A Moment's Rest

Ever since the day I got sober, I've been employed while raising my children at the same time. But this summer I had the opportunity to take off from work in order to spend more time with my children, which is possible only through being sober in AA. As my oldest daughter is preparing to leave for college and my youngest is away at camp, I've found myself with a whole week to myself! This has caused me to look back to the times when I was a full-blown alcoholic and my children would spend a week or two at Grandma's over the summer, leaving me on my own. This is kind of like taking a trip down memory lane without a whole lot of memory involved, because I'd always go on some God-awful bender that didn't end until long after the kids were back. Grandma was fond of reminding me that when she took the kids she knew only that sooner or later I'd come back for them. I didn't like being that way, but alcohol made all my choices for me.