My Dear Kathryn,
I just learnt today of your recent gambling, and on doing so looked back on the past few days of the different post to your page. One thing that stood out to be in your announcement, other than feeling you hurt and devastation, was the few words of yours that I used for the subject for my posting — “All that hard work, down the toilet”.
All things are not down the toilet, all the you have learned during the past five years, all the help and support that you have given others, and all the closeness that you have managed to nourish and to hold on to with your family is still alive and present in your life. The only thing that needs to be flushed down the toilet is the incident itself, set it aside and keep on your forward advancement of the road of recovery — “Recovery is progress, not perfection”.
Most everyone here knows this, even if it is hard to see at times, and all but a very few have not veered off the path. As Harry made aware in his post to you, Reality is not that you slipped, but it is that you have undoubtedly learnt from your experience. So keep moving forward and keep on experiencing the great adventure of living – but living and thinking in a more normal way.
Your friend,
Larry