This is a rather long post, but I wanted to share the story that’s behind the pictures that follow.
This Fall was a very busy season for me and I enjoyed every minute of it… well almost. ;) One of the many nights I spent working on my computer I received a friend request on facebook and it wasn’t a name I immediately recognized. I thought it looked familiar, but didn’t think much more about it and hit “delete” and went back to work. Awhile later while I was uploading some images to facebook I went to accept this friend request and at about the same time I was notified that I had received a message from this person. Maybe a new client inquiry? So I went to check it out…
I immediately realized who this was after reading four words… “it’s me Rebecca”.
Now, let me back up. It will be 4 years ago in January that I spent my first weekend in Jail. I was sent to the Shelby County Jail outside of Birmingham, AL. No, I wasn’t an inmate, I wasn’t arrested and actually volunteered to go in.
I’m not the most outgoing person you’ll meet and was a little overwhelmed to see so many women all in one small area. About 56 of them shared the “block” or common area where there were tables to eat at and the video camera in the corner that was used for visitations. Bill Glass brings all types of amazing speakers in to talk with the residents of these jail and prison systems and in between speakers is when the teammates have a chance to get to know those around them. That day I met Rebecca and Rachel. Meeting Rebecca changed my life.
She was a very sweet girl, about my age and she’d been in jail for 11 months. She had two little girls at home that were 3 and she was looking at a 20 year to life sentence. We shared common ground on how we were brought up going to church and some of the experiences we shared as little girls. Yet she lived here behind bars and I was living a normal life going to school and working on the other side. It was so hard for me to sit there and listen to her talk about her girls she only got to visit with once a week over a t.v. screen and how she so desperately wanted to go to college and hold a job so she could support her girls. I kept having to remind myself she was sitting here in jail with pending felony charges and was waiting to be transferred do her time in prison.
“If I hadn’t been locked up, I’d be dead.” She openly admitted to me as she began to tell her story about how she got to where she was today. How when she was 11 she had older cousins and friends who were on drugs and thought nothing of it to share a little “fun” with her. How after awhile her life just started to spiral downhill and it kept going faster and faster. Drugs at 11, cigarettes at 13 and the list goes on. She’s been on every drug out there, the stories she can share could be made into the next big screen movie. She was married for 4 months, and then divorced with infant twins. She gave up drugs while she was pregnant but went right back to them after her divorce. 3 years later she married again, and after less than 3 months, he was killed while robbing his friends home desperate for drug money. That night she was arrested being an accessory to the crime, and that was her ticket to jail. That’s it. Her husband was just murdered, and she had 3 year old little girls at home, and they hauled her to jail.
Jail where she was forced to sober up and at one point when facing murder charges she hit her breaking point and sincerely turned her life back over to God. When I met her she’d only served a short time compared to what she would potentially face in the end, but had already changed and made the decision that she was going to make something of this second chance she’d been given at life.
Little did I know this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. After that day we’d stayed in touch through letters- yes hand written letters that you drop in the mail. We exchanged about a letter a week for a year until I graduated and left to volunteer for 4 months in Manila. Even while I was gone we were still able to keep in contact thanks to my wonderful boyfriend, (now husband). (I’d write emails and he’d print and send them to her and then scan and email me her response.) It wasn’t until I started planning a wedding while working way too many hours a week that the letters became less frequent. She had also been transferred to prison and then a work release program and so she had more opportunities to fill her time with other activities as well. You could say we kind of went our own ways. Although I hadn’t heard from her in months she was still someone that I thought about quite often and always wondered how she was.
Then November 30, 2009 everything changed again.
Her message was simple, short and sweet. “hey girl it is me rebecca. i sent you a letter a couple of weeks ago. i wasn’t sure if you still had the same address anymore. I’d love to talk to you.”
I couldn’t believe it. I immediately replied (still shocked she was on facebook and she found ME). Last I knew she was still in a prison/work release program, I didn’t know she had access to facebook! Minutes after sending my message my phone rang. I was so completely overwhelmed with excitement, joy, and relieved that she found me, I answered the phone holding back the tears… The last time I heard her voice was the day I met her in jail and now she was a free and she was HOME. I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer and as we had our first conversation in almost 4 years tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift for Christmas.
This was the first Christmas the girls got to spend with their mom in 5 years. This year she got to not only give them gifts on Christmas morning but she was there to see their expressions, excitement and joy as well!
Now for the best part. :-D
Very early in the morning of December 13th I got in my car and headed towards Irondale, Alabama. I was on my way to see Rebecca again for the first time and to meet her family that I’d heard about for so many years. :) We spent the day catching up, meeting her friends and family and then although it was extremely foggy, we hit the street and took some pictures. I have to admit I’m in LOVE with shooting in the fog and look forward to the next foggy day I find myself outside with my camera in hand.
Enjoy this beautiful family. Remember some of life’s richest blessings come from the most unexpected places.
Have a blessed Christmas and New Year!
We had so much FUN playing with the umbrellas… I just LOVE these pictures! :)
I like this one too.
Did I mention that we had fun with the umbrellas?
by Tessa
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