Well, here we are. It’s been a long time in the works, but this blog is finally finished. Mostly. You’ll see in a minute why I say that, but in general, we’re done writing about Craig’s incarceration and his thoughts on the prison system.
With that said, there were a couple things I wanted to note before we parted ways.
First, what I wrote in this blog is not meant to portray Craig as anything other than what he is: a person who made a mistake and was convicted of a felony and who also happens to be an incredible human being making his way back. It’s been hard for me to keep a balance in my mind with how impressive he’s been in his reintroduction to society and how he managed to not get fucked up inside, while still keeping an eye on the crime he committed to end up there. At times, I’ve had to remind myself that someone died. A life was ended. Parents and siblings and cousins lost a relative. This is not a pretty cool story about a murder; what it is is a story about someone who broke our laws and then did the things we as a society asked of him to make up for that tremendous error. He did that though, and now society owes him a chance to prove he belongs with us again. And he’s doing that just fine. I think that’s worthy of admiration and praise. I hope I’ve been able to keep that balance and be fair since this blog fully is a one-sided story about Craig and the spotlight he deserves for his redemption.
And that brings me to another point. He wasn’t looking for the spotlight when we started writing this. He wanted to be able to tell his story or, actually, it’s probably better to say he wanted to share his experiences with the people who supported him. He wasn’t sure how he could that and thought doing something like this might help people understand what he went through, at least a sliver of a portion of he went through anyway. We obviously didn’t touch on every topic that we could have. I never asked him directly about religion or love or sex, things that you’d think people may be curious about considering the location and length of his stay. But, the timing was never right and some things probably are better left unsaid.
One topic he brought up repeatedly and that I hope anyone who read the whole blog was able to take away was that the institutionalization of people in our prison system is getting worse. And we’re doing nothing to help them. He’s said it time and again how he met people – many talented, good people – who couldn’t get out of the vicious circle, beat down by their circumstance in life. There isn’t a re-do button for most inmates. For every success story like Craig’s out there, there are 1,000 more stories of people failing to get out of the system because it isn’t built to benefit them, isn’t built to help them stay afloat when they get out. His words need to be heard and I hope he finds a bigger platform, if he chooses, to be able to spread the word and help others who could benefit from his wisdom.
I also wanted to take a minute to say thank you to everyone who read this blog. It isn’t perfect, yet I think we did a nice job telling his story. At least, I hope Craig thinks so as that’s the only person who I really care about reading or enjoying this endeavor. But, for anyone else who came along with us, thank you too. I am grateful for your support, as I’m sure Craig is.
Lastly, this is the first and only page Craig did not get to read before it was published. That was on purpose as I wanted to give a few of my own words without his input, although he wouldn’t have made much noise, I’m sure, as he made a total of seven small edits in the 56,841 words I published throughout this process. So, here’s what I wanted to say:
I admire what you’ve done to make your life right. You could have gone a much different path yet you pushed through, went the distance. You did that because of your support system, the one that raised you and the one that grew up with you. It was your walk in the Park that got you through, and I’m proud to be a small part of that group. You weren’t alone. No one who goes a great distance ever is. And you never will be.
I’m going to leave you with two quotes that I found while reading recently. Many of you have probably heard them before but they resonated with me and now I’ll always associate them with Craig going forward:
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African proverb
I also reached out to a couple family and friends to get some words from them for Craig to lend a voice to others who echo my feelings. If anyone reading this would like to contribute their own words here, please email me at jerry.trickie@gmail.com and I’ll gladly add to this post going forward.
Otherwise, this chapter is now complete. Good luck on the rest of your journey, Craig. We love you brother.
Asked if I wanted to say a few words about my brother brought all kinds of things to mind. There’s so much I’d like to say & have started writing this many times. But it all comes down to this: I’m proud of him, proud to call him my brother and he amazes me. Craig has amazed me with his ability to survive camp, to remain true to himself and to tell this most personal story. I mean let’s be honest, how many of us would reveal something so personal?? I’m also so very proud to call him my brother. His ability to create a successful life after camp leaves me in awe. And to see him enjoy a relationship with my boys is more than I’d hoped for. And he’s given me a wonderful sister-in-law!! So Craig, I’m proud of you!! I’m proud of the man you are & the life you’ve created!! Rock on man. Love you, Brenda
Craig, I’m as proud today as I was 30 years ago to call you one of my best friends. I know you are going to do great things in this world and we will all be better off for having you a part of our lives. How you have been able to turn your life experiences into learning opportunities is truly an inspiration. Love you brother. Aaron
Craig I want you to know how honored I am to call you my friend. It takes a special person to go through what you have and be the person you are. When we picked you up I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as soon as we saw you, it was you. The person I knew. I was in awe. I want you to know you were always in my thoughts and prayers. You were always CCMP. I want to thank you for being my friend, my brother. Rush
Dear Craig, This is a letter to tell you how proud I am of you and how much I am proud to call you my brother. We may not be brothers in blood but we are truly brothers. I cannot say that I feel like I have ever or will ever do enough to repay you. I have a story to share and say thank you from the bottom of my heart to you. First the night my mother passed away, I was lost, not sure of anything or how to deal with it. The time was right after Christmas. My mother lost her fight with cancer. I needed to get out. I went to a bar and watched the Cowboys game. I let friends know what was going on. You showed up and sat and talked with me for the night and I did not get drunk. Most of the time I spent talking to you. Some of it I just sat and let it wash over me. Craig you did what I needed you to do for me that night just by being there for me. The same at my mom’s funeral. You came, talked and sat with me for the night letting me know you had my back the whole time. I want to thank you for that. I am proud to call you my brother after all you have went through and you put others first still. I was humbled to be a part of your wedding day. Thank you for letting me be part of it. Not sure if I said what I was trying to in this letter. But in short you are and always will be to me that guy I went to high school and JR high with. I want to thank you. You are and always will be my Brother. Love CARLSON.
Walk in My Park 