We went to see Sean, at the Tabor City Correctional Institute today. After the first visit, I was not sure I would go back, but Sean and I cleared a lot of things on in the several months of correspondence since that visit.
We arrived about 11:20 am and I went in to use the facilities. I asked at the desk about when I should be back to sign in to see him and noticed that he was down for the 9am visit, not the 12noon visit. Instantly, I told the officer that there was a mistake, that I had scheduled for noon. He said that having Sean down for the noon visit wouldn't be an issue.
We went back to the front office about fifteen minutes before the visit, to sign in, show our ID cards and get scanned with the Magic Wand of Contraband Protection. A few minutes later, we were taken to the visitation area. We had no sooner sat down than I heard "MOM!" I turned to see my son, with a huge smile, striding across the visitation area. He grabbed me in a nearly bone crushing hug and planted several huge kisses on my cheek. Then he shook hands with Don, and pulled him into a hug.
We sat and talked, and laughed, for the next hour and a half. I really need to see about getting some money to Sean, as his shoes are sewn together with dental floss. One of the first things he commented on was how much weight I had lost and how happy I looked with Don by my side.
We told him about the RV that we are getting and the vacation that we are going on next month. I told him that I would send him pictures while we were gone. He's only allowed to have 20 pictures, so I told him to go through them, pick out the ones that he really likes and send the rest back to us in the mail.
I told him about the venue that we found for the wedding (Tapestry House, thanks to Scott and Elizabeth) and he said that he can't wait to see the pictures of it.
The changes in Sean since September are pretty impressive ones. He is taking a computer course through the prison, learning xsel or however it's spelled, spreadsheets, and many other useful skills. He's also started writing again.
He told him that he had completely come to grips with why he's in prison, and what he did to be there. He blames no one but himself. He's in therapy once a week, and has joined the Men's Club, which is a prison organization that works to better the lives of the prisoners through outreach, understanding and sometimes, seriously trying to get some of the rules changed.
The changes that I am seeing are more than skin deep. They are not new masks for him to hold up, trying to appear normal and acceptable. He is honestly trying to come to understand his problems and change the fundamentals behind them. He does wish that more people would write to him, though.
We arrived about 11:20 am and I went in to use the facilities. I asked at the desk about when I should be back to sign in to see him and noticed that he was down for the 9am visit, not the 12noon visit. Instantly, I told the officer that there was a mistake, that I had scheduled for noon. He said that having Sean down for the noon visit wouldn't be an issue.
We went back to the front office about fifteen minutes before the visit, to sign in, show our ID cards and get scanned with the Magic Wand of Contraband Protection. A few minutes later, we were taken to the visitation area. We had no sooner sat down than I heard "MOM!" I turned to see my son, with a huge smile, striding across the visitation area. He grabbed me in a nearly bone crushing hug and planted several huge kisses on my cheek. Then he shook hands with Don, and pulled him into a hug.
We sat and talked, and laughed, for the next hour and a half. I really need to see about getting some money to Sean, as his shoes are sewn together with dental floss. One of the first things he commented on was how much weight I had lost and how happy I looked with Don by my side.
We told him about the RV that we are getting and the vacation that we are going on next month. I told him that I would send him pictures while we were gone. He's only allowed to have 20 pictures, so I told him to go through them, pick out the ones that he really likes and send the rest back to us in the mail.
I told him about the venue that we found for the wedding (Tapestry House, thanks to Scott and Elizabeth) and he said that he can't wait to see the pictures of it.
The changes in Sean since September are pretty impressive ones. He is taking a computer course through the prison, learning xsel or however it's spelled, spreadsheets, and many other useful skills. He's also started writing again.
He told him that he had completely come to grips with why he's in prison, and what he did to be there. He blames no one but himself. He's in therapy once a week, and has joined the Men's Club, which is a prison organization that works to better the lives of the prisoners through outreach, understanding and sometimes, seriously trying to get some of the rules changed.
The changes that I am seeing are more than skin deep. They are not new masks for him to hold up, trying to appear normal and acceptable. He is honestly trying to come to understand his problems and change the fundamentals behind them. He does wish that more people would write to him, though.
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