keeping hope

Hey everyone!
Today, while packing boxes at the food shelf, I struck up a conversation with my partner, another woman volunteer. She was volunteering with an addict program and told me her story of slowly becoming an alcoholic and her realization that her life was out of control. As she spoke, I had this mounting sense of pride for her. In my lifetime,Ii have met a few addicts, but even fewer who admit to it, or believe that they can fight their way out of it.
I immediately thought of my dear cousin-once-removed who was the son of a drug addict. I held so much anger towards his mother, not for what she was doing to herself but for what she was doing to her son. I am glad that he has found a new home and a wonderful person to call "mom".
The woman i was working with says that she had joined rehab for her husband (they married less than a year ago), and worried that the two years she was spending in the program to save her marriage would cause it to fall apart. She said she cried every night thinking about how her husband night leave her. I didn't know how to tell her to have hope; i am just another person, just as lost and confused. Maybe that alone is comforting.
I wish her the best, and am honored to have met such an amazing and brave individual.

-Sari