Hello Humans of San Quentin Family, my name is Adrian.
I am 41 years old and by the time you receive this letter I will be released from prison after serving 20 years in the state of North Carolina.
I have learned and grown a lot on this journey. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is the power of forgiveness.
For the first 12 years of my incarceration I was a habitual rule breaker. Fast forward to 2018, I am locked in my cell and something spiritual inside told me to forgive him. The “him” being my father. I have only seen him once or twice as a child and the last memory I had of him was a disappointing one.
A day or two later I call my mom and ask her to find a way and get in contact with him so we can talk. A week later I call home and my mom tells me that he passed away in 2012. My dad was gone for six years and I didn’t even know.
After all that news I was glad that I had forgiven him before I knew that he had passed. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulder that I didn’t know I was carrying for years.
To all my brothers and sisters incarcerated I want you to have the strength and find the courage to forgive someone from your past or present. No, you won’t forget the pain, experience or trauma of what happened but with forgiveness you will begin to heal and the weight will slowly lift off you too.
P.S.
I will write back in six to nine months to give an update of my time out
