Hoping everything gets better and better! I hope your friend finds the strength to stay sober, he has acknowledged his problem, big start! Good luck with the car, financial problems are always so stressful. Lots of hugs xx
so sorry for the rough time you are going through ... but here's a virtual ((((hug))) and lots of positive energy is being sent your way from all of us here!
Good for you about the downer letters. Just tell yourself this, if you ever start ruminating over the past, or those letters: those (now gone) negative things he wrote said more about him than about you. And 42 is not so old to be going through this stuff. Mourning for the parent/s you didn't have will and does take time. And that is OKAY. There's no timetable. Give yourself a big hug, because you deserve it. Really. You do.
It is NEVER too late to get rid of hurting moments/relationships of your life, always great to take a step ahead onto healing one's heart... Huge huge hugggzzz