Up early today, June 26, 2025, dressed and ready by 7:10am.
I check the computer, no messages. Once again the system taking forever to transfer messages in and out.
Out of the unit at the 7:30am work call, walking around the lake and over to the Education department.
Today is a big day for the Re-Entry department, as we have a volunteer coming in to begin our Narcotics/Alcoholics Anonymous courses/groups.
I get to Nicolas’ office and go over the list of participants, then we head over to the classroom to make sure everything is perfect.
We need more chairs; we borrow some from the vocational training classroom to fill ours.
Nicolas heads out to deliver some documents over to several case managers, so I stay behind to help in the Education office.
At the 10am move, we are all sent to the rec yard. Our whole unit is there because they closed our unit to repair the four a/c units that have been out of commission for several months. Hopefully they finish the work today. The rain begins to come down extremely hard as we are still in the rec yard, thankfully we are under shelter. “I hope they don’t call us to chow during the rainfall”, I ask myself, hoping God will answer my prayer, as I see others walking around the lake as their units were called to chow.
As soon as the rain dies down, the officer comes walking to the gate to let us out for chow. Thank you God once again; we begin quickly pacing over the dining room in case it starts to rain again.
The chicken today was nicely cooked, with a side of mash potatoes and gravy on top, carrots, and a slice of bread that I usually use as a napkin to clean the grease off my fingers. I am sitting with Miles, Bear and Steve, and we notice that no one is being let out of the dining room. “We cannot miss this 12:30 callout for our 1pm class”, I say out loud, and get up with my folder looking for an officer to speak with. I notice LT Gonzalez, and step over to him. Once he is done talking to someone else, I greet him, and let him know there are several guys in the dining room who are on a callout for Mr. Nicolas’ class, to which he responded, “Okay, gather the guys at around 12:20 so I could call a move for you guys”. I thanked him and stepped away. At 12:20 he waved at me to get everyone, which I did, and as soon as we all began walking to the door they called a move for everyone, so we all started leaving the dining room.
Once outside, the officers were asking everyone to head to the rec yard; LT Gonzalez asked me to have the guys from the callout step to one side, he confirmed everyone and sent us over to the Education department where our classroom is.
We met with Nicolas, and he let us into the classroom. I grabbed some sheets of paper for notes, pens, whiteboard markers and an eraser just in case. Nicolas went to meet with the volunteer and escort her to the classroom, while I stayed behind taking attendance.
The volunteer arrived, her name is Mary, she seems so alive, her attitude seems so awesome. She introduced herself, and spoke, then we each introduced ourselves by names. I can’t wait for next week to see what more information she has to offer our group. We thanked her; some left in tears, happy to have met someone like Mary who has volunteered her time to help guide them through their addictions and negative thoughts to their actions.
As Nicolas escorts her out, we all leave the classroom; some leave Education and others, like myself stay behind. As soon as Nicolas returned, I sat with him to put a final list together of those who were present for the first class.
At 3pm we all were sent back to our units for count. As soon as we walk into the unit, we feel the drop in temperature and it looks like a bunch of kids on Christmas morning running to their rooms to feel the cold air and checking on their buddies to see if their room is as cold as theirs.
In my room, I wait for count with my roommate, I sit on my bed to read my daily devotionals.
“Jesus replied, let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
[Mark 1:38]
We need to see how God is helping us live with His purpose. We need to know how to ask God to lead us. Ask God, “Please show me what You want me to do”. It may not be right away, but if you pay close attention, He will guide you to it, you will notice what path He wants you to take. God has a purpose for us. “We can approach Him in prayer, be led by His wisdom found in the Scriptures, and seek counsel from people who uphold His ways. Let’s spend our life doing what God wants us to do.” – Karen Huang.
Count cleared, I call dad, then head over to Willy’s room and help him with a few things. I spilled some water on the floor, so I get the mop to clean it up, but the mop is filthy, so I head to the restroom to clean it before using it. Once I mop up my mess, I decide to clean over near my room where the chemicals for the Glasshouse cleaning is located. Two 25 gallon jugs that sit on a yellow tray. The yellow tray is filthy, I remove the jugs, and take the tray to clean it, then clean the floor where the jugs go, wait for it to dry then place everything back in its place. They call chow, but I decide to stay in and prepare a soup sandwich for myself and one for Willy. He has his with tuna, and I have mine with mackerel fish.
I go throw the wrappers and napkins away, and notice the trash cans are almost full. The orderly in the Glasshouse says they took the box of trash bags away from him today during inspection, because they did not know he was allowed to have them, and instead of him looking for bags, he went to recreation. I went over to the orderlies in the other side of the unit and asked them if I could borrow four trash bags, which they later brought over to me, and I was able to take out the full trash bags, and put in the new bags.
Time to call mom, and then shower.
I head to my favorite shower upstairs, and inside, on the floor I find two empty bottles, three almost depleted bars of soap, and a dirty napkin. This is unbelievable and there is no way I could leave it like this. I step into the storage shower next to me and grab the small broom and dust pan, pick up and throw away the trash. I look into the dust pan, and it is disgusting. I take it and rinse it out, clean it up real good, and return it to the storage shower, yes storage shower, because we don’t have a supply closet in the Glasshouse, a shower is being used as a storage room. Time to shower.
I put my things away and grab my radio, head to my chair, the evening is over, tomorrow thankfully, I do not work.
Thank you God for this day, and for everything you show me. Thank you for the good things and people you put in my life, thank you for constantly guiding me, and putting me where you need me. Thank you Dear Lord for my family, their love and support. Please Father don’t ever leave my side, continue to protecting me and watching over me. Amen.
Eduardo Luis Valdes
02499-506
June 26, 2025
21:16
