I can be a dreadful guy.

I reserve the right to do the wrong things. Such as alienate people dear and close to me. I’ve done it to my sister and my mother. And to others I shall not name. Just think of it. I’ve even dared to do the wrong thing to my beloved mother. And why? Because to truly communicate with another human being there must be a two-way desire to connect. Issues that separate us need to be brought to a head. Often through confrontation. With my sister, it was a matter of her lifelong addiction to alcohol. I would not accept her as an alcoholic. Yes, I was doing the wrong thing. Knowingly. I didn’t want to do what the experts encouraged me to do. Keep contact. Express love continually. I refused to continue my relationship with my sister. Until she quit drinking. Which she did, fortunately. Several years ago. Better late than never. In my mother’s case, it was a battle with depression in the last 20 years of her life. I couldn’t stand it. Or live with it. Or accept it. I limited my visits to weekends. And I became the preacher. Do something. Do something. Do something. Get out of your morass even if you have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Because that’s my way. I didn’t abandon my mother, like I did with my sister. But I insisted that she get treatment. That she deal with the problem. Effectively. I always kept close contact with my mother. Guess I loved mother more than my sister. Gotta be honest about it. I can be a dreadful guy. –Jim Broede