been gone for awhile......hello to everyone!!!
 

i've missed this forum so much.....my life has been so very busy with family issues....son-in-law was in a very serious bike accident, so i've been helping out with their 5 children.

my mother moved in with me....well, i made her an apt. adjoining my apt. she has parkinsons and needs a little more attention.

my ex hit a bottom that seems to have changed him.....he is now renting a place here in town, is sober, and going to school for addiction counseling. he seems to be an entirely different person, and is cleaning up his messes that were created in active addiction.

i have many boundries in place and life is so good. sometimes, i just can't believe how good life can be with boundries......not only with the alcoholic, but with everyone.

for the first time in my life, i am thinking of myself and doing what i want to do, saying no to what i do not want to do, and not feeling guilty for not doing those things.

i have a very guarded optimistic hope for my ex. since his remarkable change.....and i am very guarded about this also,......we can interact as friends now, which just amazes me.

several of my boundries include that my recovery, serenity, and peace come first, beyond anything else. he will not have access to my apt, i will not discuss past events, i will not discuss his legal issues or his program of recovery.

those are just a few. they are working very well.

i am so grateful that he is alive. i pray that he takes this gift of recovery and fly with it. i also am not invested in it, so i can observe as an outsider and just offer encouragement.

boundries are so wonderful. i discovered that they work in all aspects of my life and serve only to enrich my life to it's fullest.

many, many thanks to all the ones here that helped me so much.....you all know who you are.....all of you!!!!

jeri

Missed you jeri and I'm glad you're back. Your posts continue to be an inspiration to me, and your recovery is working in amazing ways. Thank you for sharing!

jeri thanks for the post! you're such an inspiration to me!

Wow! What an inspiring post! Congrats on all the wonderful things!

thanks for reading everyone!

i was so busy this summer with family, that i didn't have the time to plant a real garden, so i planted my entire garden in all different kinds of sunflowers, and some tomatoes. it was beautiful. and i was just mesmerized at how beautiful it looked.

such a simple pleasure, but a huge enjoyment.

simple pleasures are a part of everyday life now. i always had little miracles and pleasures around me, i just didn't recogninze them.

it's such a wonderful gift to myself. i love recovery.

Hi,jeri....so glad to hear from you! Hope your SIL and mother are doing well.

And your A....amazing! Hopefully he is on an upward path!!

You sound great! :) Hope you will be able to post again soon.

It's so nice to hear from you and your recovery is marvelous!!!

Jeri you sound so wonderful. And it's good for us all to hear that your ex is doing some healing all on his own. Amazing - no codie had to bend the universe to make it happen.

Inspirational is the word.

Good to hear from you again. Hope you'll check in more often. We could all use a little more levity in our lives and you certainly are a fine source of that.

You've been missed!! Glad to hear the positive things going on for you!

What a wonderful share Jeri! Glad to hear it!

Any pix of the sunflower and tomato garden that you can share? I love seeing other's green-thumb handiwork!

Enjoy your harvest....from the labor you put into the crops, and into your recovery!!!

Hey Jeri, nice to "see" you,,,;)

And to hear all the positives in your life. If anyone wants to know detachment, jeri just wrote about it,,,

Peace

Great to hear from you! Hope you son in law is getting better!

well, so far they have saved his leg, but he lost 4 inches of bone in the accident and he has no knee. they will give him an artificial knee later. i'm so grateful that his life was spared, but he is in so much pain and they are very careful about giving him pain management because he is a recovering alcoholic (6 years sober).

he could still lose his leg, but they are prepared for it. they have pulled together so well during all this.......they just amaze me with their stamina and determination.

Hi embraced, I'm new here and glad to meet you. I'm just beginning to get the hang of all this and your post gives me hope. Thanks!

Hi Jeri! As I read your post, a visual image cem into mind. As you spoke of boundaries, I envisioned all the angels holding hands to form a barrier between you and anything that would rob your peace.
I hear your peace and your joy in their protection.

((((((mallow)))))

i've missed you, darlin!!!!!!

thanks for the visual.....that is just how it feels. you couldn't have said it better.

love to you
jeri

I'll keep your son-in-law in my prayers.

Hey!!!!! Jerriiiiiiii !!!

* waving wildly and jumping up and down *

Soooo glad to see you happy and doing good. I just _love_ seeing my friends do well in life. All your recovering loved ones are in my prayers every day, and so are you. I hope you can find a little time to hang around here, we all love ya :)

Mike :Val004:

Thanks for letting us know what has been going on in your life. I sure loved it when you were a regular here - we had some great laughs! I'm keeping you and your family in my prayers. Looks as if our potential summer get-together wouldn't have worked out anyway for a number of reasons. I've still got that free r/t plane ticket, so I hope we can re-visit the idea of getting together in the near future.

You take care, and I'M GLAD YOU ARE DOING SO WELL!!! ((((Jeri))))