Rain

The day started with rain. Rain, glorious rain, fell on ground that is cracked and dry, after weeks of drought. There was a feeling of rejuvenation in the air when I arrived at the prison today. The temperature had fallen during the night, and even though the forecast was for another day with temperatures in the low 90s, the rain had brought a short relief. There was another graduation at the prison today. Seven men completed their AODA program. I was scheduled to attend the event to take individual photos of the men. The four month long program they had just completed has a pretty good success rate. Each of the men stood at the podium and spoke to the group. Most read from a prepared script. Though they read their statements, they were no less sincere. They had written the pages themselves in longhand. The men described their pained pasts, described the thefts from their families, their wild and dangerous experiences driving under the influence, their trips to the hospital, their multiple court cases and incarcerations. They spoke of wasted lives, lost jobs and failed relationships. They bared their souls to themselves, to the members of their group, to their families and to the families of the other members of the group. Their voices cracked as they fought back tears, as the memories flooded back into mind, memories of their horrible behaviors. And they promised themselves as much as they promised their families that this time they have learned something new, that this time they have moved forward, that this time they have changed and that they have created new selves inside their old shells, new selves with new tools to help them move forward. And their stories were heart wrenching, powerful stories. You could see the hope on the faces of their families, the hope that what they were hearing would hold true. But you could also see that shadow of fear in the graduates’ eyes that maybe they would not be strong enough. The fear caused by the many past events when they were not. As I snapped the photos, as I handed each photo to the man whose image had been caught by the camera, I encouraged them to remember this day whenever they had a weak moment, to remember this day and the confidence they have in themselves today. Good luck to them all. Today was special. Today was not just another day on the hill.