TW: addiction

Barry and I recently had the honor of interviewing our friend, poet and fiction writer Andrew Najberg. Andrew is one prolific writer and has been published frequently. (Rumor has it that he has more publishing news to share since speaking with us. I can’t wait to hear more about that!) Take a listen if you’d like to know his process.

I’m so glad I’ve been the one editing the episodes. While I’m far from a perfect editor, it gives me the opportunity to revisit what our guest said and reflect upon it in a way I, in my too-often anxious state, cannot in real time. This is one venture I’m so happy we have embarked upon. We’re meeting new writers and catching up with some of our writing friends. Win/win.

Next up will be YA novelist and science teacher, Melissa Hamilton. She brought along a special guest that had me wishing we were using the video portion of the call, too. But I don’t want to spoil it. Look for her episode in two weeks.

Forgive me for this shift here, but this weekend has been…challenging, and I’d like to ask for good vibes and such if you would send them up.

Since I’ve mentioned our son’s struggle with addiction here before, I’d like to share that he is on another leg of his journey. He’s back in rehab, after an impromptu intervention last night.

He showed up on our doorstep yesterday bloody and barefoot, in need of treatment, medical and otherwise, though it’s still somewhat unclear exactly what happened to him.

He will be in the treatment facility for 28 days, following by six months in a sober living house. We live in hope that this time it will “take.”

When we adopted Zack from specialized foster care at the age of 9, we knew the journey would be tough. (He does not mind us sharing his story. He actually joined our family when he was 8, but the adoption process takes time.) He had already been through so much, and that stays with a person. But we also believe he can overcome his past, and that he can overcome this addiction.

Our family tradition, when adopting, is to take the child of the day out for all the ice cream they can eat. I don’t recall just how much ice cream he had on his special day, but he had lots! I’m thinking we should repeat that when he gets released to indicate a new start. (If I had more energy, I’d go dig out adoption day photos.)

I’m trying to keep the tone lightish here, but my heart aches. As my niece’s van began pulling away last night to take him to the treatment center (and bless my niece for all of her help; she has contacts in that field that set everything up), Zack jumped out for one last hug. “You’ve got this,” I said. I believe that.

I always have.

I always will.

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