Like a letter in the mail from a brother in Jail...

I've spent a lot of time today thinking about family. Sometimes there are those that we go through so much of life with, that they might as well be your blood, if not closer than your own blood relatives. I have one of those, his name is Joel Thomas, and Joel and I met in Catholic gradeschool in Shreveport, Louisiana back in the 1st grade. I have no closer friend and "brother" than Joel. Joel and I seemed to always be traveling through the same paths in life. I joined the military, then he did about the same time. We had our first serious relationships at about the same time. We spent countless hours as children playing together, studying, playing football, discussing the mysteries of girls...and I'm still mystified there. There was just about nothing that we wouldn't do for each other. We both wound up in Law Enforcement...and we both went through a pretty bad divorce at about the same time. Back in 99, Joel had an alcohol related accident in which a 10 year old girl was killed. Joel had fallen asleep at the wheel after a few drinks, and this tradgedy resulted. It was just horrible! A horrid time followed, for the family of that little girl, and for Joel. He went from Police Officer to Police prisoner. Off he went to jail with the maximim sentence. Joel was pretty suicidal for a while, but after a spell, he grew to deal with the lodd of his freedom as well as one can. For the past five years he has been a model prisoner and is more penitent than anyone I have ever seen. Soon he will be getting out, in a few months, and I will be so excited to be able to spend time with him again! You just can't imagine how we close we have been throughout our whole lives, and I have missed him so much. There are a tiny few people in life that you can count on to have your back no matter what, who will always love you, always believe in you, always give you their last cent whne you need it. Joel has been that person in my life, and although he made a tragic mistake, he has so much goodness in him to benefit this world. He has suffered greatly, he's missed seeing his son grow up, and he has been humbled by hard labor and the loss of his individuality and freedom for years. Society can count on him being a truly transformed person when he emerges from captivity. Not having Joel around these past 6 years has really left a hole in my life and I have really missed having him around. God-willing, he will be able to make a new start soon, a new beginning for both of us.