Tuesday, June 10, 2014

room for the spirit

When I first found out what happened to my BG, I was stunned because I'm her mama and, as she told me later "you had enough other things to worry about." The truth was raw and ugly and made even moreso by the failure of her BF to believe her. He comes from a family that is filled with bible belt tongue speaking religion and a closet whiskey habit, always hidden and carefully calculated to block out his pain. The way I see it, we're all fighting some kind of demon and if you can give somebody a boost, Jesus smiles and all is well. When G lived here he brought every piece of his life thus far and stashed it in my moldy basement where the snakes live. And the rotten saddle.

Looking back, I see foreshadowing where the 12 step process is concerned because I was sittin' on the porch one pretty day and had an Aha! moment with NA. Of course the only thing I've ever been addicted to is beer and ciggies but I've watched enough Nurse Jackie to understand that drug addiction is tough, and physical withdrawals are even tougher. Aftercare is the key to, if not completely sober,that somewhat of a buzz that comes with doing a job and taking care of yourself to transition. Shannah gave birth to Austin when she was 14 years old and living in Trimble. His father failed to step up to the plate so her parents and next husband took him in. Several years later Tori came along and I can't say for sure but I sure would have been overwhelmed with two little kids. At some point she decided to get wild and ended up in drug court for two years. This is a program designed to help addicts with sentences to start a new life if they will only try. I've seen probably 50 of them in any given month and it's all court ordered to save them from a harsh sentence. If they fail the piss test or don't stay in touch with the probation officer, they're in trouble. I'm thinking that Diane knew from the start who would make it and who wouldn't. On Monday the four of them will graduate from drug court and I'll be there in the wings.

If you like moonshine, Michael Ballard from Full Throttle Saloon is your man since last weekend and the opening of the new distillery. The crowd was expected to top 10k with most on bikes so that saves on parking. I'm so sure that my cousin Pattye did not approve. She's married to the Baptist preacher up there. Ya'll know they won't speak to you when buying alcohol.

Pam died and that sent S into a tailspin that ended up, well, in jail. After that she went to drug court for two years and raised three kids all the while trying to get a decent job and a car to get there. She has shown me determination beyond my wildest dreams and I truly feel that Big Ernie played a part in all that. Sometimes you just have to wait for the story to unfold.

Peace~

No comments:

Post a Comment