I texted my son to ask if I could share this part of our story with you.

He wrote “go ahead” and then “maybe add some more hope – just a suggestion.”

We went through a rough 4 years and here I am texting him about sharing a vulnerable story.  Here he is texting me back and offering his advice.

Ours is a story of persistence, reconciliation and growth.

My goals in writing the story of being his mom through this particularly difficult period are to:

• cut through the isolation and shame that too often accompany a child’s battle with drugs,
• give myself permission to remember, explore and ask questions,
• gain greater understanding and clarity about my role in the experience,
• contemplate how pain, beauty and joy walk together and…
• more that I’ve yet to discover!