MEMORIES CANNOT BE WASHED AWAY

He used be a teacher, a hiker, a nature lover. But all that changed for Clark Mahoney about 18 months ago.

Now he’s an ex-prisoner, a victim of an overzealous California penal system that found him guilty of a crime he didn’t commit.

Clark once taught in the same elementary school as my sister-in-law Karen here in the Los Angeles area. Now, he’ll never be able to teach children again.

When we visited Karen two years ago, his case was in the process of going to the courts. As there's an appeal in the works, suffice it to say that he was charged with an offense based on the flimsiest of evidence. Despite his protestations of innocence and the testimony of friends, he was incarcerated for eight months in a medium security facility.

Clark wrote about his prison experience in a book entitled Memories Cannot be Washed Away. It’s an amazing account of a courageous man’s struggle to find hope in an oppressive environment. What makes the book unique is that each page contains not only the author’s personal refllections but also a supportive message from a friend or family member, a ray of hope for the embattled Clark.

On one page early in the book, he writes ;

The end of all that was good and fun and meaningful is upon me. I must open my eyes to the reality that lies here: that I am alone and my battle is mine to fight.

A friend rejoins;

Circumstances are temporary but character is forever. I believe in you.

As the book unfolds, we see a wonderful transformation take place, a decision to rise above the injustice and create the best of a difficult situation.

Clark describes it this way:

I reflect on the things that I have learned over the years, advice from my friends, guidance from my parents, counsel from those who cared, armor, armor that I brought with me, armor that was sent to me, daily, in letters.

I look in front of me and see two paths, happiness lying in one direction and misery in the other. I realize that the choice is mine to make. I realize that this horrible place, like all the places we visit, is only temporary, and more of a challenge of the mind than of the body. So, I stand up, wipe the dirt from my hands, and stretch my wings.

In a small way, his experience reminds me of my recent cancer challenge and my attempts to wipe the dirt from my hands and to don the armor provided by friends.

I hope to meet Clark before I leave California. The world needs more heroes like him.