Shaking the Family Tree
Viewing comments for Chapter 7 "Pt 1 Stepping into the unknown."Excerpts from addition to recovery.
16 total reviews
Comment from JDRBAR
Your post doesn't say what chapter this is and I know I've only read one other chapter awhile back. However, the topic is of great interest to me. I'd like to write my own story on alcoholism but I don't know if I could be as honest as you are being.
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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Your post doesn't say what chapter this is and I know I've only read one other chapter awhile back. However, the topic is of great interest to me. I'd like to write my own story on alcoholism but I don't know if I could be as honest as you are being.
Comment Written 14-May-2018
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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It was a difficult write. Took me almost two years till publication. I had to obtain several disclaimers from AA AC.O. A and perm from those I quoted. But the hardest part was spending so much time in that past. Thank you for the review. This was chapter 7. About three or four more to go. I try to post every Thursday.
Comment from Phyllis Stewart
Amazing story. I'm impressed with Luke, who took care of his own addiction and beat Mom to the finish line. She must have had a lot of courage to keep going, when giving up would have been so easy. Good job on the writing... this sounded so real I almost thought it was a true story. But it does say fiction at the top.
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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Amazing story. I'm impressed with Luke, who took care of his own addiction and beat Mom to the finish line. She must have had a lot of courage to keep going, when giving up would have been so easy. Good job on the writing... this sounded so real I almost thought it was a true story. But it does say fiction at the top.
Comment Written 14-May-2018
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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Thanks for the great review. It is a chapter in my book which is a personal memoir. Eill have to change that. Thanks for drawing it to my attention.
Comment from Spitfire
I like the emphasis on spirituality, your struggle with belief, and the and the apparition. My son went through a terrible experience once and says it was only his faith in God that got him through.
Again, superb revelations:Because I sought escape, rather than solutions, they had been denied a healthy loving environment in which to grow emotionally.
When a child hurts, the mother's pain is almost symbiotic.
recovery skinned me like an onion.
Luke is so smart. The one necessary step is to forgive yourself.
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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I like the emphasis on spirituality, your struggle with belief, and the and the apparition. My son went through a terrible experience once and says it was only his faith in God that got him through.
Again, superb revelations:Because I sought escape, rather than solutions, they had been denied a healthy loving environment in which to grow emotionally.
When a child hurts, the mother's pain is almost symbiotic.
recovery skinned me like an onion.
Luke is so smart. The one necessary step is to forgive yourself.
Comment Written 12-May-2018
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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Yes. He is very on top of things. He oversees 3 outpatient recovery clinics in the Pittsburgh area. Not too much gets by him.
Comment from Dawn Munro
"Imagination? A hallucination? Who knows(?)..." Yes, it needs the question mark, I think, but I also wanted to comment on this sentence in particular - it's very powerful (and to comment on something other than the writing itself, personally, I've been there, more than once. I don't question it either. Because you're right - it DOESN'T matter. It's life-changing when the change is needed.)
The next couple of paragraphs again resonate with me personally - I think they probably do (or should) with everyone. We all do things that adversely affect others. Of this I am sure, and I guess what matters is coming to terms with that fact (or living with guilt that eats away at our peace of mind).
This is, in every way, exceptional writing, Dallas. I wish I'd waited to review so I would have a six for it.
Your kids - my family. Damned me.
OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**********************************!!!
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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"Imagination? A hallucination? Who knows(?)..." Yes, it needs the question mark, I think, but I also wanted to comment on this sentence in particular - it's very powerful (and to comment on something other than the writing itself, personally, I've been there, more than once. I don't question it either. Because you're right - it DOESN'T matter. It's life-changing when the change is needed.)
The next couple of paragraphs again resonate with me personally - I think they probably do (or should) with everyone. We all do things that adversely affect others. Of this I am sure, and I guess what matters is coming to terms with that fact (or living with guilt that eats away at our peace of mind).
This is, in every way, exceptional writing, Dallas. I wish I'd waited to review so I would have a six for it.
Your kids - my family. Damned me.
OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**********************************!!!
Comment Written 12-May-2018
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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Thanks for the great review. Dawn. Only a few more chapters to go.
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You're very welcome. Wonderful writing!
Comment from karenina
God bless you for tackling sobriety, and continuing to do so.Thank you again because God only knows how this brave and honest has reached out and touched someone...or many...in need of this final nudge of encouragement.
Line 8 from the bottom should be him and his brothers...not he...
Easy edit...
I do not drink....lucky me, I dislike the tasre...but I have seen family's torn apart when alcohol becomes the most important thing...
So glad you made peace..
.Now?
ODAT
Karenina
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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God bless you for tackling sobriety, and continuing to do so.Thank you again because God only knows how this brave and honest has reached out and touched someone...or many...in need of this final nudge of encouragement.
Line 8 from the bottom should be him and his brothers...not he...
Easy edit...
I do not drink....lucky me, I dislike the tasre...but I have seen family's torn apart when alcohol becomes the most important thing...
So glad you made peace..
.Now?
ODAT
Karenina
Comment Written 12-May-2018
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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Thank you for sharing and for the great review.
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You are welcome!
Comment from Sharon Haiste
Again, very nicely done. Well written and well told.
It's easy to follow you through your story. The pain and anguish show clearly.
Thank you, once again, for sharing your story.
Sharon
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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Again, very nicely done. Well written and well told.
It's easy to follow you through your story. The pain and anguish show clearly.
Thank you, once again, for sharing your story.
Sharon
Comment Written 12-May-2018
reply by the author on 14-May-2018
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Thank you for the kind review. Only a few more chapters to go.
Comment from MelB
I absolutely love the vision you saw of Jesus and that you shared it in the story. It's so important for people to know Jesus is waiting on them. He wants to heal us. It was key with how you felt too, that God didn't care and was busy elsewhere. What a wise son, you have! Forgiving self is one of the hardest things to do.
reply by the author on 12-May-2018
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I absolutely love the vision you saw of Jesus and that you shared it in the story. It's so important for people to know Jesus is waiting on them. He wants to heal us. It was key with how you felt too, that God didn't care and was busy elsewhere. What a wise son, you have! Forgiving self is one of the hardest things to do.
Comment Written 12-May-2018
reply by the author on 12-May-2018
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Thank you for reviewing. He snd I both celebtated 30 years last August.
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You're most welcome. Congratulations! That is awesome!
Comment from Roxanna Andrews
Another great chapter. I can only imagine the pain of feeling you let your kids down. I have no children, but have felt some of this with my mom whom I wish I had been there for more often. She was great lady and deserved a more dedicated daughter. I live with some guilt now that she is gone, so I know a tiny bit of the pain. I am glad your son helped you move on. You couldn't have been too bad of a mom as he sounds like a pretty good kid. =} Rox
reply by the author on 11-May-2018
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Another great chapter. I can only imagine the pain of feeling you let your kids down. I have no children, but have felt some of this with my mom whom I wish I had been there for more often. She was great lady and deserved a more dedicated daughter. I live with some guilt now that she is gone, so I know a tiny bit of the pain. I am glad your son helped you move on. You couldn't have been too bad of a mom as he sounds like a pretty good kid. =} Rox
Comment Written 11-May-2018
reply by the author on 11-May-2018
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Thank you, Roxanna for the great review, the extra star, and the comments. My greatest regret with my children was that instead of having the courage to leave that marriage, I remained too long, much to the detriment of all of us.. I used the alcohol to escape thinking tomorrow would be better and ofcure it never did get better. My two oldest were already gone and the youngest was 13 when I finally got out. Once he was gone. all the yelling and screaming came to an abrupt halt.
And thank you for following.
Comment from Joan E.
I admired your crediting your sponsor for keeping you on track and your concluding with your son's wise question. Thank you for sharing your personal "miracle" and your "blanket of denial" metaphor, plus your poem about your flightless "wings," which spoke volumes. Brava- Joan
reply by the author on 11-May-2018
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I admired your crediting your sponsor for keeping you on track and your concluding with your son's wise question. Thank you for sharing your personal "miracle" and your "blanket of denial" metaphor, plus your poem about your flightless "wings," which spoke volumes. Brava- Joan
Comment Written 10-May-2018
reply by the author on 11-May-2018
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Thanks, joan. Happy weekend.
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I hope your week concludes well also. Smiles- Joan
Comment from apky
This was wonderful once again and reminded me of something similar that I experienced from stories of an aunt of mine who claimed to have "seen" Jesus as she prayed and felt him touch her where she knelt:
Then one evening as I sat in a meeting I don't even remember what the topic was, I received my miracle. In my peripheral vision, a vague, ghostly outline of a white, pocked-marked door swinging halfway open appeared on the wall. I was standing inside the door, and an image of Christ was there on the other side, gently tapping. In that split second, I realized He had been there all along, waiting for an invitation to step inside.
Imagination? A hallucination? Who knows. It doesn't matter. It was the motivation I needed to move on, and I haven't questioned it to this day.
God does work in mysterious ways.
reply by the author on 11-May-2018
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This was wonderful once again and reminded me of something similar that I experienced from stories of an aunt of mine who claimed to have "seen" Jesus as she prayed and felt him touch her where she knelt:
Then one evening as I sat in a meeting I don't even remember what the topic was, I received my miracle. In my peripheral vision, a vague, ghostly outline of a white, pocked-marked door swinging halfway open appeared on the wall. I was standing inside the door, and an image of Christ was there on the other side, gently tapping. In that split second, I realized He had been there all along, waiting for an invitation to step inside.
Imagination? A hallucination? Who knows. It doesn't matter. It was the motivation I needed to move on, and I haven't questioned it to this day.
God does work in mysterious ways.
Comment Written 10-May-2018
reply by the author on 11-May-2018
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He sure does. Thanks for the review and for following.
