Holiday Blues

Hello all! I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas/other awesome Holidays. I am medicating my stress with shopping and ice cream which leads to more stress as the shopping starts to suck when the clothes don't fit as well because of the ice cream! This Christmas Liam, Brian and I are heading to Disney World for a week of fun in, what I hope will be, the sun! Before that, we are heading to see Skyler on Thursday and bring him some gifts. We are trying the tough love approach, and he has been pretty mad lately, but at least there is an impact being made. We told him we were going to Disney World, which really ticked him off, but was a good opportunity for him to see that life goes on even when he makes bad choices, and it is WAY more fun on the outside! I will let you know if the tough love works at all, or just keeps ticking him off. As he doesn't have the same thought patterns as I do, it is hard to know the right moves, but his therapist thinks letting him know what he is missing may be a good incentive to get his behavior under control. But that is dependent on if he can change his behavior or not, and that remains to be seen! We went out to see him about a week ago, and the bikers from the regions around here all went out with toys and had a Christmas party for the kids at the center, it was so cool to see 75 big bikers roll in and let the kids up on their bikes. They said over the season they spend every weekend going to different treatment centers, hospitals and group homes with gifts and money. I am so impressed with that level of caring and generosity, and think they are wonderful role models for the rest of us! In case I don't get back here, have a wonderful Christmas and take care of your families and those in your community who may need some extra love this season.