HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Yep!  Another year bites the dust.  Today I made it to 62 years of age.  Who knew?  I'm looking at this as a brand new start.  Last year really sucked.

I have not mentioned on this blog that for the past 10 years my only child has been an addict.  She took herself to a month long rehab in 2009 but honestly, a month is not enough to help these people.  Last February, she took herself to the emergency room where they soon took her by ambulance to a larger hospital.  Big time pancreatitis, liver issues and a cyst on her ovary.  From 11 days in the hospital she made her way to a three month facility.  So while my husband was dying, my daughter was trying to live. 

Hard as it was, I made the decision to stay with Mr. Ralph and he wanted to stay in Maui.  We honestly had done all we could do to try to help her for the past decade.  But it had to be HER rock bottom, not what we thought should have been rock bottom.  We did all the wrong things that parents usually do.  This recovery had to be her own hard work ... with all the rewards going to her.  Doubly hard when a baby is involved.

I'm proud to say she's been clean and sober since Feb 13, 2013.  She got permission to talk to her Dad whenever she needed to.  His last spoken words were to her ... I love you and I'm so proud of you.  She also wrote him a four page letter that arrived in time for me to read it to him.  Pretty good closure, all things considered.

Just had to get this off my chest.  Start my new year off with a totally clean slate.   2014 can only get better.  I am thankful for simply surviving.