The Place We're At

I haven't written much about Nathan or my family on here lately, so I thought I might give an update.

As I write, he is still in the county jail, and he has no hope of returning home at this time. He will go from there to prison, and that is the hard reality he is facing. Oddly enough, we are all dealing with this pretty well. Don't get me wrong, every time I look at his Kitchen Aid mixer on my counter, I get a certain feeling of sadness. But day to day life is easier than I thought it would be.

Currently, the offer from the DA is 20 years, to include 5 years from his juvenile history. This is an 85% crime, meaning he would have to complete around 17 years of his sentence. No early release for good behavior. We are all hoping that this offer will come down, but at this point there is no telling. Nathan has a public defender, and...well...hmm...we get very limited amounts of her time. His juvenile attorney still helps us so much, and works behind the scene whenever he can. We will never be able to tell him how much he has meant to us. He has helped navigate us through all the legal terminology and workings, and for that he is an angel.

My mom sold her house and is set to close on April 11th. She will be moving in with us on April 5th. She is excited about this, as she is so lonely in her house. Her house has had very little going on in it for the last few months. It is not the plan she had for herself, but after $20,000 in legal fees, if she ever hopes to get the house in the back built, this is how it has to be. It is funny though, because we all still need each other right now, and it feels right to have her close.

I talk to Nathan three times a week and visit him on Saturdays. We are actually closer now than we have ever been. He has to be truthful, and for once he answers questions my mother and I ask him. Over the years I think he will learn a lot about himself, and the best we can hope for him is that he grows, and chooses to be the best man he can be.

He told me the other day that his cellie (cell mate), told him that he pictured God looking over Nathan's life plan, saying"...uh huh, yes, OK I like that, wait...what the...oh no... oh hell no...", and put his ass in a big time out.
I like to think that's true.