Hey San
What a great post to read on a Monday morning and it all came down to your positivity that you were not going to let the addiction to gamble ruin your weekend.
I am glad your son is excited about seeing you – he could have wanted to hide. A flying visit sounds just the ticket – that in itself is a boundary.
I am pleased to read that you are so aware that the beast will still be in the corner of the room – it doesn’t sleep for Christmas or any other family occasion that should be joyous. I think when we are complacent it can leap out and bite us especially when there are others present who are affected by it too. I think it is a time when it is important to accept the only person you can change and control is ‘you’.
Today is what matters and today you are smiling and that is wonderful.
I hope that tomorrow is a wonderful day for you – you deserve a truly happy birthday. I will not expect to see you in the group but I will be thinking about you.
V