Saturday, March 21, 2009
Fifty-Nine Days Until My Release From Federal Prison
The wonderful aspect of coming to the end of my prison term, or one of the wonderful aspects, is that I reach a milestone every ten days. Now I’m counting down to the fifties. When I began, I thought I’d never get here. From this perspective, on the other hand, it seems as if it was only a blink anyway that I self-surrendered.
Besides my having moved into the fifties, today is a milestone because it’s my brother’s birthday. I’ve always looked up to Todd, and I have missed the time we used to spend together. For the past several years before my confinement, we would meet for breakfast every Saturday morning. That was our time to bond, and I look forward to resuming that ritual upon my release.
On the other hand, Todd’s responsibilities may limit his ability to reserve a weekly breakfast meeting for me. During the time I’ve served, Todd and my sister-in-law Sunny brought my niece, Clover into the world. I’m prepared to meet his schedule and to do all I can to be as supportive of Todd as he has been of me.
Like so many others, my brother has served this time alongside me. I mean that. This prison term, I recognize, may have been imposed upon me. Everyone who loves me, however, has really helped me carry the burden. Somehow, I’m going to have to show them all how much I appreciate the emotional, financial and even logistical support they have so generously given. Because of their love and understanding, I’ve made it through this storm that my own decisions brought upon me. I’m grateful.
I tried to call Todd several times today, but we never connected. He knows my telephone limitations. Prison rules restrict me to fewer than ten minutes of daily phone time on average. Since Todd knows that I’m always falling behind, I assume he didn’t accept my call today as a courtesy so that I would have more time available to talk with our mom. I love him, and I am grateful that we’ll have many more birthdays to celebrate together.
My brother is a great role model for me, a man who succeeds as a husband, a father, a businessman and a son. As I have, Todd’s built an Internet presence during the time I’ve been away. I look forward to seeing his Facebook page and reconnecting. I won’t see him until the morning of my release. But that’s only 59 days away, and I am so looking forward to our reunion. I’ll be able to tell him in person, “Love ya, Bro, and a belated happy birthday.”
