Bittersweet Goodbyes
When I first got here there was a group of ladies, mainly on my hall, that self surrendered together. After spending weeks together in the "hot box" aka quarantine, they formed a special bond and decided to do their time together. They were inseparable. Usually, when you saw one, you saw the others. Sure, they allowed other people "in" but the core of the group remained the same. Well, in just a little over a week, two of the ladies will be saying goodbye. I have personally gotten to know both of them. One because she was the first person to offer me some real soap, LOL, and the other, because she was my first bunkie's homegirl, and she would open our door and take her toilet paper. Needless to say I grew to know and think very highly of both of them.
For both of them the time has come to say goodbye. We held a special dinner in honor of them both in true prison style, complete with all the finest prison cuisines. Oh, and let's not forget musical chairs, spades, and Phase 10. A true prison party to wish our ladies the best of luck on their next stages of life's journey. But, the party was not complete without the tears. Yes, the tears began to flow even before the group gathered. At the end the two ladies took center seats to listen to the words of the attendees. Some shared funny stories and others were serious. But, the common denominator was love.
In true Sharita fashion, I became an observer; an observer of myself and how I was feeling, intentionally present to what was going on around me. I saw the smiles, heard the laughter, witnessed the tears, and listened closely to the words that poured from the hearts of women who traveled with them through one of life's most challenging times. At one point I was reminded that this moment is temporary. That each one of us would one day say our goodbyes. I imagined us one by one vanishing away. I was reminded that we are souls embodied in flesh and one day our spirits would continue on our travels.
This was a full circle moment for me. Not only because I watched them pull their time, but because of what I saw earlier in the day. Rewind to 9am. I headed to the computer room to check my email and I noticed someone watching Joel Osteen. I decided to take a seat and listen in. His message was absolutely relevant for not just our departures, but this whole experience. He spoke about life's detours. How God allows us to stop, at times, along our journey so that we can learn lessons that we need to prepare us for our purpose. That is exactly what this is all about. This place, this time, is a detour. A stop that was divinely orchestrated so that I, all of us, can get what we need in order to actualize our purpose. My intention to be fully present to what that is.
