28 Comments
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Terry Freedman's avatar

Great story, very powerful

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thank you, Lord Terry. A bit tragic, but the world inside my leafy head is not all cat stories and inter-galactic romances! ha ha ha

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Terry Freedman's avatar

I'm glad to hear it!

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James Ron's avatar

"Alice - here is your dish of tough love." Good one, Sharron!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Well, there comes a point when one just has to stand back and let the"force" take over.

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Kate Henry's avatar

REscuers have a limit. It comes suddenly. Seconds before the kill point. We've all been there.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

It is a tough situation when it involves a loved one. We want to help our troubled family members, and it is hard to know what to do.

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Wade's avatar

Poignant…. But I bet he picks up. Saviors have to save.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yes. It may be. And we all know that is not the solution. It is so hard to see someone you love make all the wrong choices.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Gosh, a great-but-tough tale, Sharron! Wonderful writing!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

A little depressing, but a real issue. When does our responsibility end? When is our helping only furthering the problem? When is she old enough to face the consequences of her choices? I tried to balance out the theme by tossing in the story of Maurice, the Waffle Cat.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Yes, so many questions raised themselves for me, too. And I think Maurice the Waffle Cat was an excellent counterbalance to this post!

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Justin Deming's avatar

A difficult lesson to learn...it seems like the only viable option is tough love at that point. Powerful!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I agree with you, Justin. It is one of those things that is so hard to do, especially if Alice is family.

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Meg Oolders's avatar

Sadly, I don't know if I believe Barry. He seems too good a soul.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

No, me neither. He is probably her brother and has been covering for her his whole life... It is hard to know when enough is enough, isn't it?

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Janice Walton's avatar

I wonder if he can keep his word .

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Maybe. Eventually. It takes a while to let go of these enabling relationships. A woman in your profession know far more about that than I do!

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Janice Walton's avatar

I'd be surprised. . .

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Heather Brebaugh's avatar

The manipulator and the manipulated. I feel sorry for them both, just for different reasons.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yes, me too. However, the predicaments they are in are by choice. She chooses to drink. He chooses to enable. In my humble opinion, that is. Sad.

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Heather Brebaugh's avatar

You are so right. Life is about so many choices.

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T. D. Wolf's avatar

What percentage of families in this country have some variation of that story to tell? I know mine does.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

It is a good question. My little family, fortunately, are all doing well, have good work, and are in happy marriages. But I do see trouble all around me...

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Loving an addict is heartbreaking.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I have never had to deal with it, but it must be very hard to know how to help. Thanks Mark.

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Jim Cummings's avatar

Just catching up on my reading. Powerful story Sharron. Tough love is sometimes harder on the giver than the receiver.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I am guessing that that is why tough love is often the very last resort of the enabler. I wonder what would happen if the tough love strategy came early on in the situation?

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