About

My grandfather was Henry Heaton.  He was an alcoholic.  I never met him as he died before I was born.  My dad was hurt in many ways by his drinking.  It shaped the man that my father came to be.  I guess it shaped me too.

I converted to Catholicism about ten years ago.  When I did, I learned about praying for the souls of the departed.  It started to occur to me that maybe, Henry could use a few prayers.  He lived in a time where a lot less was known about alcoholism.  I imagined that few people were able to separate him from his disease.  So, I began to pray for his soul.

A little later, my husband and I discovered that our son suffered from alcohol and drug addiction.  One of the first ways that I tried coping with that information was to journal or blog.  I decided that I would only use Henry's name in order to protect my son and our family's anonymity.  As you can guess, Hattie is a pen name.

This blog is an ever unfolding  gift of self awareness, an exercise in courage, a meeting of kindred souls and an ongoing prayer.  Henry has become a symbol for those I pray for who suffer from the ravages of addiction.