My colleague and friend, Constance, came by the hospital to visit us. With her she brought a huge stack of "Welcome to the World, Scarlett" letters, written by the detained youth in the Maxium Security Unit of the Juvenile Justice Center, where I work. Those young men were so happy to welcome you to the world. Some of them claimed you as their sister, cousin, or even their own. They loved you so much throughout the pregnancy and treated me better than I ever imagined they would. They would quiet each other down during the class saying "Shh. there is a baby in the room." And each day many of them would ask me if they could feel you and they would rub my belly really gently. They loved you. They all wanted to know your name so badly. I told them your name was a secret and that it started with an "S" and so they nicknamed you "Secret", asking every day how you were doing. Those young men didn't let me pick up a book or do anything that exerted energy, and if a newer student started to misbehave, they stood up for me and you. It was truly amazing and I felt incredible support from those young men. I'm dying to take you in there to introduce you to them, but I do not think that the institution will allow you to enter the maximum security unit...yet. So they reached out, beyond the walls, with their letters. Here are a few quotes:
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