Recovering Out Loud
Over the past few weeks, I've been digging through my house trying to find items to sell in an upcoming rummage sale. Most of the items are my daughters, and as time has passed and she has accumulated more and more things, our home has started to feel slightly claustrophobic. Still, I’m having a hard... Continue Reading →
I've been having trouble writing lately. Every sentence, every idea. I've had an extremely difficult time finding my words. So I asked myself, "Am I just trying too hard?" I am just going to write today, with no "goal" in mind, other than to let some of these thoughts out of my head. If it... Continue Reading →
Change. I wasn't always the type of mom who took the time to braid her daughters hair, or read her books at bedtime, or paint her fingernails 5 different colors. I wasn't always the type of mom who let her daughter crawl into bed with her after she’d had a nightmare. I wasn’t always prepared... Continue Reading →
I was driving home from the store with my daughter tonight when Demi Lovato's new song Sober came on the radio. I had read that she recently relapsed and wrote about it in a song, but I hadn't heard it yet. Before I knew what was happening, I was overcome with emotion. As I listened... Continue Reading →
When I was a child, I was convinced that adults never cried. I thought that maybe someday I would reach an age where crying would no longer be my emotional response to things like fear, stress or anger. When this change didn't occur, I started to see those who did not cry as strong, and myself... Continue Reading →
I wrote this on a day when I was struggling. I was hurting for a friend who was slowly dying because they were refusing to reach out for help for fear of what their family and friends might think if they admitted they were addicted. My heart was breaking and I was sad. When I... Continue Reading →
Last night I stopped at the gas station on my way home. There was a man walking around asking for change, which is not unusual in Milwaukee. I’ve learned how to say no when necessary. But there was something about this man that caught my eye. He looked strikingly similar to a young man I... Continue Reading →
“From the moment I started working towards a solution - instead of obsessing over the problem - I felt immediate relief! I am no longer afraid.” Vanessa Day
Missing…. That one word has so much depth, and brings back so many memories. I could talk about this word endlessly as it relates to my active addiction. I could talk about the times I missed my daughter, the times I missed family events, voluntarily at first and later because I was no longer invited.... Continue Reading →
