Christmas, 2010

It's been almost two years since I spent what I thought at the time was the loneliest Christmas ever, but in retrospect was one of the best. That was the year Ron was at Taft. Christmas was the eleventh month of the nineteen months we spent apart. I met some amazing people in the nineteen months I was alone. Carole, Linda and Rod were three of the special people I grew to know and love during this time. Carole is married to Michael Santos (released in August, 2012, after over 25 years of incarceration.) We drove together to Taft every Friday during the summer and fall of 2010, and became very close. Through Carole I met Linda and Rod, whose son is serving a nine year sentence at Taft. Linda and Rod live in Bakersfield, about 30 minutes from Taft. They visit him weekly, although now he has been moved to Lompoc (about 2 hours away), and will be released in 2013. Anyway, back to the story. Because of Linda and Rod's proximity to Taft, Carole and I would often overnight at their house when there was a free visiting day. Free visiting days were usually Mondays, like MLK's birthday, so we'd go up on Sunday, spend some time with Linda and Rod, and visit our hubby's on Monday. Carole and I were invited to spend Christmas Eve with them, then visit our husbands on Christmas Day. We did, and it was one of my most memorable Christmas' ever. It was a wonderful Christmas for me, even though I was without my children, grandchildren and mom. The five of us had a spectacular dinner, cooked by Linda, and a decadant dessert, also made by Linda, that I can still taste. It was a recipe from Ina Garten, which consisted of meringue, whipped cream and fruit. After dinner we watched movies, opened gifts and stockings, again prepared by Linda, and talked about our families. It was a happy time, a sad time, a nostalgic time. I still think about that Christmas often, and am thankful that I was able to meet these three wonderful people that helped me through a difficult time. Carole and I are both with our families this year, and Linda and Rod will have Corey home next year. I know that can't come soon enough for them. Christmas day, 2010, I left Bakersfield at 7:30am and headed to Taft. I wanted to get there before the crowd, as Christmas is one of the busiest visiting days of the year. Ron and I talked for hours. I didn't want to leave that afternoon, but knowing this would be the one and only Christmas we would spend apart made it easier. Finding the good in a bad situation is sometimes difficult. Luckily I met good people to help make the bad times better, and Christmas, 2010 turned out to be one I will never forget.