Calling Dad

Honour thy father and mother;
which is the first commandment
with promise.
Ephesians 6:2

I decided to spend nearly the entire day in my cell...

Normally I'd be going in and out of my cell all day long to do different things, including going to the recreation yard on Saturday mornings to walk with friends. Today, however, I wanted to catch up on my journal entries.

But I did leave my cell for about an hour this afternoon to wash a pair of pants in the utility sink. I also wanted to get to a telephone to wish my dad a happy Father's day. Although the holiday is not until tomorrow, there are only two telephones in the cell block which have to be shared amongst 68 men. So there's never a guarantee that I could get to a phone on Sunday. Sometimes the waiting line is too long. Or, even if I managed to call him tomorrow, there's no assurance he'd be home. Therefore, in the uncertainty of the prison environment, one learns to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself.

Thus I took the opportunity to call my dad. I was able to wish him a happy Father's day, and we affirmed our love for each other, too. Otherwise I got a lot of writing done, and I feel good about this.

D.B.