Yet, I can’t help thinking it was a whole lot worse than she let on. She said, “It really wasn’t that bad.” That may be true compared to what it took to put her life in order since she was released. When asked about her time in prison, her response was surprising. What you’ll learn – what you likely already know – is that it can be a frightening and uncomfortable experience. If you’re curious to know what that’s like, consider watching a few of episodes of “Orange is the New Black” on any of the major streaming channels. One of the dinner guests served three years in a women’s penitentiary. Most importantly, they have plans for happiness. In their own unique ways, through slow and often painful perseverance, they have figured out how to live in a world that can be callously unfair. Yet, they laugh they joke they smile they know that whatever the world has to throw at them, they can take it. Most doors are closed before they have a chance to knock. What they all have in common, what I admire most in each of them, is that they have figured out a way to make it in a world that wishes they would disappear. And if that wasn’t enough, two of the three are recovering drug addicts. All had done time, from months to years in jail or prison (there is a difference), and each had been connected to a serious crime as either instigator or accomplice. The other night, three of our nation’s 19 million felons were dinner guests at my kitchen table. If you are felon, the roadblocks to happiness are many. They are told that as free persons they can once again pursue the American Dream. They have been punished, fined, and imprisoned, but, most importantly, they have paid their debt to society. Most have been incarcerated, but now they walk among us. They have been punished for crimes ranging from victimless white collar to serious violence against humans. Consider the 19 million felons – American citizens – living our country. When our flames are not fully ablaze, we still endeavor to illuminate our aspirations for happiness.įor many, achieving those aspirations is a long and difficult climb. It is in our nature to ensure that our personal flames radiate the best in each of us. People have the will to overcome and survive. Nations may be intractable, people are not. ![]() Nonetheless, we persevere, seeking and finding hope in each other’s stories. ![]() It seems so simple to be good, and kind, and empathic, but often it is the simplest of things that require a herculean effort. We send prayers, money and love, and hope that the people in control, those whom we have elected or chosen, can find their better angels and encourage others to do the same. It is how we live: on the edge, worried, nervous, baking cookies and breathing air that somehow, in these horrible and uncertain times, sustains us.Īs Americans, we are thousands of miles away from the worst of everything, although the constant barrage of news from media, old and new, brings every battle, crisis, threat, virus, crash, and explosion to within inches of our reality. The war that is newsworthy today will surely and quickly be replaced by another that is looming on the horizon. No matter how it’s delivered or where we look, there is scarcely a break from death and destruction in our world. These are the days we live in, when fear and worry is as certain as the autumn maple leaves that cover my yard, red and ominous, with winter on its way. The incomprehensible is real, and the light at end of the tunnel is nothing more than the faint glimmer of a lone candle flickering in the heart of the storm. ![]() When the memory of the things that bring joy to our lives is overwhelmed by an onslaught of sadness. ![]() There are times when it’s hard to know where to begin or where to end.
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