12-20-2021
Holidays, especially Christmas, have always been hard on both prisoners and
their families. Many prisoners don't have surviving families or friends, and
these times are even more difficult for them. I am blessed with family and dear
friends who have stayed beside me for decades, and I am grateful to God for
their love, which sustains me.
This past weekend, December 18th and 19th, I received the best gifts—besides
freedom—that I could get in prison. On Saturday, my brother, Danny Norman,
niece Tammy Norman, and aunt Alice Walker came from Tampa to spend the day with
me. Tammy was five years old when I was imprisoned, and has spent her entire
life visiting me inside the razor wire.
You can have a good time in prison, and the hours we spent together reminiscing
and laughing did my soul good.
On Sunday my dear wife Libby drove from Jacksonville to spend a few precious
hours with me. I've written about feeding the flocks of birds that hang around
the Lake C. I. marshes, and Sunday we had a memorable time with the sandhill
cranes. There is an outdoor visitors' pavilion with chain link fencing
enclosing it that the birds can approach, with the visitors inside and the
birds free to come and go. That's where we headed.
When we walked out of the inside visiting area down the ramp toward the
pavilion, we heard the most raucously-loud crane screeches echoing from the
surrounding buildings. I couldn't believe how piercing were the crane calls.
A pair of cranes peered into the pavilion, still screeching. One prisoner
seated at a nearby table with his frequent visitor said, "Mr. Norman,
they're calling for you to feed them."
And so they were.
Libby tossed a few corn chips through the fencing onto the close-cropped lawn,
and both birds immediately pecked at them. No more screeching. Suddenly a flock
of several dozen sharp-eyed white ibises flew in, followed by a pair of
prehistoric-looking wood storks. Dark grackles darted in to peck at chips the
cranes had missed. The cranes were not in the mood to share, flapped their wide
wings and drove the interlopers back.
We discovered that sandhill cranes love bagels. They waited patiently while
Libby and I pitched pieces of a bagel through the fence, scarfing down every
chunk.
Finally all the scraps were consumed. The ibises flew toward the chow hall,
expecting handouts from lunch. The cranes folded up their long black legs and
sat in the sun. Sparrows darted in to scrounge the crumbs. Libby and I went
back inside for the last hour of our visit.
The time came for us to go. A brief kiss and embrace is permitted. It's always
an emotional parting, but God willing, Libby and I will spend the Christmas
weekend together, a few hours at a time.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! We pray you will share as much love
and joy as we do. God bless you and yours.
Charlie and Libby
December 18, 2021
