Good news
My mom is getting help.

On New Year's Eve, I got a letter from her, no return address, postmarked Cleveland. Inside, a photocopied page addressed to my aunt and to me. The sentences were choppy and the lettering was not her usual chicken scratch -- they were also spaced out unevenly. Basically, she said she checked in to "detox" on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas. She said she "couldn't put us through anymore" and was going to stay away until she was "better." She said she was ashamed and sorry.

So I guess until I hear from her again, I can just hope for the best. I don't know where she is and I doubt she would even want to see me right now, nor is it likely that she can receive visitors. She is going to miss my birthday, she missed New Year's, and she also probably missed Michigan in the Rose Bowl. (That's probably a good thing.) But I hope when it's all said and done, that it's worth it and I will have my mom back. The one who is my friend and my biggest supporter.

And I'll be right there to support her when she is ready.