Comments on: A Mixed Blessing

By: Rae

Rae — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:57:59 +0000

I definitely empathize with you here, but I’ve realized you can’t have your Chardonnay and drink it, too. Now, I live with an alcoholic, unlike you, who has one come and visit now and again. But as much as I love a cocktail, as perfect as wine is with some cheeses, as comforting as a beer can be after a very long day, I (and my entire family) know that doing this in front of the Family Alcoholic is a no-no. If I were as worried as you are about your mother having too much and becoming “an embarassment,” I’d bite the bullet and make it a dry Thanksgiving, with a promise to host a cocktail hour the next night for those who can’t do without. Either that, or I’d make it a mother-less Thanksgiving. Just a thought.

By: David

David — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:35:01 +0000

You bring tears to my eyes, Caren. I wonder the same, and about others as well as your Mom. Cherish the good, ignore the bad. “Joy cometh in the morning,” says Proverbs.

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:11:37 +0000

I really appreciate this essay. And the last three lines, I think, strike sharply true. I have an older relative whose addiction to alcohol has, in the past few years, become undeniable, resulting in her being financially manipulated and most recently being charged with a DWI. I feel so sad when I think of the past when she was a part of all of our family gatherings, and the pain that she must be feeling at some deep level. But when I talk to her I have to distance myself; she lies (sloppily) and her tone sounds entirely false; as with your mother she is not the person I thought I knew. Can that person come back I wonder?

By: Bootsie

Bootsie — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:32:14 +0000