This week has
been a good week so far, but also an emotion week for me.
For any of you that
has already
read my book titled LIVING IN PRISON WITH MARTHA STEWART,
you know that my
grandson Ricky was in the car with me when I
self-surrendered to Alderson Prison
Camp 10 years ago. He
will be 14 on July 10. He used to live
with me before I came
here, and was my first grandson. Today he is my part time media assistant, and
I am hoping that eventually he becomes my career
manager. He is extremely smart,
and makes the honor roll every report card. When he is going through life's trials,
I do also. He was sad
about something minor at school, and it sent my entire
world topsy-turvy. I
walked it off, and worked it out in the gym, but still I cried for
him before I went to sleep and could not find peace that
night. Its a lot of mothers
in prison and grandmothers.
As I said repeatedly, this is NOT a game, and it is not
funny. My grandkids
quality of life is affected by me being in here, because I am their
support system. Guess
what Ricky wants to be? One guess? A criminal attorney!
When your children or family members are traumatized by any
events that happen to
you, they sometimes develop a passion for whatever you were
lacking. Doctors sometimes
had relatives that were seriously ill; police officers
suffered family crimes often; Families
of cancer patients develop movements to fight cancer, and
the list goes on. I do not
want my grandson to be an attorney. I do not like attorneys, and I have never met
one
that was a person of his word for the long term. It is almost impossible for an attorney
to be wealthy and 100% truthful to all clients- it just
doesn't go together.
It has been a
good week because I am truly blessed in this storm. When one door
shuts, another quickly opens, therefore I am always
receiving blessings. This time
is hard, but not impossible, thanks to God carrying me on
many occasions when the
load was too heavy. The
blessings raining down daily lets me know that I am still in
His favor.
It has been a
good week for meals also. In federal
prison we do eat well most days.
The day I began this writing, I had chicken parmesan, with
spaghetti, garlic bread, and
home made lemon tarts.
I could never afford to eat this well at home, three times
a day. At most, I
would have had a turkey bologna sandwich, with all of my fixings on
a week night. I do
not like to cook, and I hate microwaves, so at home I take the
easy way out often. I
would rather be at home, working and paying bills, and eating
a bowl of cereal for dinner, instead of being fed daily in
preparation of my
psychological slaughter.
It is a method to prison. It is
meant to break your spirits,
and many fold.
A group of us
had an observation. After four years, it
is standard for the majority
of your family and friends to abandon you. Sadly, we used to look at someone coming
in and predict the decrease in their visits, letters,
emails, and money. It was almost
like clockwork. Why
do some families do that? One of my
blessings is my two daughters
and grandkids. They love me unconditionally, and that is
very rare. Then God keeps
sending me angels.
Eva Tan, a visitor from the PVS program is one of those angels
that comes to see me for the last two years once a month,
keeping me spiritually
grounded, and in touch with the outside world. Leticia is another angel who comes
to visit me and keeps me on top on my game, and well
connected to the outside world.
Where did these angels come from? There are many more. I have a new angel named
Rachel also, who has stepped up as a friend. These are a few of the blessings that
I never saw coming, and what makes this time mild most of
the time. Prison was
designed to break your spirits, and punish you, but when you
are surrounded by angels,
its impossible. I get
stronger, inside the walls of prison.
That's amazing. I know.
I want to go home, and I am ready today, and will remain
ready. In the meantime,
I will keep you entertained!
President Obama
and Eric Holder put out an initiative for Clemency this week. I
may be eligible to get my sentence commuted to
time-served. The thing is with fighting
your sentence is you must apply for everything you think you
are eligible for, and every
case is different. I
have won 2 direct appeals on my own, and received a hearing from
all nine justices last year in the Supreme Court of the
United States. Do you know how
it felt to get mail/direction from Chief Justice
Roberts?! I was speechless, and carried
the letter in my hand for a few days. I am inching forward, toward home.
That is really
all that matters.
Rhonda Turpin
April 30, 2014
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