Page 327 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Chapter Fifty

childhood was. And my first marriage. Even parts of my second
marriage. My entire life has been a constant fight to escape
chaos and achieve peace. Contentment. Serenity. Normal.
That thing that most people take for granted, I have been
striving for since birth.
And now, as I continue to write and pray, my only hope is
that the story I tell will somehow be inspiring to these men.
That it will help them to see how much God has changed me.
Gord and I arrive at the heavily guarded facility, both ablaze
with jangling nerves. Before opening the car door, I take a deep
breath. With eyes closed, I mentally prepare to stand naked
(figuratively speaking) before a room full of sexual predators,
thieves, murderers and God knows what else.
The pungent institutional smell hits me in the face the
moment we enter the heavy metal doors. It’s a cross between
animal clinic and Mr. Clean. I am hyper vigilant as we pass
through all the security measures. My nerves are on red alert
as we are given our visitor tags, like we’re attending some sort
of convention.
And then the balding, puffy-stout Chaplain greets us. His
cologne is overpowering. I guess he doesn’t like the scent of
‘Eau de Institution’ either. As we follow him past locked door
after locked door, I feel like we’re starring in an episode of “Get
Smart.” Finally, he opens the last one which leads us into his
cramped office. “Shall we pray, before we go into the chapel?”
“Yes of course. That is definitely a good idea!”
I need lots of prayer! My anxiety is bouncing around every
cell in my body. The three of us bow our heads. In his gentle
Irish lilt, he invokes: “Dear Lord, I lift Kelita up to you and ask
that, as she shares her music and testimony with the men, you
go before her. I pray you give her the right words to say and
that she feels comfortable and safe. You know each one of these

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