Sweetteewall, it isn't that the universe needs to pay him back.
It's that the universe will pay you back for supporting, loving and cherishing your children. You will raise great human beings, and someday, when they're grown, they will support, love and cherish you because you taught them how and they are grateful.
There is a generational chain of behavior, and you have changed the family tree from the model of alcoholic destruction to the model of what good, honest, loving behavior is.
That's what happened to me and my 2 grown children, and it is such a source of strength and love. It will come to you, too, in time.
BothSidesNow