Grace In the Meantime: The Power of Vision
While serving out her 10-year sentence for a non-violent crime at the Lee Arrendale State Prison for Women in Alto, GA, Sassy Harrison could often be found tucked away scribbling notes in a composition book. A free spirit, Sassy hated the restriction that incarceration inflicted on her life. In writing, she found solace: “[I] had to quickly realize that the only way to escape my surroundings was in my own head. [The authorities] had physical control but nothing could stop me from dreaming.”
And dream she did.
While behind bars, Sassy began to meticulously plan what life would be like on the outside. In her notebooks, she wrote down audacious dreams of publishing a book and becoming a motivational speaker. She jotted down dreams of owning her own company and designed its future website on paper. She began to pen her memoir by hand.
In 2015, three years into her sentence, Sassy sentence was commuted to time served. Despite her plans, re-entry to society proved to be difficult. The sense of structure and stability that prison offered was no more, leaving her to fend for herself. She began working odd jobs to make ends meet. More than once, she lost employment and was forced to move when she revealed her status as a felon. “If I had pride before, I certainly didn’t have it afterwards” she said.
Not one to give up easily, Sassy held on to the visions she penned in prison and relied on her relationship with God for strength to keep pressing forward. The journey wasn’t easy, but piece by piece, Sassy began to rebuild her life.
If you were to read Sassy’s journals today, it would be difficult to distinguish what were once dreams from current reality. Every goal that she set for herself behind bars has either been accomplished or is actively in progress. In 2018, she published her memoir, Loving Me In Spite of Me. Today, she tours as a motivational speaker and helps countless lives by sharing her personal testimony on “Sassy Says,” a segment on the on the weekly radio broadcast “Sunny’s World.”
A self-proclaimed “Grace Case,” Sassy is a reminder that it’s not how you start, but how you finish. Congratulations Sassy! We love to see you win!
#GraceintheMeantime #thegraceinthemeantimeproject #gracefeature #gracecase #sassysaysso
Written by: Syreeta Collier
Subscribe to UStyle Magazine and stay Up-To-Date and In-The-Know with the latest!
