an alcoholic....
by Deb | alcoholism, difficult relationships, encouragement, forgiveness, grace, loving others, marriage, perseverance, reconciliation, recovery, substance abuse |
I used to think it was all Randy’s fault. If only he’d stop drinking, then we (or most importantly) I could be happy. I also thought I could change him. I could make him want to stay sober. I used ultimatums (you’d better stop drinking or…I’ll leave you…I’ll file for...
