by Deb | addiction, alcoholism, comfort, compassion, difficult relationships, encouragement, faith, forgiveness, friendship, gratitude, hope, life, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, personal growth, reconciliation, recovery, substance abuse, women |
God still sends angels: ones with skin, hair and belly laughs. Angels like our friend, Jim. I met him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting where I was the speaker for Al-Anon. I remember feeling at a loss for encouraging words. My situation with Randy and his alcoholism...
by Deb | addiction, Al-Anon, alcohol, alcoholism, compassion, courage, difficult relationships, encouragement, hope, letting go, love, loving others, marriage, perseverance, recovery, substance abuse, surrender |
Cunning…baffling… powerful… Alcoholics Anonymous uses those words to describe alcoholism. It’s true. I’ve never felt more confused and powerless than when dealing with my husband Randy’s alcoholism. It’s an intense battle—one most of us are...
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 | 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...
by Deb | Al-Anon, alcoholism, difficult relationships, recovery, substance abuse |
I’m always amazed to see how connected we are online. A couple of months ago, I wrote a tribute to my friend Doris, who had recently passed away. Doris had encouraged me during those tough times of dealing with my husband Randy’s alcoholism. Reminiscing...
