During the last seven days I have learned a LOT of lessons. The top three are as follows:

I learned that it’s okay to cry. REALLY okay to cry. Thank you to Sandra, Cindy, Sherrill, and Allison who let me do just that and were there for me at my worst and still told me that it is all going to be alright. And thank you all for regularly checking on me to make sure I was okay.

I have learned that the waiting area at the county jail is a judgement-free zone. Please know that I’ve been there a handful of times before, prior to the current situation, escorting female prisoners from the day job when no female officer was available, but let me tell you; it’s an entirely different thing when you aren’t there WITH the officer. Since my son’s unfortunate incarceration last week, I have been twice. During my first three minutes in that waiting area on Saturday I thought to myself, “Oh, hell, no! I don’t belong here with all these people!” That’s when that little voice in my head spoke up and said, “Oh, now, slow your roll, Sister-Girl! You are no better, no worse than anyone else in here, so you’d best check that PollyAnna attitude at the door.” Of course that little inner voice was correct. We were all there to see a loved one in lock up. Hell, some of us where there to see more than one! The first time I was miserable. Today (Christmas) it wasn’t as bad. The jail personnel were actually super nice today, and we all were there on our Christmas afternoons, and while nobody talked about who did which crime, we did make small talk and that took the edge off. Thank you, inner voice and other family members.

I learned that when the chips are down that I have friends coming out of the woodwork. Thank you, Harris, all the way in Wilmington, for sending me a bottle of “Lost Soul” red wine, just because. Thank you, Larry, for sending me words of encouragement and telling me what I could do to try and expedite things for my kid. I’ve known you since we were kids and you have come through for me in a big way, and you’ll never know just how much your support means to me! Thank you. Brad and Machelle for lighting those candles for me and just being there to try and cheer me up. Thank you. Patricia, for letting me stand you up, yet again (because I just felt so bad that I didn’t want to leave the house) and not being hurt, but instead encouragimg me to take care of myself. Thank you, Cat & Eric, for your advice from the LEO standpoint. Thank you, Brenda, for the ridiculously kind words you left on my Facebook post about my being the Grinch this year. Thank you Elaine, for words of encouragement, offering me your blanket, and assuring me that everything is going to be good. You ALL rock and I love you!

These are the kinds of gifts that one can’t find wrapped up under the tree, and the ones that I can keep forever.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night…