Happy Father's Day, 2007

My poor friend was up all night coughing. Apparently, he caught what I had earlier in the week. Strangely the tickle in my throat and the slight loss of my voice didn’t manifest itself into a full-blown cold. Since my friend was up all night, subsequently, I was up with him as I am still a very light sleeper. It didn’t bother me because I have become accustomed to interrupted sleep. I stayed in bed today until 6:00 am and did not work out today. I went through my personal hygiene routine, watched some television news before breakfast.

I arrived back in my room to see my friend still in bed which is very unusual for him. He was fast asleep and although I didn’t want to wake him, I had no choice because we must either wave off for breakfast or attend in the dining hall. The time to wave off had passed so I had no choice but to wake him. He woke up but was very groggy. He did make it to breakfast on time.

After breakfast I was sitting and watching for my visitors. Sure enough they pulled into the parking lot at 8:30 am. I arrived at the visiting area to see 4 dear friends waiting to see me. Three of these friends were here 2 weeks ago and the other friend has actually visited me in Jamestown back in February. They were here to take part in the GA Meeting. They came with snacks and GA materials and a pamphlet for working the steps in the Program. This is a great worksheet and once again my friends are so thoughtful. They also brought 3 visiting forms for 3 other GA members who would like to visit me. I only recognized one of the names but they are all members so they are friends to me.

Seeing my friends on Father’s Day was extra special. Here I am in prison and 4 of my dear friends took the time out of their busy day to visit me! The meeting was excellent and one of the great things about it is we stay true to the principles of the Program. One of the keys in GA is people helping people overcome a gambling problem. My friends continue to help me overcome my gambling addiction but they do mean much more to me. They constantly teach me what a friend is and today was wonderful!

It was time to go and we embraced warmly as we said our good-byes. I had some materials to bring back into camp and just like last week, I showed these to the CO on duty. He told me I could carry these back in which was different from last week as he took the items I had so I could pick them up later. I didn’t think much of it as I headed back to the office to check back into camp. I walked into the office and was greeted by the Sergeant. I showed him what I was bringing back which was a pamphlet, copies of the reflections for the day, and a letter from my friend. The Sergeant seemed none too pleased to see that I had these items. He proceeded to somewhat interrogate me and told me if I were to bring anything back to camp again, I would get written up. I maintained my composure and only said, “Yes, sir. No, sir. I didn’t know, sir.” He confiscated the letter and the copies of the reflections but let me keep the Steps Pamphlet. I walked out of the office somewhat perplexed but nothing was going to spoil my day even a bad mannered sergeant. Here I was stuck in the middle of these inconsistencies. The CO at the visiting area said I could take the items back but the Sergeant said he would write me up! I would call this a Catch-22 situation; damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I will follow the rules but it does get challenging when they change so often.

Enough of the negative! I would like to wish my Dad a very “Happy Father’s Day.” My Dad had some very big issues when I first started this journey over 2 years ago. Now (again) thanks to my recovery, my relationship has gotten much better. I still have a long way to go, but I am on the right track. Dad, I hope you had a wonderful Father’s Day!