A Friend from Far Away

I had a real treat yesterday. I got a visit from a friend I hadn't seen in nearly four years and we were able to talk for nearly four hours.

Eric is a friend that I met at the church I attended. While working on a degree at TCU, he also played drums for our college worship band. Through the whole legal process he has been a big support and we have kept in contact through letters during my entire incarceration (even if some of our correspondence had long breaks in the middle.)

After he graduated Eric did some traveling in Central America and ended up settling in Columbia teaching English. My letters are scanned by my mom and emailed, and his replies are received by my mom via email, printed out and mailed to me. Not the most elegant way to communicate but it works.

Last week my boss got a call from her mom, the warden's secretary, and asked me,"Who is Eric Tabone?"

"How do you know that name?" I responded with much surprise that she knew my friend's name.

"He just got a visit approved for four hours."

Awesome! Two weeks in the states and he's got me on his itinerary.

When I saw him yesterday he was the same Eric I remember, maybe a little slimmer than the last time I saw him. We jumped into conversation like we hadn't missed a beat. I got to hear all about Columbia and his plans to start his own business teaching business English to employees of multi-national corporations. And I shared my experiences from behind these walls. It was a really fin time and it made me even more anxious to get out and share conversation with more friends. I got a lot of encouragement from him.

It's friends and family that have made this experience bearable through letters, cards and visits. And Eric is no exception.