Saturday, April 11, 2009
Thirty-Eight Days Until My Release From Taft Federal Prison Camp
News comes a little late to those of us in prison. I called my close friend Brad and learned that his wife Elana had given birth to their first child. Their baby, Dylan, is strong and healthy. Elana is doing well also. I felt happy for my friends but felt a little sad that I couldn't be there on this momentous occasion to celebrate with them both.
Brad and Elana feel as close as family to me. They have been incredibly supportive of me throughout this journey. As a consequence of the loving support I've received from so many, my prison term has not been nearly as arduous as I expected. Now it's almost entirely behind me. In just less than six more weeks, I will be in a halfway house, which I expect will offer considerably more freedom. One of the lessons I really embraced through my prison experience was the fact that time moves on. Besides Brad and Elana, my brother Todd and his wife Sunny brought my niece, Clover, into the world. I lost my dog Honey.
When I walked inside these boundaries on April 28, 2008, I didn't realize that so much would change. I've been speaking with a friend who is counseling me on some spiritual matters. He told me that when God closes one door, he opens another. That has been my experience through prison.
I advise those who are about to begin a prison journey to open their minds to the possibilities that await them. There is no disputing that at times the days will feel like a struggle. Yet the more positive an individual can keep his attitude, the more light he will find. I'm sure of it. I may not have understood that concept in the beginning but in retrospect, I can affirm that much good has come from my experience.
