Love vs Football

We had an interesting winter this year with 2 major snow storms a few days apart, leaving us in 50 inches of snow. But all how beautiful it was to see, not to travel in, but just seeing the purity of the snow. I will always love it.
I stayed at my brother's house for both storms, at that time he needed me. He had just lost the love of his life and he was hurting. The snow was a great distraction and the kids had a blast disappearing in the banks with the dog.
Fortunately for Tim, he knows 'people' who come and clear his death trap of a driveway so he can get out. Of course, they piled it up in front of my car and I had to shovel the tires to get free. My poor husband is not so lucky. He does the driveway clearing himself.
This year he had several obstacles. First the snow blower would not work, so he had to shovel the long driveway with the help of one man child. The second storm came a few days later and his shovel broke and this was of course the last snow shovel in this county.
And so finally I made it back home. My dear little adventurous Max, tried for days to figure out how he could get off the deck and wander in the yard, his domain. He stood on his back legs and peeped as far as he could. My husband shoveled a small area for Max and Peanut (our Chihauhaus so they could use it as their facility). After a few days there must have been 100 turds out there.
Anyway, one day, Max found a way out. He crawled between the railing of the deck near the house where the over head of the roof came to protect the area from snow. The problem was, he couldn't find the wide opening in the one railing and he was stuck by the huge drift of snow.
Ok, so I feel sorry for him and I grabbed a pair of slippers and announced on deaf ears that the dog couldn't get back in. Sadly the Ravens game was on and so there was no acknowledgement of a problem. It wasn't as if they were winning, you know.
So I slowly headed down the side of the house and forgot about the window well, I stepped on it and went crashing inside the well. I lay there flat on my back hoping I hadn't broken anything and poor Max is watching me.
My son tells my husband who jumps up from his chair and TV watching and stood at the door looking at me lying on the deck and poor Max shivering. It was then that he said a few words that I am pretty sure were not in the Bible.
He came out, stepped past me, as I struggled to get out of the well. He rescued the dog and went inside still muttering those same strange words. I finally got out of the well and crawled in the house.
The well is usually covered by the grill, but for whatever reason, the grill was buried in the snow.
I figure a window well cover cost maybe $4 tops. I came into the house expecting some sympathy, instead I got a lecture.
"It took me 3 hrs to landscape that well, "he kept repeating, still no concern over my condition, just the well.
When a wife has to compare her self worth to a window well and loses the comparison, she realizes, it must be over. Where is the love?

The Secret

For many years mental illness and the stereotype that goes with such a big problem was not spoken of by the family. Mental illness was not something to be proud of and is still very difficult to treat. It is not like an infection when a few antibiotics make it go away, it is like a festering wound that no one ever hears about. It is a well kept secret.
For many years as well, substance abuse has taken the same kind of reaction, even from family members. Even though we can't deny it is a disease, we still see it as a menace to the family and we can't figure out why the one in the spiders web just doesn't say no. Ask a cigarette smoker how hard it is to stop smoking. Ask an alcoholic how hard it is to say no to a beer. Ask someone addicted to pain meds how they crave them daily. Ask a person on benzodiazapines to try to face life with its many issues without this pill.
I had a great blessing this weekend. I went to a church in my hometown and got to speak on Worry. The cover of my book on addictions was showing up on the power point. The talk went well and I wasn't used to the applause throughout my talk. I knew then, that I had a job to do.
I was not the key speaker, but afterwards she got up to talk and she asked for raised hands of those women who have or had addiction problems in their family. I looked around and hands went up all over the place. The secrets were out, there was no need to hide them anymore.
The group of about 56 women were all suffering or had suffered such pain as had their loved ones that were caught in the spider's web.
We cried. We were not alone. I spoke on carrying the heavy burden to the cross and leaving it there. We can't fix our broken loved one, only God can.
I have never spoken in front of a group and I was nervous, especially since the topic was also on Martha and Mary and the lady who spoke before me said everything I had written down. So I had to get up and speak sort of cold turkey.
I expressed my concern to my friend next to me, but she touched my hand and said,"God will tell you what to say, don't worry. He will." And He did.
The pastor's wife at the church got up to speak later that day and she told the story of her alcoholic son. We later held one another and cried.
Afterwards, many bought my book and I wrote a note to them as they shared their various stories in tears. We all needed each other that day and we left with a new hope.
I will never forget it.