Jonathan: Mom never missed a holiday call. I don’t know how she saved her minutes, but she always made time to ask, “What’d you get for Christmas, baby?” And even though she wasn’t there, she still showed up. Signing me up for Toys for Tots so something was waiting under the tree.
Linda: And I cooked like she could walk right through the door. Enchiladas, ham, dressing, green beans, pies, cakes. She’d call and say, “Mama, fix me a plate!” I’d laugh and pretend I could pass it through the phone. That was how we kept joy alive.
Jonathan: But Grandma, the day she came home?
Linda: When I heard she got clemency, I ran outside yelling, “My baby coming home!” Told the neighbors, the mailman, everybody. Then I flew to the school to get you.
Jonathan: And I’d already checked myself out of school, running through the halls. We didn’t pack a thing. We had six dollars and still hit the highway like we were rich.
Linda: Because getting her home was the only thing that mattered.
Jonathan: That first Christmas after she came home… I didn’t think I’d ever get a full family holiday again. But there we were, laughing, bumping into each other in the kitchen, and Mom hugging me every three minutes like she was trying to make up for fifteen years in one day. And honestly, I let her.
Linda: This year we’re planning a real holiday. No rushed calls. No miles in the way. Just family.
Jonathan: And we hope that other families get this, too.
