As I stood outside the front door of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Low Facility Correctional Institute in Butner NC, tears welled up in my eyes. I could not force myself to look back at my younger brother, his wife, and my younger sister who stood a short distance behind me, knowing full well that tears were already rolling down their cheeks. I was about to self-surrender to begin serving a 41-month sentence for a drug-related conspiracy charge, that I had pleaded guilty to. I was a 65-year-old man who had never been in trouble with the law before, had never been in jail or prison before, and stood in front of that door scared to death. I was afraid, sad, depressed, and frankly just wanted to lay down and die. I mustered up the strength, given to me by my brother and sister, and my three children, who repeatedly would say to me, “You got this Dad” and pressed the buzzer to be let into the place I would have to call home for the next several months…
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