MEA plans for families here in our affluent, cake-eating corner of the state cover a wide range of activities. Some families do absolutely nothing. Some go to DisneyWorld. My family? This year we're going to Michigan to visit my brother-in-law, who currently resides in a federal prison.
I don't know if anyone ever reads this blog. I can't blame anyone for NOT reading it, as I'm just coming off nearly a two year hiatus from posting anything on it. If you're one of the people in my life who didn't previously know I have an incarcerated brother-in-law, I apologize for this uncouth method of breaking the news. But, unless you've walked this mile in my shoes, I trust you will not judge how I decide to (or not to) share such details of my life.
I'm not real sure why I'm deciding to blog about this at this point, other than the fact that it's always a good/bad/fun/painful/completely surreal experience; and I guess this year I just need an outlet. Uncle M has been residing in Michigan since 2010. His journey to leave home and self-report actually started on Palm Sunday of that year. I won't go into the Biblical significance (or lack thereof... still figuring that one out) of the timing of the departure.
Today our family of four visited Uncle M for, I believe, the fourth time. The past two years we've come over the Thanksgiving holiday (Chris and I actually celebrated 15 years of marriage last year on Thanksgiving day. That will have to be a post unto itself!). There's a WHOLE lotta back story to be told here, and I'm not going there this evening (though you should stay tuned if you really want to know the nitty gritty details).
For this evening, I'll just say this: I just spent about two and a half hours in the visiting room of a federal prison. Getting through security is also something that's going to need to be an entire post to itself, but just know it's generally a shitty process. My kids have been relatively difficult to deal with all day (not that I blame them) and I'm sitting at a small pool in the Dundee, MI Holiday Inn while my kids scrub some energy in the pool. I'm spent. Check back later for more details in this sordid tale. Or don't. Despite the fact that I'm posting this on the WWW, this exercise is for me and me alone. Whether or not anyone else reads it is completely irrelevant.
That sounds snotty. I don't mean it too. I'm just tired. Hasta luego, blogger land.
I'm not real sure why I'm deciding to blog about this at this point, other than the fact that it's always a good/bad/fun/painful/completely surreal experience; and I guess this year I just need an outlet. Uncle M has been residing in Michigan since 2010. His journey to leave home and self-report actually started on Palm Sunday of that year. I won't go into the Biblical significance (or lack thereof... still figuring that one out) of the timing of the departure.
Today our family of four visited Uncle M for, I believe, the fourth time. The past two years we've come over the Thanksgiving holiday (Chris and I actually celebrated 15 years of marriage last year on Thanksgiving day. That will have to be a post unto itself!). There's a WHOLE lotta back story to be told here, and I'm not going there this evening (though you should stay tuned if you really want to know the nitty gritty details).
For this evening, I'll just say this: I just spent about two and a half hours in the visiting room of a federal prison. Getting through security is also something that's going to need to be an entire post to itself, but just know it's generally a shitty process. My kids have been relatively difficult to deal with all day (not that I blame them) and I'm sitting at a small pool in the Dundee, MI Holiday Inn while my kids scrub some energy in the pool. I'm spent. Check back later for more details in this sordid tale. Or don't. Despite the fact that I'm posting this on the WWW, this exercise is for me and me alone. Whether or not anyone else reads it is completely irrelevant.
That sounds snotty. I don't mean it too. I'm just tired. Hasta luego, blogger land.
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