Family Visit (con't)

I made the last 2 check in calls without the alarm clock because I didn’t get much sleep. All I could think about was how wonderful my family is and how blessed I am. This morning my son climbed into bed with my wife and me. This was just like old times as my son used to make it a habit of coming into our room as soon as the sun came up and he would lay there with us. He is so lovable and I can’t help but to smile when I look at him. My daughter was feeling better this morning and she was happy when I told her she could watch television.

There wasn’t much time this morning as the family visit ended at 10:00 am. The other half of our dear friends was coming to pick up my wife and children at this time. The 68 hours had come to an end in a seemingly blink of an eye. These were the best days I have had in over one year and I am forever grateful to everyone who made it happen.

I wanted to make sure I had my fill of hugs and kisses before 10:00 am. Every chance I got, I hugged my daughter and son. As I write this some 6 hours later, I already miss them, but their presence is forever etched into my memory. I do have a regular visit with them tomorrow and Sunday and I will cherish those 2 days because that will be it until March of next year. Our time came to a close as our dear friend arrived. Just like that it was over and off went my family to our dear friend’s house. It was back to reality (which really isn’t so bad) and I look forward to a swift 7 months.

The check back in procedure was a little different from the check out procedure. I was so concerned with bringing certain items back such as my good running shoes, shaving cream, and shorts that I left them with my wife. As it turns out, I could have brought these items back because the CO on duty seemed uninterested in looking at my dirty laundry. As a requirement at the completion of the family visit, a strip search is administered. This was very mild as compared to others over the past year and I certainly was not trying to conceal anything. Another test at the completion of any family visit is a urine test for drugs and alcohol. I had no issue with adhering to this test but for some reason I could not “Go” on demand which is quite unusual for me and very difficult with a big burly CO looking down at me. After a few minutes, I was told to drink some water and come back later. I drank a lot of water and came back later but at this point there was some question with the vials and I would be called back at a later point. This is all part of my reality and part of the environment. Procedures and protocol must be adhered to and I will do what I am told to do.

As I walked back to my room, I glanced over my shoulder at the cottage which is very visible from the office and smiled. I will always look at it with a smile and a new found fondness. Also, as I made my way back a few inmates stopped to ask how the visit went. I replied, “WONDERFUL!” I thought about my daughter who didn’t want to leave and I certainly didn’t want them to either, but this marks another milestone down as I approach the end of the journey.

I returned to my room to discover my crew mates were still out at a fire. Apparently, they were on their way back to camp yesterday but got diverted to Santa Barbara. I wouldn’t mind joining them on Sunday after my last visit with my family because being away from camp certainly passes the time quickly and I am all for that!