The Last Card?

April 16, 2011 I'm hoping this is the last birthday card I receive from SCI Somerset, and "gift" of a label with Brandon's number on it. I ask him to save the labels from products he buys, t-shirts that say "big house" on them and the like, I guess with the intent of making my own unique jewelry or something. I don't know why, but it seems like something I want to do. I did post to my art blog in regard to an inmate art show I'm judging at a prison in Dallas, PA. I did this years ago through the same contact, and it is strange to see how things have worked out. I wasn't familiar with prisons or jails at all then, and now it's like another home we go to. Entry: http://obazart.blogspot.com . Within the next 6 weeks we will know if Bran made parole. How the time has gone by!

The Gang

All three kids together after three years...photo taken last November.

Parole

April 9, 2011 My son's parole hearing happened Friday, March the 4th. It doesn't seem possible, and this may not be the end of things, but in six to twelve weeks we will have a definitive answer one way or another. I had to stop letting this answer define my life. My son outlined how terribly difficult the parole interview process was, as it is most probably designed to push buttons, test maturity, get at the truth of the inmate personality. He felt, in his own words, like a turtle on its back, left in the middle of a highway, after it was over. Completely hoped for, totally unexpected. So we have no real idea, except that there is concrete criteria the board uses to reach their decision. It is not arbitrary. Brandon has much in his favor...critical institutional support, a solid home plan and family support, a job to return to if he wants it and most importantly, real lessons learned inside. He is not a hardened criminal. He logically evaluates his situation, accepts the possibilities whether in his favor or not, and seems ready to leave for the very fact that he could accept staying. Acceptance, not resignation, seems to be the key.