When a friend heads back into addiction

Art is still drinking and still claiming that his drinking is not a problem.  Art has not drank in front of me.  And there are no bottles at his home.  Perhaps he is only drinking at camp.  I don't really know.

Art's personality is not being improved by his intake of the drug alcohol.  That is for sure.  I've noted a ruder and cruder Art emerging over coffee in the last week.  Consequently, I've had to make a tough decision.

Art has to go.  Or, to put it another way, I have to make myself scarce as far as Art is concerned.  I have found myself mourning the friendship that we have shared over the past decade or more.  We've had lots of good times, he and I.  We've done quite a bit of traveling and drank quite a bit of coffee together.  But that is done for now.

I cannot jeopardize my own well-being for the sake of another.  Art is not an evil human being.  At this time, I cannot afford to hang with him.  Art has returned to a past lifestyle.  I cannot do that.  I don't want to be around the drama that is Art when he uses.  When and if Art is ready to quit using again, someone else will have to help him.  We've been too close.  I can't do it.  There are other people that I can have coffee with and travel with and have good times with.

We become what we do.  And we become again what we do again.  I wish to journey forward as a human being, not backwards into the bondage that is true addiction.

          Where's the coffee?

SNAKES AND MOURNING 3/10/07

"Saint" Patrick's Day is upon us and there is a movement going on within some pagan, satanic, and witch groups to do something different. I have seen variations of this letter on several e-groups. This particular version I have chosen to publish here was gotten from Sharon over at http://motherdamnable.blogspot.com/ who had picked it up elsewhere:


The Truth Behind St. Patrick's Day

On March 17, many people in this country will celebrate a holiday
that has nothing to do with their ethnic background or their current
country of residence, and everything to do with an historical
religious event. On this day, genocide was committed upon a Nation.
On this day the leaders, healers, teachers and priesthood of the
various Celtic nations died, those who were still alive by then. On
this day, the Christian church claims that St. Patrick drove all the
snakes from the shores of Ireland. Most of these people did not
leave those shores alive. Snakes are the symbol used by the
Christian church to symbolize Pagans. The legend of the removal of
all the snakes from Ireland (which never had any snakes to begin
with) stems from the symbol of the snake to represent Paganism. As
was the way with those lands and cultures conquered by the Christian
church, all records of the former religions practiced by the people
of the land were wiped out to the best of the abilities of
those who usurped authority from the rightful leaders, both civic
and religious.

On March 17, I will not wear green.
On March 17, I will not wear a shamrock.
On March 17, I will not honor the man who lead the conquest of
Ireland.
On March 17, I will wear black.
On March 17, I will wear snakes.
On March 17, I will mourn the deaths of my spiritual ancestors.

Frogzilla