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Justin Norcutt-07/12/2025-Gratitude for the Loyal and Loving Few 

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Journal Entry

Today, I reflect with a full and humbled heart on the rare and beautiful gift of loyalty. Life has not been easy, and I’ve walked a path that many could never imagine—spending half my life in Federal prison. In a place where violence, loneliness, and anger run deep, where time seems to freeze and the outside world moves on without you, one truth becomes clear: very few people truly stand by you when everything else is stripped away. 

The moment you’re arrested, your world shatters. So-called friends vanish. Some family members forget you exist or, worse, take what little you had left. You’re left alone—broken, forgotten, and questioning your worth. But through that darkness, a few lights still shone. A handful of loving souls refused to give up on me. They accept your calls, they wrote. They prayed. They reminded me that I was still human, still loved, still capable of building a better life. 

Those people—those beautiful souls—are the reason I never gave up. Their loyalty was my strength, their love my hope. In a place built to break your spirit, they helped me hold on to mine. And now, as I walk this road of freedom and renewal, I carry them with me every step of the way. 

They are more than friends or family. They are sacred. I place them on a pedestal not because they asked for it, but because they earned it—through their sacrifice, their patience, their unwavering belief in me. If I had only one breath left, I’d give it to one of them without hesitation. That’s how deeply I love and cherish them. 

While I was incarcerated, I had so many dreams of walking out those gates and being reunited with the family I loved. I would picture their faces, imagine the embraces, the reunions, the second chances. But the harsh reality is that many of them passed away before I made it home. Some, heartbreakingly, ended up incarcerated themselves. Life has a way of swallowing people whole when they don’t have the right support or guidance. That pain still weighs heavy on my heart. 

But I know now that I was spared for a reason. Today, I stand as an example of hope—a living reminder of what is possible when you choose to walk a positive path. It’s not easy. Giving up the fast money and the false sense of power that comes with being “the man” on the street takes strength. It takes sacrifice. But I’ve learned that there is greater power in patience, in knowledge, and in real freedom. 

With the proper education, discipline, and a strong network of men who truly inspire—men who’ve built success the right way—you begin to realize that anything is possible. But it doesn’t come easy. You must work for it. You must be willing to humble yourself, to learn, to unlearn, and to grow. And when you do, you begin to build a life worth living—not just for yourself, but for those who still believe in you.

To those who stood by me, thank you. To those who are still behind the walls, don’t give up. There is hope. There is another way. I am living proof of that. 

—Justin