yet another tough day!

I had a few family members delete me off facebook today. It is days like today that I would love nothing more than to just talk to Larry for a moment. I love him so much and I miss my best friend. He is my favorite person on this earth. I am so glad that there are those that know him and love him. My family members that have deleted me are ones that don't know Larry at all and have no clue as to the truths of this whole thing. They believe the rumors they have heard and refuse to even hear any of what is the truth. It is funny how people can become so closed minded and intentionally hurt others and still feel good about themselves. I miss him so much, but I am glad that I have not been able to talk to him because he does not deserve to hear of all the drama caused by others.

I am so thankful for my Aunts who are loving and kind. I have some really amazing Aunts who love me more than I could ever repay. I also have my mother and sisters who are so loving and kind. I don't know why it hurts me so much when others are so cruel, but when they are family, you would hope they could love you like you love them. I still love them and that is why I have spent the whole day crying my eyes out. I dislike the way that Satan attempts to destroy families. I wish there was a place to run and hide, but I will face my accusers and hold my head high because I know the truth.

I hope all of my loved ones and supporters know how very special they are to me. I hope I will be able to afford to talk to Larry on his birthday!

Larry's address

Snake River Correctional Institution (SRCI)

Larry Julian SID# 18775682

777 Stanton Blvd.

Ontario, OR 97914-8335

Transported on July 13, 2011

When I didn't get a call from Larry on the 13th, I figured they were transporting him and I was right. He didn't call, but I did get a call from the system that notifies you of where an inmate in custody is. I was told he had been transported to Snake River Correctional Facility in Ontario, Oregon. He is about two hours from where we are now. I wish I were closer so I could just drive by and feel close to him. I am hoping I will be able to visit him soon and my application for visits will be approved. I just miss him.

Larry is doing very well, he has had the opportunity to have some spiritual experiences and if feeling very close to the Lord. He told me that he almost feels like he prayed for this to happen. He asked the Lord to strengthen him and now he is able to see that prayer is being answered through his prison time. He told me yesterday and today that he truly feels he prayed for this to happen without knowing this would be the way the Lord would strengthen him. I am very thankful for the changes I can see occurring in him. He is an amazing man and I have always wished he could see what I see in him. Now maybe he will. Anyway, I will be posting his address in another post for those that would like to write to him.

Trying to make trouble for the counselor!

My last post discusses what Larry's counselor said to him and how it makes us all feel better knowing that someone understands. Today, Larry is back with the regular population at Coffee Creek intake facility and his counselor came over and spoke with him again, for the fourth time. First was their original meeting where I told of the things he told Larry, then when he gave him the messages about my call, he then went again to check on him and told him that very few people make a lasting impression on him, but Larry is one he said he will not soon forget. So, today when he met with him it was because I made a comment on facebook about how nice it was to have the counselor understand that Larry doesn't belong there and how the counselor had made the comment about Larry getting a raw deal. Well, someone from Burns called the prison to complain about the counselor 'taking sides'! How ridiculous is that? They told him that a man in his position should stand behind 'we the people'. So I guess he is not supposed to have an opinion when someone with no criminal history, that has passed a lie detector test, and tests as a non threatening person comes in for a long measure 11 stay. Larry asked me to just be more careful who I say what to.

I believe it is ridiculous for anyone to spend their time looking at my facebook page to see what my family is up to after Larry has been sentenced. The only thing I hope is that it is because that person must be loosing sleep at night because of their own guilty conscience and then gets up to check my facebook. If it was such an open and shut case as many of 'those' people would have others believe, they would close the book once he was sentenced right? I would think if I knew so much about something and was confident in the sentence being the right thing, I would be done after the sentence. I think it is real sad that people can't just leave well enough alone, and to call to attempt to get the counselor into trouble is really pathetic!

The one thing is, the counselor did say he is still entitled to his opinion, he just will be more careful with sharing it from now on. So, if somehow the person trying to cause trouble has access to this page (which I would hope it is not someone I trust enough to let on), I would say to them "you didn't accomplish anything, he still thinks Larry got a raw deal"!

Ok, so now I will apologize for ranting, it is just people like this that like to keep salt in our wounds that truly get under my skin! I am trying so hard to forgive all of them it is just so hard when they keep the drill on to tighten the screws they have us tied down with!

The most amazing sound...

I just got a call from Larry. I was sitting in my room keeping the dog from Draydon's friends when my phone rang, Larry's picture came up on the screen and my heart almost jumped into my throat. I was the most excited woman in the world at that moment. It was the best sound in the world to hear his voice. For just a moment a heard him talk before Draydon scooped the phone away...he has been having a real tough time without his dad. Last night finally came to tears for him again.

Anyway we talked a lot about how wonderful his counselor at Coffee Creek is. He said that Dan told him he read the entire case file and he just can't believe what a raw deal Larry got. He said he can not figure out how Larry ended up with the sentence he did. He then told Larry that he NEVER sees guys like Larry in prison and it is really shocking. He told Larry that he needs to remember who he is throughout his stay in prison to which Larry responded "Have you been talking to my wife?" Dan told him no than asked 'why?'. Larry said that I tell him that all the time. Dan then said maybe he should listen to me.

Dan told Larry that he must be on a quest to help people and Larry said that someone else had told him he must be on a mission. Dan then said "that is exactly the word I was looking for, you are on a mission".

I am so thankful to have heard from him today. He has passed that stone, he told me it was a big one with several small ones as well. He thinks that there still may be a few more in there, but the biggest pain is gone.

The reason he has not been able to call is because he is in the women's portion of the prison in the infirmary and to call he has to go out among the women, so the guards are real careful about it. So, not sure when I will hear again from him, but today's call was an amazing sound!

A mean letter from our oldest foster daughter

Today I got a letter from our oldest foster daughter, who up until a short while ago, still wanted us to adopt her. She sent several messages of love then they just stopped out of the blue. Today I got a letter in a DHS envelope and it was mean and very unkind. I cried very hard and realized she is just a very hurt child who has never been told the truth or allowed to hear the truth. DHS whisked her away almost immediately from us. I would retype her letter here, but I feel it could cause others to look badly upon her. She is not a bad person but simply a hurt child who feels unloved now. I will post my response to her here;

Note; I leave out the names of our foster children on this blog because I do not want to ever be accused of exploiting them.

My dear (name),

I was so excited when I saw I had gotten a letter from you, then as I read it my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. I will tell you that Draydon is angry and Danene refuses to read it because her pain is too great at loosing you already.

I am so happy for you that you have a new family. I have always wished only the best for you. If you are happy, that is all I have ever wanted. You deserve to be happy because you are a wonderful girl.

I understand that you are very angry, and you have the right to be. I remember when you came to our home, you were amazed when you learned you could be forgiven, I recall times holding you in my arms, as you cried because your family could not forgive you. I am very sad that it is my ability to forgive that is the very thing that has driven you away. You know that all of us in this family have the ability to forgive, why would we forgive all others in this world and then not someone we already love? I learned a very long time ago that being a sex offender does not make someone a bad person. It is a title and if you listen to the pamphlets put out in the prison system, the actual offence is usually just a very minute part of what someone has done in their life and it does not define them. I'm not sure where you heard that we said 'nothing happened' I myself have heard that rumor about us too. When we talk in our home and to others, that understand, we have always said that something happened. Like I said before, that does not define Larry.

People ask me all the time how I can forgive him, the best way I can explain it is through a math problem. If what he did was the weight of 1,000 horrible pounds, and every good thing in life he has done is worth a mere one pound each, his good will still far out weigh the bad with more than a zillion pounds. You have to know that Danene and Draydon have an entire lifetime of great memories with their dad. He laughed with them often took them camping, fishing , shopping etc. etc. They have all those memories and that makes one act very difficult to erase those memories.

Yes, I freaked on Larry, and it is ok for me and the kids and even you to be mad about what happened. I have two years of college from when I was in Utah and my studies in Utah were in psychology. (that is like a counselor) I have always been very interested in the way the human mind works. I happen to know that Larry and I both were sexually abused as children. It is not an easy thing to get through, but I know my husband is a good man and I have almost 100 letters from people that know him who say the same thing. I'm sorry you don't understand that and I wish you could feel how freeing it is to be able to forgive.

(name), you have always been loved in our home and have never been judged. We will always love you and you will always have a very special piece of my heart. That will never go away.

In you letter you addressed Danene, and said you guys reported 'it'. I want you to think real hard about what exactly you reported. Danene claims you must not remember.

I myself have NEVER wished your sister an harm. I don't know where you may have heard otherwise. I don't know all of what my children have said, but I do know that you recall your own family wishing horrible things on you, people that are hurting, say things they don't mean. I am not excusing it, but you should know that Danene and Draydon hurt every single day and it is constant. They, and you are still young enough that you don't know any other way to deal with pain than to lash out and hurt others. It breaks my heart to watch their daily pain. It breaks my heart also whenever I think of you and the pain you must be going through.

There have been so many rumors going around, and it sounds as if you have heard some of them. I was very hurt by so many awful things I was hearing about myself, about you, about (your sister). Then I read in a book put out by church leaders that "anything that feels bad is what Satan wants you to feel, anything that feels good inside is of God." Every time I would get upset over rumors, I would remember that Satan was winning. I feel good inside about who I am, my marriage, my memories of Larry, my memories of you and many other things. So now, I try to focus on what feels good inside because that is what God wants me to do.

I am truly sorry that this happened, you need to know that if there was anyway I could have prevented it I would have. I would do anything to go back and stop whatever was to come. I would say "I wish I never took you girls in, then this could never have happened" but I can't say that because knowing and loving you changed my life forever and I would never change that. I found a song that defines my relationship with you it is called "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. It says, "I could have missed the pain but I would have missed the dance" If you look at yourself as "the dance" I want you to know I wouldn't give away all this pain if it meant I never would have known you. I love you (name) and even if I never see you in this life, I will always love you and I will look forward to seeing you in eternity where forgiveness is required.

<3 Wendi

P.S. I re-read your letter and if you mean physical by beatings, NO ONE in my home ever hit her or caused her pain like that and you know that.

I miss her so terribly and I only hope my words will get to her and she will understand. I love her dearly and miss my other daughter!

Talked to someone, finally some news!

I have been so worried and stressed about Larry that I called Coffee Creek again today. The woman I spoke with confirmed he was in the infirmary and I asked her if she could tell me how he was, she said she could not, but would transfer me to his counselor. I then spoke to one of the kindest people I have ever talked to. I asked how Larry was and he told me that 'Larry is comfortable at this time, but is very worried about his family'. The man's name was Dan, he said that he has never before seen a man in there with more concern for his family than Larry has. I thanked him for his time and was going to go when he said, 'wait just a minute, how are you doing?'. I told him I was ok and then he told me he could tell I was lying. We had a very nice conversation and he asked if I had any questions. He also directed me to call his supervisor who he said is excellent with helping families in this time of crisis. He then asked the names of our children and told me that it is not something they ever do, but he was going to go tell Larry he had spoken with me. I asked if he could please tell him that we love him, he then went even further and asked what he could tell him about Draydon. I told him Dray has been very busy with friends and keeps himself very active. He then said, 'what can I tell him about Danene? ' I said that Larry would love to know that Danene is making good choices and meeting with our bishop weekly to help her do that. I am so glad that this man was kindhearted enough to care about my family and my husband. He told me that he would take great pleasure in delivering those messages to Larry. He also told me that when Larry is taken to a new prison it will be a medium security on the Eastern side of the state. I am thinking that will be either Snake River in Ontario or the prison in Pendleton. Either way, I hope we can move to wherever he is, and soon!

Talked to someone, finally

Larry's Journal

So, tonight Draydon found his Dad's journal with two entries. I know sometimes journals should be private, but I feel compelled to share what he has written in this one. It was from a couple months before his arrest. Danene was going through a tough time after being attacked by a boyfriend and then made to feel like it was her fault by our justice system. Danene had also attempted suicide and had been hospitalized because of it. The foster girls were both struggling with self esteem and thinking boyfriends were their way up the ladder of life. Draydon was going through a lot in his first year of high school and had been bullied a lot.

Entry #1; My Girls

I wish that all this pain and worthlessness would go away. Am I a good Dad? Can I help these girls through the hard times in their life? Can I do all that I can to make sure that they will not ever get hurt?

I try so hard to be a good man, husband, father, but I wonder if I can beat these demands on my back. I hurt for Danene, (name of oldest foster daughter) and (name of youngest foster daughter) so much. I can see things that they can't, I just hope they will listen to me so I can save them from sorrow, sorrow that I have felt many times in my life.

They need to know that they are more beautiful than they will ever know and that they don't need a boy to feel good about themselves.

(they need to know) that they have more power inside and from Heaven that will make them princesses some day if they will only listen to the Lord and their Daddy.

Entry #2; My boy

I see a young man before my eyes and he is every thing I wish I would have been at his age! I look up to this young man and I love him with all my heart. I see him struggle and inside I say 'don't give up, you can do this" He loves the Lord and I know by the choices that he makes every day. I know that he is being tested right now and I see the pain in his eyes. I know that he will be a great man someday I pray every night that the Lord will send the angels in Heaven to lift him up through his hard time. I hope that he says his personal prayers. He gives me so much strength by watching what he goes through and I think, 'if he can, then maybe I can beat these demands on my back'.

I am so thankful that Draydon found this journal, it was something we all needed to feel close to him at this time. These words show the man and father that I have been married to for 20 years this year. Draydon flipped through the pages after reading these and then said "mom, I want more"! Remember your loved ones want to read what you felt when you are not there to tell them yourselves. Journaling is so very important to those that love you.

Three days...no word!

In a few hours it will be 72 hours since I last heard from Larry. It has been a miserable three days. I spent all day yesterday in bed worried literally sick. I have a horrible migraine and I hate not knowing how he is. I called Coffee Creek yesterday and they confirmed that he is in fact in the hospital but they said he could call if he wanted. The problem is, if anyone knows Larry, he would call and call and call until he gets a hold of me. He is the type that would wear down his fingers to the bone to get in touch with me. I know he knows that I am worried sick right now. The last I heard was the kidney stones, then nothing. He has never spent three days in the hospital with kidney stones. I don't understand what is going on and it is literally driving me insane. I don't think it is right that the prison system is allowed to literally torture the family members of inmates. I feel like my toenails are being pulled out one at a time, only the pain is worse than that. We are all on edge and going crazy here not knowing how or really where he is. This is horrifying. I am learning to truly despise the nation I once loved. I miss him so much, now I need to go because my tears make it so I am unable to see the screen.

Kidney Stones

Larry called tonight and told me that they moved him, not out of Coffee Creek, but to the hospital wing. He is passing a kidney stone and he tried to pass it without incident. He has passed about 10 of them before and a few times he has done so without having to go to the hospital, but sometimes they are so painful and unbearable that he is in agonizing pain. It is hurtful to me to have to watch him suffer such terrible pain. It is more painful to not be able to be with him and know he is suffering so much agony. When I talked to him tonight, he broke down and told me that he never realized how much easier it made it in the past to just have the person you love with you when you are hurting so much. My heart feels literally torn out tonight. I long to be with him and help him bear this burden, but I can't, I have to put it in the Lord's hands and ask Him to be the one to comfort Larry through this pain. I wish there was more I could do, I am learning to lean on my Father in Heaven to do the things I am unable to do as a wife for my husband. I hate feeling as though my hands are tied, but He will do all that I cannot and I have to have faith in that. The one thing I know without doubt is that Larry is loved by our Father in Heaven even more than I love him and that is very difficult to comprehend, but I truly know it is the truth.