Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Two Kinds of Prisons


July 4, 2012
           
            As I watched some beautiful fireworks last night, I found my mind drifting to my son.  I wondered how long it will be before he will be able to enjoy another 4th of July and watch fireworks.  I remembered how much he enjoyed going to the park and watching the fireworks every year, and how excited he was when he got to light his first firecracker.  He used to love the fountains and the snakes.  He loved the cookouts we would have and the visits to the lake. We have a  "cutest baby contest" every 4th of July  at a local park.  My son was a beautiful baby with  blonde curls, dimples, long eyelashes and dark brown eyes.  When he was one year old he won the trophy, and I was so proud.  My beautiful boy.

            So as I watched the fireworks and thought about my son, it struck me once again, that admitting to myself that he is an addict set off a mourning process.  I still go back and forth between the stages.  I remember the first year of holiday celebrations following the death of my sister, my brother, and my father were so hard.  The empty chair at the table, the smiles that would no longer be seen, the laughter that would no longer be heard, the hugs forever gone.  Painful.

           As we celebrate a holiday that represents freedom, my son sits in jail.   Seeing him in jail for the next few years is going to be hard.  Really though, he has been a prisoner of a different kind for the past few years-a prisoner to addiction.  It took his smile, his laughter, and his joy for life.  Someday I know he will be free from his physical prison, the one with bars and guards, and fences.  I pray, today, that he will also manage to forever break free from the other prison, the prison of addiction.  A prison that has no bars or guards, but holds him captive just the same.
            

2 comments:

  1. I was deeply saddened when I read this post yesterday. If they only knew the horrible anguish they cause. Maybe they do know, they just can't face it. I so desperately wish it was enough to compel them to recovery and then keep them there.

    I'm sorry for the losses you have faced. The assaults can sometimes seem relentless. I hope you are remembering to take care of you as best you can. I know...pot calling the kettle black but I'm working on the same thing....trying to anyway. :-)

    Your words about your son are precious...underneath the addiction, he is still there. I pray so hard that all of our addicts will return to us one day.

    Keep the faith, my friend.

    Big hugs

    Summer

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    1. Thanks, Summer. I know my sweet, caring son is still in there and with God's help he will conquer his addiction and return. He is starting to emerge already, now that his mind is clearing. He wants to help others learn from his mistakes, so he wrote out his testimony, his addiction story, and gave it to me to edit and type. As I typed his testimony, through tears, I saw my pre-meth son. The smart, considerate, kind son I remember from years ago. I will keep the faith, and I will remember-where there is life, there is hope.

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