Thankfully, it seems like Spring has finally arrived, but it sure was a weird winter here in the Pacific Northwest. We had been having exceptionally mild weather until February showed its face. That’s when the snow started DUMPING on us. Once the lid was uncapped, it just wouldn’t stop. It kept going and going. It caused all kinds of crazy complications in our lives. Even the schools and many businesses were closed for the better part of a week and a half. That NEVER happens around here.
Usually, we only have a brief snow or two during the winter months. They last a day, or two, or at most three and then quietly melt away. Usually it’s a January thing. By mid-February, we’re generally “in the clear.” But that certainly wasn’t true this year!
SHORT-LIVED RELIEF
This winter, the increasingly dirty, crusty, snow hung around way past its welcome. Everybody was so tired of it. In spite of its perseverance, our “snowmageddon” did eventually came to an end and was replaced with beautiful sunny, yet cold, days. We all breathed a sigh of relief and, as March settled in, we assumed that Spring had finally arrived. A few hardy souls were even seen venturing out to tend their winter-neglected flower beds.
We all smiled each time we checked the weather report. There wasn’t a single snowflake in the 10-day forecast! It only predicted a little rain in the days to come . . . but that’s to be expected this time of year in the somewhat soggy Northwest.
AND THEN IT RE-APPEARED . . .
Without a hint that it was on its way, the snow hit hard again. It snowed all afternoon and into the evening. You could hear the collective cry of “oh, no, here we go again.” Even the snow lovers were grumbling. We were SO ready to be done with it, and yet, here it was again. Even worse, we had no way of knowing how long, how deep, or how debilitating it would be.
FLASHBACKS of ADDICTION
I realized at one point how very similar this was to what I felt each time my husband had a relapse. The first few years of our marriage were really tough. Even though my husband had been in recovery for some time, building a new life together regularly triggered old feelings in him and sent him back to his addiction to cope with them.
Every time it happened it threw me back into the deep pit of pain, frustration, and fear that addiction creates. My brain screamed “here we go again!”
I never knew how long, how deep, or how debilitating the fall-out from the newest relapse would be. I didn’t even know if we would survive it as a couple. Thankfully, each time, we would eventually return to those sunnier days where the addiction was, again, under control. We’d breathe a big sigh of relief, hoping that maybe this time it would somehow be different. And . . . after many more incidences, and much more pain, it finally was.
I haven’t stopped to count, but I’ll bet it’s been at least 15 years—maybe more—since Bruce had his last relapse. He is truly free. But, just like this infernal snow, his addiction “dumped” on us more times than we care to remember as we traveled on that bumpy road that finally took us to freedom.
CHOICES
When we get dumped on, whether it’s by snow or addiction, we may not realize we still have choices. We can either start shoveling or we can build snow angels.
I’m not talking about actual activities, as much as I am about attitudes. We can either grumble and start trying to attack the problem with sheer brute strength, or we can seek to find the good, the lovely, the praiseworthy things that are currently clouded by our pain and struggle.
Basically, we can turn to our own best efforts, or we can choose to honor the fact that God is with us and look for his “angel” blessings. In spite of our temporary blindness, they are there.
A BLESSING IN ADDICTION?
Yes, even something as painful and destructive as an addiction can bring good into our lives. If you’re having trouble seeing anything positive, these classic posts, may help you:
3 Reasons to be Grateful for your Husband’s Struggle
Looking for Magic: Finding Miracles
TODAY’S CHAT: What “snow angel” blessings have you found in the midst of dealing with your husband’s struggle?
