FREEDOM!

Well, not completely, but the hardest part is over! And not to get too "William Wallace-y" on you, but "Braveheart" - one of the best.movies.EVER! - is so good for so many things.

What Freedom sometimes looks like!

Friday morning at 8am, Michael returned to Dismas and made his final check-in to "check-out." Anticlimactic to say the least except for when they did not have the tool to remove the anklet (surprise!) and they just pulled hard to pop it off, pieces flying everywhere. Then he was given his completion paper and was done. Next week Michael meets with his probation officer and we will learn about this new phase. He has 100 hours of community service and 3 years of probation left.

And I will love you every step of the way.



After he came home, we made a celebratory breakfast and then went to Zoo Atlanta. It was nice to not have to request to go somewhere and wait for someone to approve! So today is the first day in the next step. We know God is faithful and although we don't know His plans, they are not harmful to us, only helpful even if we can't see it immediately! The Shaw Family Adventure is ready for a new chapter! I will let you know about next week's appointment with Mr. Christian, the probation officer although I will admit I was not a fan on his first visit to approve our home and the Night Ranger song "Sister Christian" keeps getting stuck in my head when I hear his name!  ("Sister Christian, oh the time has come/And you know that you're the only one/ To say, OK" - and Mr. Christian is the one who has to OK things! A little juvenile but still funny!) Michael was told that this man is one of the better Probation Officers and will treat him fairly. God provides again.

Thank you for kind words, thoughts and prayers! Welcome to Phase II!

Heidi

The Shaw Family, 2012