Monday, April 28, 2014

Guest Post: Dear Mom and Dad

Here is a guest post from Lisa. She sent it a while back but it got lost in my in-box. I apologize for the delay Lisa.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I love you. I want you to know that, because I’m sure you’ve doubted it before. I can’t know exactly how much pain I put you through, but I imagine it was a terrible lot. How could I treat the two people I love most in the world so badly?

I was sick, and I think you understand that now. We all learned a lot about my disease through this journey, through my stints in rehab, and I think you understand. The little girl you raised to be kind, thoughtful, and moral didn’t die; she was just sick.

I can’t ever thank you enough for all the support you’ve given me. There were times when I pushed you away and resented you for trying to help me, but that was before I could see clearly. Now that the fog of addiction is years gone, I realize how selfless you were and how truly grateful I am for you both.

I’m a parent now, and things are coming full circle. I worry that my sweet, innocent son has inherited my disease and will one day take the same wrong turns I did. I worry that everything I experienced and learned won’t be enough to help him avoid making the same mistakes. I worry that one day I’ll be in the same shoes you wore.

If I’ve learned anything, though, it’s that we can’t dwell on the past we can’t change or the future we can’t predict. Here and now is all we have. Here and now, I want to enjoy my son’s childhood AND enjoy the great relationship with my parents that I finally have.

If I haven’t said it enough: I’m sorry, thank you, and I love you. You’re the epitome of great parents and who I aspire to be like with my own child every day.

I love you,

Your Daughter.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lisa,

I think every single POA wishes, wants, waits and prays for this letter to come. Your words are so heartfelt and precious. I don't even know what else to say except thank you for sharing this with all of us.

God bless you and your family,

Summer

Waylon said...

Thanks Lisa, for sharing your thoughts. It means a lot to get to read them here. Good luck to you and your family.

Unknown said...

It is so good to hear a success story, I lost my grandson to this disease and my heart aches to hear his voice one more time.
I miss and love him every single day. He had his whole life ahead of him. He was 22 years old.

Good luck to you and I am so happy for you and your family.

Lisa M. Hann said...

Thank you for your comments. They mean so much to me! I'm happy I could share this letter with you all.

Liz said...

Brings tears to my eyes.. Thank you.

Tori said...

What a beautiful letter. Thank you for writing it.

My son although not sober is 23 and has said so many times how worried he is that he will pass this on to his kids.

I can't even imagine how happy and proud your Parents must be.

God Bless.

Anonymous said...

what a great story!. I'm sure your experiences has taught you a lot of lessons that can help you become a better person.And now you're already a mom, I hope you can raise your son well with full of love and care just how your parents have showed to you.

Senta said...

Thank you for posting. My son, 22, now about 6 month sober, went to his first class yesterday in college after 2 years. He said the first day was a little fuzzy as he had not thought about these concepts for quite a while.

He seems determined to move on and not let his past shackle him.

Rebecca Wicks said...

This made me tear up. Thank you for sharing!