Wednesday, December 22, 2021

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM CHARLIE and LIBBY NORMAN

 

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

 

                         Charlie, Dan, Tammy and Aunt Alice

                          December 18, 2021


 

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