Life in the time of transitions

"Transition" is defined as "a passage: the act of passing from one state or place to the next". I guess I'm constantly in a state of transition. I wish that I could push the pause button sometimes, so I can get slowly acclimated to the states a little bit at a time. Kind of like when you go swimming on a not too hot day, or the water is kind of colder than you expected, and you get in little by little. I guess plunging in is usually better since you're going to get wet anyway.

I went to a really good meeting last night. There was a woman there who has been sober for a number of years and she is in a lot of pain because her grown son is an active alcoholic and he can't get sober. He has just lost his sight and is now blind due to his disease. It is her deepest wish that he get sober and experience some joy before he dies. Her pain was tangible. She doesn't understand why she got sober and he can't.

Why do some of us find our way out of the madness of active addiction and others don't? I know this is an unanswerable question, better left up to others with more spiritual wisdom or insight than me. Practicing detachment around this is really hard, and the closer I am to a person who can't get sober the more painful it is to watch. I am grateful that no members of my immediate family (still living) are in this situation right now. My sister in law was but she has already died. Dying at age 41 from complications directly related to alcoholism. She tried to get sober and just couldn't get it. Watching my husband and his mother and brother go through that was horrible. Finding out about her death devastated us. What a waste of a life, of a vibrant spirit. I miss you JCB and I know you are watching over my children.