WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER EVERYONE!!!
SEPTEMBER 1st, 2003
HAPPY LABOR (Labour for those Canadians) DAY!!!
Erick sent me a photo last night of his two sisters visiting our house in
Toronto. I am not sure
where Pinky is??? Perhaps at the cottage with
Doug? :)
Erick says that his sisters are really happy for him. Erick seems to be
finding his own freedom. :)
Very proud of you Erick! You have always been
an inspiration to me and always will be.
Going to the parade here in Paducah this
morning, and then to my dads this afternoon. We are all
having a cook out.
:) Should be fun. It has been awhile since everyone has been together at a
cook out.
Labor Day Parade Paducah, Kentucky
My dad :) Driving his "Shriner's
Truck"
Shriners
- my
dad is in the Red Truck
Another
photo of my dad and his truck
Tropical Storm Grace is heading our way. It has weakened and is now a huge
blob of moisture. Looks like we will get 2-3 inches of rain on top of
all the rain we have already had. Portions of Missouri and Illinois have
had 10+ inches so far!
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Had a great time at my dads. Rained a lot, but finally that moved out and we were able to enjoy ourselves.
My dad was the cook! :) He made pork chops and everyone else brought salads and beans. The food was great and visiting with everyone was fun!
Grandmother and me through the eyes of Tyler...he is taking the pic :)
If Nancy or Larry happen to be reading this page :) Please send me an email...I don't have your email address
beaudodson @ usawx.com (remove space)
September 2, 2003
The countdown is on! My heart is
racing. I am in warrior mode. I am putting on the armor that I need to
wear in
order to take up this fight that we are about to embark on.
It will be a wild week ahead, the path is well lit now, we have
purpose, determination, and the weapons to win.
I know that my mood will swing from one
extreme to another. These are difficult days. I know that this will
all work
out but it is human to have fear. I have fear but I keep reminding myself
that I know in my heart
where this is all going. It will be fine.
----------------
Tropical Storm Grace is pouring down rain
on us this morning. I could use as much Grace as I can get :)
Four
to Five inches of rain has now fallen across portions of Massac County according
to Paducah Radar!
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Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds
fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
- song
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September 3, 2003
Seven Days In September
Since Monday there has been a sense that
everything is moving so fast. There are so many emotions, it is
impossible to try and express them. I am deep -deep in my own
world.
From the moment I awake in the morning, till I sleep at night, all I can do is
paint.
I am consumed with creating this picture that somehow will express who I
am, what I see, and how I feel.
My heartsongs, the pain, the
anger, the sadness, the happiness - these are the colors on my canvas.
I am guiding myself, my emotions, in the
direction that I need to be in order to make it through this. At night
I
whisper that prayer, that I have whispered since I was a child - "God
see me through this and surround
me with your angels"
----------------------
Hi Everyone :)
It is Wednesday Afternoon...trying to get everything finished for the big
weekend. Have not even started
packing yet.
Been running errands all day and working on things here at the apartment.
It has
been a crazy few days - the week in total will be one to remember.
Will update as much as I possibly can this weekend - if the computer works and all.
Ok heading to Massac County.
September 4, 2003
Wednesday Morning - 8 am
In less than 24 hours we will be before
the judge that will be hearing my case.
There are several questions left unanswered as we enter into this. Brett
is doing his
best to find the answers to those questions...before we get to
court.
I will be meeting with Brett tonight in Birmingham to discuss the case and the
questions
that still need to be answered.
We have done everything we can possibly do at this point to prepare for this
case.
Brett, Kristy, David, myself and others are as ready as we are ever
going to be.
Thank you to everyone that has
supported me so far on this journey. It has been an emotional
week and I
am sure it will be an emotional weekend. I will be surrounded by my
angels, what
better place could I possibly be?
I will update this as often as I possibly can! Take Care Everyone - mother
and I are leaving
Metropolis, at 12 noon, for Birmingham, Alabama! This is the day we have
waited for.
We are off to see the wizard...
Let's Roll...
Thursday Evening...
Meeting with Brett Bloomston
7:30 p.m. - discussing the latest
details on the
court case and
what to expect.
We all went out to eat at Bahama Breeze.
Corey Cox,
Norman Thackeray, Doug Thompson,
Mother, David and myself.
September 5, 2003
Before court...getting ready to leave.
Driving to court...Brett is driving - others in
front. I listened to Unspeakable
Joy on the car radio. This song has given me inspiration and
strength.
Walking into court
7:00 am - Good Morning Everyone!
Wow - today is the day. What will happen?
How will it end?
Where will be one day from now - one week from now?
I am ready for this. Brett is ready for this. We are all ready for this.
We will be before the judge at 10 a.m. this
morning. It will most likely take about
an hour or so to go through
everything, it could be longer though.
The judge will then either rule or think about it all weekend.
I will update my web page later tonight - when I am back at the hotel.
Ok I have to get ready. Here we go.
AT 11:30 A.M. THIS MORNING
THE JUDGE IN THE CASE OF|
THE STATE OF ALABAMA
VS
CHRISTOPHER BEAU DODSON
RULED...
THAT THE SEARCH WARRANT WAS ILLEGAL.
THE JUDGE THEN AGREED TO FIND IN FAVOR OF
CHRISTOPHER BEAU DODSON...AND THE
MOTION
TO SUPPRESS WAS GRANTED!!!!
THE CASE HAS BEEN THROWN OUT OF COURT.
IT IS OVER
WE WON.
I AM FOREVER THANKFUL FOR THE GROUP OF PEOPLE
THAT HAVE SUPPORTED ME THROUGH ALL OF THIS.
THE JOURNEY HAS BEEN A LONG
ONE. WE FOUGHT
A GOOD BATTLE.
WE ARE ALL VERY EXCITED...THERE ARE NO WORDS
TO REALLY
DESCRIBE THE FEELING THAT WE HAVE.
Hi Everyone...I added some photos at the bottom
It is Saturday Morning - we are all in
Atlanta. We will be here until
Monday and Tuesday. Thank you to
everyone that has sent an
email with congrats and best wishes.
Keep sending
them...I will save them all for my memory book!
It has been a remarkable 24 hours...that is
for sure!
Where do we go from here?
What is next?
Now what :)
All very good questions! Right now we
stay the course we are on.
Finish school this semester, work on some other
issues, and work on getting me a
Visa back into Canada.
We are meeting this weekend to decide on a strategy.
Someone asked me if I will continue to have the web-site - and I will.
It has been a long journey to get to
this point. Having fled America years ago - first from fear and
second to
protect my friends. I did what I thought I needed to do. It
was never easy. I didn't think I would survive
the first year. There were days that we laid in bed and thought
about how to end it all. But, we held on.
I don't know why we held on at times - but we did. Making a new
life for ourselves - Ricky and myself.
We withstood storms. We moved
more than 10 times. Trying to stay one step ahead of our own
fears.
Through three countries and several cities. We made our way to
freedom - as we saw it. Yet that
freedom ended up being our own prison. Away from family, away from
friends, away from America.
Now that is over. Now I am free.
The clouds have been swept away. I get to start over. I am
able
to put behind me the past and move forward. I know that I made
mistakes. I know that I don't
deserve anything. I am blessed to be where I am now and I will
never forget that. I will never
forget where I have been. How difficult it has been.
I do not know what tomorrow will
bring. I know there are great things in store for all of us.
Dreams
to be fulfilled.
- I am free.
After court I shook the arresting
officers hand and thanked him for saving my life. I told him
that he probably saved my life that night. He was grateful for my
acknowledgment of that.
I believe in my heart that is true. He did save my life that
night. He helped me wake up.
It was a defining point in my life. After all those years of
helping people, I fell. I fell
hard. Crashed and crushed. No other words for it. But,
I made it. I lived another
day - to tell this story. Now I am free!
FRIDAY EVENING...
VICTORY.......
|
BRETT AND ME
Kristy greets me back at Brett's
Office
Definitely one happy person right now
Champaign....to celebrate
Brett Bloomston
THANK YOU EVERYONE....THANK YOU THANK YOU
THANK YOU!
FOREVER MY SONG...ANGEL - NOW I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THAT
SECOND CHANCE THAT I SUNG, THROUGH HER SONG,
FOR SO LONG!
Angel
Spend
all your time waiting
for that second chance
for a break that would make it okay
there's always one reason
to feel not good enough
and it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
oh beautiful release
memory seeps from my veins
let me be empty
and weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight
in
the arms of an angel
Sarah - Angel
Walking into court...
Giving Kristy the good news!
Back at Brett's Office with my mother
Norman, Mother, and David - after court.
***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***
--------------------------------
EMAILS and Messages, from my friends
----------------------------------------------
It's wonderful news
Beau...CONGRATULATIONS!!
--
Claire MacDonald
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Beau
There are songs now that will forever be
you. Sweet surrender. Angels. Ah, Sarah! But there are also songs
that they
don't play on the radio...and they're the songs
I'll hear like a hum when I'm at home, on the couch, imagining you. Your
freedom, Beau, was never in
question to me. Your heart was proof of that, and I
saw it in so many ways that my life will forever be
inspired by the spirit that
is you.
You were always free, to me, because in this amazing world you are the one who
did not allow fear, or
convention, or circumstances to cloud the empathy,
compassion, and love that you freely share, that
is evident in every gesture, in
every simple act, in every motion.
And yet, my heart exploded to know that you, today, would feel a victory, an
unleashing, that those bonds of
the past would at last be thrown off and you
could walk under God's skies knowing that you had His grace, that
he had
recognized that whatever had happened once upon a time that there were other
things He had in mind, that
He had other plans, and dammit, he wasn't going to
let anything stand in the way of that.
Today, the world recognized that you are free, and maybe it took them a while to
catch up, but the delay will just
mean that you've had time to deepen the pool
of love, to color it with the beautiful sadness, and to now allow you
to drink,
drink, so deep, of all that joy which would never exist without you in the
world.
your brother, forever, doug
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Beau.... Congratulations my friend!!!! Brian
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OMG thats GREAT!!!! congrats!!!!! i still hear the Angel song from time to time. WOW, i cant believe its all over!!!!!!!!! BJ
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You my friend have a new lease on life...
Brett Bloomston ---------------------------------------------- A butterfly is now FREE ...Amen! to the Lord above. I am so thankful for those trials that comes our way cause at the end of every storm, a rainbow will appear and we'll appreciate life more than more you think. And those voices of Angels singing and praying for this butterfly to be free, is now vividly FREE... .....and so for you Beau, spread your wings and fly.
Erick ----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
would be kinda hard to cut an angels wings off, let alone have him imprisoned.
---------------------------------------------- Congrats! ..Chris..
----------------------------------------------
am so happy this is all over.
---------------------------------------------- CONGRATULATIONS, Beau. I am so pleased to hear the news. You must be absolutely elated this evening, and I hope you enjoy a wonderful celebration with those who are with you tonight. Again, my heart-felt gratitude to you and your legal team who fought so diligently to bring this case to a successful conclusion. Enjoy!! Dave ----------------------------------------------
Congratulations!
Bryen ---------------------------------------------- Congratulations! Very nice.
Shawn ----------------------------------------------
I'm happy everything went well... I know you are relieved...wish I could have been more help.
Brandon ----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations!! I know you must feel like
a new person with all of this
behind you!! I just wanted to let you know how
happy I am for you and your family.
I hope there will always be an angel
in your shadow looking out for you. :)
Jena
-----------------------------------------------------
Hi Beau
Absolutely thrilled to hear the wonderful news! Sometimes
there is justice
in this world & good things happen to good people. Congratulations to
you & all your "helpers"! Love & best
wishes on
your future endeavours.
Carol
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that now you grasp your new life and soar high above us all. Looking back and
remembering that first day and looking at you now, I am amazed.
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Beau,
Since Friday's triumph, I have given a lot of thought to the meaning of
FREEDOM.
When I first met you, your life was constrained within a dark place devoid of
family, growth
and spirit. It was heart breaking to see you waning away in
that environment.
You were a caterpillar locked inside a cocoon.
Slowly, you started to emerge from that cocoon – to see your family again –
to allow yourself to have some fun – to set goals – to DREAM. A
beautiful butterfly emerged from its cocoon and spread its wings for the first
time – AND FLY!
But this butterfly was restrained within a jar – continuously flying into the
glass walls that were its prison – able to see the beauty of the world around
it – but never able to fully experience its wonder. Erick conveyed this
image to me before we left for Atlanta. He said that his prayers would be
with us on Friday hoping that we would smash that jar – forever.
Friday morning was like a dream – we all awoke to find broken pieces of glass
everywhere. The butterfly soared into a meadow of endless flowers and
DREAMS.
This is FREEDOM – the power to act or speak or think without externally
imposed restraints.
DREAM BEAUTIFUL DREAMS, BEAU!
David
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Beau,
This is really great news. God has given you a new start. Run with
it...carefully/prayerfully!
Please stay in touch.
-Cal
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Amazing news, now you can get on
with your life and not have this hanging over your shoulder anymore. I'm very
glad to hear that this has all come out well for you.
Take care and keep in touch.
Dru
-----------------------------------------------------
I am glad you were given this second
opportunity by so many people. I hope you take it and run but just remember
where you started from. I hope you finish your schooling, travel, and spend time
with good friends in Canada. Just like you have been thinking about for the past
3 years.
Dione
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Congrats!
Bobby
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FREE AT LAST.....FREE AT LAST....THANK GOD
ALMIGHTY I'm FREE AT LAST :)
It has taken about 48 hours to sink in - I am still not sure it has sunk in
though
But I am starting to realize that the cage
that has surrounded this bird for so long...has now been removed!!!
I am
FREE...I AM FREE
What is next?
SHADOW ANGEL
Passions....Passions...Passions....Passions.........Passions........Passions
I will follow my passions
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Email: beaudodson @ usawx.com (remove space)
Derek Dodson
Beau Dodson