Days Twenty and Twenty One

Day Twenty What are my views on drugs and alcohol?

Well, let see... because I know about this subject first hand I am not very black and white about it. Obviously, drinking is wrong, as well as drugs but I feel like there is way more then just that. Before I was a member I dabbled a little in each subject. More the alcohol then the other, but I knew why I did it. I drank because I was in a lot of pain. I thought that when I was in a drunken stupor I couldn't be hurt, or that I couldn't feel it so it wasn't there. I am not proud of my life before the gospel, but I also wouldn't be who I am without falling and learning now to reach out for help. I believe I had to go through what I did so my kids don't have to. In my experience people intoxicate themselves to get away from their situation, they want to loose control for a while. For me, I wanted to fill a void. I wanted to forget that my dad thought I was fat and couldn't do anything right. I wanted to forget that he picked his wife over me. As a parent I feel it is super important to not freak out and go on a rampage. If I were to find out my child had been drinking, I hope that I would feel awful for my child because they weren't strong enough to say no. Then I would ask myself why they thought they had to drink. And after I had calmed down I would go to the child/teenager and have a heart to heart. What are they lacking? What can I do to help? Is it something that I am doing that I can change? How do I need to change our family dynamic to help them? Locking a child up by grounding or whatever is not the way (at least for me) to handle things. I feel it would have pushed me even farther off the edge and possibly pushed me to do things a little stronger... Drugs and alcohol are a key to let you know there is something wrong, how can we as parents fix it? I know for me it was the love of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They can fill any void, they filled mine.

I am an open book and I have no problem talking about the things I have had to go through because I am on the straight and narrow now, maybe my life's experiances help someone view things differently. My story proves the glory of the Gospel and how it can change a life, if of course they are willing to make a change :)

Day Twenty One My best friend is in an accident and an hour before the accident we got into a fight. What would I do?

I would go to the hospital where she was and make sure that her family has been called. I wouldn't be able to leave until she woke up and I could say that I was sorry we fought. I would do anything and everything she needed but not because we were in a fight, but because she is my best friend. If we were true best friends a little fight wouldn't get between us.

I don't know if in this senerio she dies but if she did then I would know the Plan of Salvation and know she would be taken care of... I would pray that she know how sorry I was, and that I will cherrish our friendship forever. At least this is how I hope I would act... I hope I never have to find out.