lovingmary22

The Bad Guys

My 3 year old daughter currently has a fascination with ‘bad guys’. “Are there bad guys, mom? Are they coming? Will they get me?” “No baby. There are no bad guys coming to get you. You are safe” The thing is, there are bad guys – they take on different forms and come in differentContinue reading “The Bad Guys”

Look Out For the Wolves / The 13th Step

Admitting you may have a problem and seeking help is the first of many steps. There might feel like there is a lot working against you, so finding the right people to come along in your journey is both critical and requires a lot of work and intention. The latter part is frustrating for meContinue reading “Look Out For the Wolves / The 13th Step”

The Sweet Smell of… Alcoholism

There were signs of my mother dying that I didn’t know ahead of time. I use these as a baseline for knowing how my dad is doing.

How are you doing?

I think there’s a stage of alcoholism where you just retreat completely. My mom got there first. My dad kept a low profile as an alcoholic. He’s what you’d call a ‘high functioning’ addict. Not so much mom. After my parents separated and we lost our home, she moved into an apartment. It was aContinue reading “How are you doing?”

Silent Loss

I was a momma’s girl. Maybe even to a fault….I was shy and quiet and had really high anxiety. She was loving and nurturing and so confident. She was so safe. I remember her hugs, her laugh, how she smelled – it was all so comforting. Things didn’t change overnight, they changed really slowly overContinue reading “Silent Loss”

Loving Mary.

My mother was Mary Judith Ann Poisson. She loved to declare things in dramatic ways using her full name, like “I, Mary Judith Ann Poisson and I am saying we are having pizza for dinner tonight!” She was born of Irish and French-Quebec parents who didn’t drink. She was the youngest of 7 kids; 4Continue reading “Loving Mary.”