It has been quite a while since McFreedom has written a
post. He is finding his time is filled
up much of the day with his work in the laundry and with relational
ministry. I think he is amazed by the
“lack” of time to do these writing things.
The reality of time behind bars is quite a bit different than the
picture he had imagined prior to incarceration.
That being said, I have also not posted much this year and
I have felt that, entering this Thanksgiving season, we have so much that we are
thankful for - it is time to share.
On October 30th, Bryan and I “celebrated” the
third anniversary of his being a resident at a Federal Correctional
Facility. While it may seem hardly
worthy of celebrating such an occasion, we are thankful that he is safe, content
in his environment, has good Christian brothers to encourage him and that he
feels God using him in this place. We
are thankful for the provision God has blessed us with as a family; meeting
every need. We are thankful for the
health we both have enjoyed this year – though I have probably fared better
than Bryan (prisons tend to be a breeding ground for every virus that is
around.)
We are especially thankful this year for a new
granddaughter, Hope Anne, who graced us with her arrival on June 12th. She is a joy.
Bryan hasn’t gotten to officially meet her yet, but he was the first to
be told of her anticipated birth last October.
We are “hopeful” that Hope will be able to travel out with Jake and
Emily this coming Spring to meet Grandpa.
In the meantime, we will send photos to him and continue to show the
Grandpa pictures to Hope so he will be a part of her life. This little girl has the most cheerful, happy
disposition. She loves to be sung to and
if you stop singing – she will pick it up and carry on in her own little
song.
We are also thankful to our children, Jake, Emily, JohnMark
and Andrea for their support and help. I
know it is a comfort to Bryan that he can count on them to watch out for
me. I appreciate all the ways they help
me and the fact that they keep me company on those times when Bryan’s absence
is too much to bear.
We also give thanks for our two older grandchildren, Abigail
and Tyler, who were able to travel out to Ohio to visit Bryan in October with
me (and Andi and JohnMark). They were
great travel buddies and Bryan really enjoyed seeing them and playing games
while they visited. He was amazed at how
they have grown and matured in the past two years.
I am also so thankful for Bryan's family and the way they accept me as one of their own. I feel loved and welcomed and even "missed" when I can't participate in an event. I am blessed to spend time with them and appreciate all they have done for me.
This morning I started a daily Bible reading program through
YouVersion and chose one that is called “Remembering All He Has Done”. The passage for today was Joshua 4. These verses are the ones that Bryan and I
clung to in the months prior to his incarceration as we sought for hope in
knowing this long separation could be fatal to many marriages. The summer before sentencing, we had one last
family vacation on the North Shore of Lake Superior and rented a vacation
home. On Sunday, Bryan led our family in
a devotional based on this passage and then we jumped in our vehicles and drove
to a nearby river and each of us picked up a stone from the river to bring
back. Bryan created a ‘memorial’
fountain out of those stones, much like Joshua did in the Bible story. I have that fountain still running as a
reminder to “Remember all that God has done for us”.
I will continue to remember how He has brought us through
this trial and has grown each of us personally and even more importantly as a
couple to seek Him first and to trust Him for every breath and every move. We share our story openly, not out of
bitterness or anger, but out of amazement at what God can use for good.
We are also thankful to each of you who care enough about
Bryan and me to follow this blog and want you to know that it means so much to
us.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Jeannie
