Dadurday: Installment #2

Happy Dadurday all.

First, a joke:  What do a church and a lazer fight have in common? 

pew pew pew

I've been asked to discuss my tattoos, which is awesome, because they mean a lot to me.  Each one tells a certain tale about my faith, and are built to remind me of what it means to be me in the Kingdom of God.    

The first two tattoos were done on my inner forearms, and were done as a pair.  They say 'Temple of God' in Greek and Hebrew, with Greek on the right and Hebrew on the left.  If you open the Bible at the two testaments, you'll see Greek on the right and Hebrew on the left: The Old Testament and the New.

I got them for my 19th birthday as a gift from my mom, and they mean a lot for that reason as well as the fact that they represent a truth in my life, that I am now the place where God means Earth, I am His temple, and He dwells in me.  

Next are the two 'gauntlet's' on my wrists: fire and water.  God lead the people of Israel out of Egypt with a pillar of fire and pillar of water (cloud), and so these represent the journey that I am being lead on through all of this life, a journey out of ignorance and into knowing, out of subjugation and into freedom.  As I've been in recovery, these have come to mean even more to me, as they represent the movement I am taking to move away from slavery and bondage and into true freedom of choice and responsibility.

The next most visible tattoo is one that is a work in progress.  It is a fox, snout covered in juice, as he eats from the grapes that surround his head.  This tattoo was inspired by scripture by way of the song "The Soviet" by mewithoutYou (which also inspired the title of that album), 'Catch for us the foxes, in the vineyard [which sneak in and eat the choicest grapes]'.  This is a reminder of the truth that words sneak, worm and wheedle their way into our hearts and destroy.  Foxes are fleet of foot, and words are even faster.  I mustn't let them steal from me what truth I know about myself.  

All of my tattoos were done by Dave and Robbie at Inkspot in Troy, and more beauty and truth has come into my life (not to mention sobriety and recovery) through that ragamuffin band of brotherly men than anyone could ever have expected.  

Next time I'll talk about the half sleeves, but I think this is enough words for today.  

Go forth and make beauty.  

Being the Wife of an Addict

Good morning everyone, I hope you are all having an amazing morning.

We're still moving a little slow from our trip to the hospital. Christopher got home some time around 12:30 last night and we're kinda dragging today.

Alright, I'm sure you're curious about the title. Some of you might not know but Christopher is an addict.

Not a practicing addict, mind you. But an addict none the less. He was addicted to over the counter, prescription drugs and alcohol. Now, I wouldn't be a good wife if I didn't brag on him a little bit. He has been clean and sober for 4 1/2 years now. :)

He even quit smoking a couple months after we started dating. Now, if that's not something to be proud of, I don't know what is.

To answer some of your questions:

I love the husband I have now. Do I love the things he did in the past? No. Are they in the past? Yes. Forgive and forget.

Would I stay with him if it happened again, I would try every outlet to help...but if that didn't work, if he chose narcotics over me or our family, I would definitely leave.

Have I ever done drugs? No, I've been around people that smoke and I do have the occasional drink.

Do I drink around him? I tend not to, but there are times (when we're out with friends, we're at a concert, or if we're at Buffalo Wild Wings and we're watching the Cardinals or the Blues) when I always ask first. If he says no, I completely understand and I don't drink that night. The last thing I want to do is make him uncomfortable.

Is he okay with you drinking when he's not around? If I go to the bar or if I'm with friends, all he cares about is me getting home safely. I don't go out much so he understands that when I'm out, I do drink. But he trusts me to make wise decisions and get back home to him with a sober driver.

Has he ever mentioned wanting to try drugs or alcohol again? Everyone has one of those days where all you want to do is go home and have a beer or a cigarette (if you smoke, I've never wanted to smoke a cigarette). So, yes, there has been times where he says, "man, I could use a cigarette." Or, "That beer looks tasty." Always joking, mostly. Sometimes it's scary, sometimes I can't tell if he's joking. We haven't had any slip-up's yet so...let's keep it that way.

Does he go to meetings? He used to, and I would go with him. Granted, I don't have a drinking or drug problem, but the meetings I went to were open and I went for nothing but support for him. I enjoyed the meetings and the people there. For all of you wondering what they are like, it's not an interrogation. You messed up, but you're here trying to do something about it. Good for you. Come celebrate life and recovery with us.

When I met him, he was clean and sober. Would things have been different if he wasn't? Absolutely. I think God brought us together at just the right time and said, "This is unexpected and weird...let's try it." Well, so far it's working. :)

If you guys have any questions for Christopher or about Christopher, please leave them in the comments. Tomorrow is Saturday so he will be home. I asked him, since I was doing this post today if he would tell his story and answer any questions you have for him. He agreed to it :) so please ANYTHING you have to ask, please ask it. He's an open book.

Thanks for reading today guys, I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you tomorrow :)