I have been combing craigslist for a couple of months trying to figure out how I'd find housing for Brother. As you know--it's a challenging issue. But we got lucky and found someone who will rent to him. Not only that, when I started to explain the situation the landlord calmly replied that he and his wife believe in giving people second chances. They belong to a Bible based church and they actively practice their faith. I was blown away by their kindness and compassion. I spoke to them several times and then travelled to his state to meet them in person and tell them the whole story. I was absolutely honest about everything, which I knew was a risk, but not telling the truth was a bigger risk. They have some reservations and we're going to do a trial period until September. If it's going well he can sign a one year lease. And get this--the landlord owns several commercial properties and offered him some work making repairs and doing some painting! It's not full time, and it's not something he'll want long term, but it's a start. And it means so much to have these people treat him with kindness and dignity.

I also called the police in that town to see if the apartment is compliant and it is…by two houses. And then I called the state parole office to see if there are any other registered citizens living at the same address and they said no. So there is a very good chance the parole office will approve this. We'll know in a few weeks--fingers crossed.

Brother was really delighted to learn all of this (he won't be released for about 6 more weeks). He was pretty stressed to think he'd have to serve his parole in prison. I think it's the first time I've actually HEARD him smile on the phone. There are many more challenges for him to face, but this was a big step forward and I plan to celebrate it for a bit. One step at a time...

Just wanted to share some good news with everyone--we all need it sometimes. I'm so relieved--I wish I could give all of you a big hug!