6:20am and my wrist-watch alarm is sounding, time to get up.
I sit up in my bunk to fold my sheet and blanket, then place it nicely over my pillow at the foot-side of the bed. I drink my morning “aspirin 81”, hang my towel on my shoulder, grab my toothbrush with toothpaste and head to the restroom.
I feel refreshed and awake now, as I stand in my room and begin to put on my class A uniform and my work sneakers. I grab my small portfolio and head out of the Glasshouse, I look up and see my case manager is in today, so I decide to go up and say hello. The counselor for our unit is also in his office, they see me and invite me in; “Good morning Valdes, let me guess, you are here for someone else right?” were my case manager’s first words, and I reply, “Yes sir, good morning”, and I go on to ask a question from Mr. Rivero, give him a message from Mr. Campos, and then I look over to Counselor Cornavaca letting him know the officer in our unit has mail for him. “Have a great day you two”, I tell them and I head out of the unit over to the chapel.
This morning the military veterans who are in custody here have a volunteer visiting who will be providing them information regarding available benefits upon release from incarceration. As I sit here at my desk in the chapel, I can see out the windows onto the compound and it is truly peaceful. Off to the left I notice Chaplain Kulungu walking with the safety officer over to the dining area. The chapel is usually closed Wednesday mornings, but I wanted to be here for the veterans and the SPC (Special Programs Coordinator) in case they needed anything in which I could help them with.
It’s past 10am, which I should be heading back to the unit to wait for lunch, but I stay around, as there are still some guys left in the chapel with the SPC and the volunteer. Nearing 11am as I look towards the lake in the middle of the compound, I see guys walking to the dining room for lunch. The lieutenant comes over and says we can head to lunch if we would like, so I head on out. No need to go for Mr. Rivero today, he is not a fan of Wednesday’s lunch.
Returning from lunch I go straight to the chapel to prepare for Catholic service and setup the sign-in sheets. Three of the four chaplains are in the office going over a few things, so I head to my locker, grab some cleaning supplies, clean the toilet and sink, add a new toilet paper roll and update the restroom cleaning log that I have taped to the door. Now time to sweep the main chapel floor before preparing the altar and setting up the microphone.
As service ends, the chaplain radios to the compound officer and requests permission to release everyone back to their units or work, then escorts the volunteer speaker to the prison camp nearby, while I clean up and put everything back to “default setting”.
Chaplain Estrin returns and escorts me back to my unit for 4pm count. As I enter the unit I see Mr. Rivero standing over by the phones, and he waves at me, so I head over to say hello, as I am talking with him, I see Mr. Escudero in the day room tables waving me over. Mr. Rivero heads to his room as Mr. Escudero is asking me his advice regarding a few things he is not too sure of. As I then head to the Glasshouse, I come across “Bon-Bon” and Mr. Lorenzo who are sitting near Mr. Campos’ room. I say hello then look over to Mr. Campos and ask, “Is there enough food for me tonight?”, to which his reply was, “Yes, this food tonight is only for the VIP”, which are himself, his roommate, Mr. Rivero and me. I head to my room to read my daily devotionals and get out of my uniform.
I fell in love with today’s devotional from “Our Daily Bread”. The Bible verse mentioned is: [Isaiah 4:2] “In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious.”
Written by Tom Felten, he writes, “Our days can seem dark, and the fulfillment of God’s promises hidden. But as we cling to Him by faith, one day all His “great and precious promises” will be fulfilled (2 Peter 1:4). A beautiful new day awaits.”
Thank you for that Tom Felten. One more daily devotional to brighten up my day and help build my faith. I have my shorts on, sneakers on, and I am ready to go. Mr. Campos yells for me from two rooms away, I head over with my large bowl and he serves me white rice, and chicken in salsa, with a side of nacho cheese Dorito’s. I head to my room to eat it while the officers are doing their count. Count clears and I am headed to the phone to call dad. Always good to talk to him, even if at times the calls are short. L.A. Dodgers had a 3-0 series lead. I had told my dad, “You’ll see, it will get to 7 games, it’s all about the money”. Today he tells me the series is now 3-1. We will see where it goes from here.
We hang up and I head to the chapel. Tonight, Chaplain Estrin does his “Jewish Study”. Ten guys from the Jewish community arrived, signed in and took a seat. It was chilly in the chapel, but that is a good thing. It keeps bacteria to a minimum and it means the air conditioner is working better now that I learned where the filters are to clean them regularly. I sat for a few minutes talking with Mr. Greenberg about upcoming events, and we are hopeful. The move is called, and everyone is heading out back to their units. I shut off the lights, walk with the chaplain to make sure everything is locked, and he escorts me back to my unit. Will be calling mom in a few minutes, then taking a nice hot shower being it is also cold in this “Glasshouse”, then sitting down for some T.V.. time.
Father God, one more beautiful day you have given me. Please Lord continue to guide me and help me in my journey to a stronger, better future. Thank you for my family and those closest to me. Thank you for the good people you have put in my life, and through your word, showing me to how to be more humble each and every day. I pray for a good night sleep, and the chance to wake up tomorrow to a new day full of strength and will to take on any new challenges. In your son’s name Jesus I pray, Amen.
Eduardo L. Valdes
024999-506
October 30, 2024
20:54
