Monday, October 15, 2018

"He that dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose." - Anne Bronte


It's 7:15 a.m. Monday morning. My head is chock full of powerful stuff but my body is too tired to do anything with it. I got home about 9:30 last night and was whooped. We meet at a McDonald's to car pool up to the prison (Bob always drives the one-hour trip, which I sure appreciate) and when we got back I decided I wanted to eat before making the 35 minute drive home. I was in bed 30 minutes after walking through the door. Uff-dah.

When I swung my feet out of bed this morning they landed on a Brittany. That was nice.
What wasn't so nice was taking him outside at 4:00 (he's very good at letting me know when he needs to go out). It was 33 degrees! We'll get up to 75 today and hit the low 60s by noon. Autumn.

.....
I took a nap about 8:30 and then went to work. The month's garbage has been taken to the dump and there's a new bale of hay in the barn. I've just finished my lunch and unless I have to take another nap I should be good through small group tonight.

Chip is easily 6'6" and 250 lbs. He has a bit of a baby face so I'm not sure how old he is but the fact he's already done 25 years at the Oregon State Penitentiary says he has to be in his early 40's at least.
I've talked with Chip enough to establish a casual friendship and last night we talked at length about his parole hearing Wednesday. It will be the third and final hearing in this application process (he's been "flopped" at earlier applications) and he'll know at the end of this hearing if he's going to be released in December or spend another 2-10 years at OSP. He'll sit in a room in front of four or five people who will review his record while at OSP and the results of the first two interviews held earlier this year and then tell him their decision.
In 25 years he's had two demerits, the last in 1997 for having cigarette butts on his shelf instead of in the trash. He's had a variety of jobs the entire time, never been fired, and has earned two college degrees.
I don't know what Chip did to get prison time and it's considered inappropriate to ask. What I know is that watching him lead the worship in the chapel service leaves me impressed with his spiritual maturity. Aside from Bob and I the only people in the room are fellow inmates so there's no reason for him to fake it for the sake of making an impression. The guy exudes genuine spiritual sensitivity.
I told him I'll be praying for him Wednesday. He said these decisions can be completely arbitrary, especially if one of the board members has a cynical attitude about all felons.

The first time I went up to speak at OSP I was nervous and had no idea what to expect. Getting to know guys like Chip causes me to look forward to the next opportunity.

Our small group gathering for tonight just got cancelled but that works out well for us. Pam's first flight (Eugene to Denver) leaves at 5:20 tomorrow morning and she could use the extra time for more relaxed preparation. Brett's sermon yesterday was particularly discussion-worthy but we may come back to it next Monday night. (One of the advantages of being the discussion leader - I get to make those decisions.)

Buddy and I got harassed today by five dogs, up one canine from last week's pack. I came home and ordered that sling shot to add to the spray I ordered last week.

I worked on the trailer today. All I have left is installing the lights, the fenders that I just repainted, and the latches. This is made from exterior grade plywood and painted with exterior paint but I may still make a shelter for it to protect it from the weather. It's only 4'x6' (not including the tongue) so making something shouldn't be tricky or expensive. A few 2x4's and a Harbor Freight tarp should do the trick.

I learned today that a friend and colleague who is my age has dementia. They don't know the cause but he's "absent" from his surroundings. He's a good guy, liked and respected by everyone, and has served God faithfully. That makes me sad.

No comments: