Little Boy Blue

The plan changed a lot, and that annoyed Isaac.

First, the plan was to drive to a rest stop along I-84 south of Mountain Home Thursday night after work, sleep there, then be ready at 7 am for the grand occasion.

That got scratched. We were leaving later and later, with the final leaving schedule after 7 pm, and added a person, meaning our plan to sleep in the back of Isaac's Ford Expedition was getting a lot more crowded.

So instead we opted to sleep at home, but get up at 2:30 am to make the drive to Boise. Which we did.

And it was worth it:

After 11 years, Randy is out of jail.

I don't want to cause pain by posting how happy I am about this. But according to the State of Idaho, he's done his time and thus is free to go. I can't erase the hurt that what he did caused, but if I've learned anything about sin, it's that sin can and should be forgiven. I don't know all of the details of his journey to this point, but I hope he has found peace with God, and peace with those he hurt.

We didn't get to see him all that much. When we got to the jail, we had to wait an additonal hour for some reason before they let him out. Nobody offered an explanation, but it's clear it's a place that runs on its own schedule.

We (Albert and Serena, Maaike and Amy Staiger, Liam, Isaac, and I) took Randy to Dennys of all places for breakfast. He remarked it had been a long time since he'd eaten anything with a fork, having had to use plastic sporks for the last decade. He also commented that the food had flavor -- the only flavor in jail, he says, is hot -- and that he'd have to remind himself to slow down and enjoy the meal, as he wasn't rushed by anyone to be done in five minutes or less.

We went to the grounds of the Boise Temple, where Albert, Liam and I gave him a blessing. I prayed that he'd find peace, and feel gratitude for the blessings he has, despite the turn his life has taken.

He's now in Prairie City, Oregon, with a friend who runs a dog grooming business. I hope he can find peace there. He plans on coming back this way in June, once he can figure out a way to do so.

Maaike and Albert made sure to bring Bluey -- the teddy bear he got from Grandma Speirs many moons ago -- to help him reconnect with memories. I hope he can, and find roses among the thorns.

I often think of this poem when I think of my brother, and the sentiment still stands:

The little toy dog is covered with dust,

   But sturdy and stanch he stands;

 The little toy soldier is red with rust,

   And his musket molds in his hands.

Time was when the little toy dog was new,

   And the soldier was passing fair;

And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue

   Kissed them and put them there.

"Now, don't you go till I come," he said,

   "And don't you make any noise!"

So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,

   He dreamt of the pretty toys;

And, as he was dreaming, an angel song

   Awakened our Little Boy Blue---

Oh! the years are many, the years are long,

   But the little toy friends are true!

Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,

   Each in the same old place---

Awaiting the touch of a little hand,

   The smile of a little face;

And they wonder, as waiting the long years through

   In the dust of that little chair,

What has become of our Little Boy Blue,

   Since he kissed them and put them there.