Doing Time When do we slow down enough to take a deep breath, sit back, close our eyes, and envision all that is great in our lives? I visited a friend who was convicted of stealing. He pleaded guilty, received his sentence, made arrangements for his family, and reported at the appointed hour to serve his time. My visit was almost half way into his sentence, and the third time I had seen him. This time was different. When he came into the visitor’s center, he had a huge smile on his face and hugged me so tight he almost took my breath away. We sat and began talking about anything and everything. He expounded on his change in life. It took him almost 12 months to realize and accept his stupidity for what he did. Another month to agree he was deserving of his punishment and knew he was truly sorry for what he did. It was another two weeks to begin to be happy for all the greatness he has in his life. The biggest secret to his transition was that he had time to close his eyes to see in his mind all the blessings he has even after losing everything. He was hopeful that his family will forgive him for the torture he was putting them through, but his happiness and future does not depend on them. It only depends on him. That day changed many things in my life after listening to a man who had everything and, through his own greed, lost it all, yet he found a way to forgive himself and discovered it is all about him. The rest is just icing on the cake. Today, he is doing well as a successful Social Worker, a degree he achieved while in prison. His family, after a while, learned to forgive him and are now back together. Now, his life is better than ever and has never been happier without having everything. All it takes is a minute of time, closing our eyes, and seeing the greatness in our lives.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 11:03:21 +0000
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