Farewell My Friend
–Farewell My Friend–
Me: "Thank you, my friend, I love you."
Mr. Conrad: Gently stares into my soul with his big brown eyes and perks his floppy ears up, trying to understand my silly human language.
Conrad doesn't know it yet, but today is our last day together. In a few short hours, he will walk out of this cold metal cell door for the final time and leave my life forever.
The thought of my best friend in prison being "gone for good" brings A LOT of complicated emotions into this already overwhelming prison journey.
I'm not gonna lie, Conrad's well-deserved graduation day is taking a way bigger toll on my heart and spirit than I originally anticipated. Currently, I'm doing everything I can to NOT just burst into an embarrassing ugly cry.
To celebrate Conrad's last day in federal prison, I thought it would be fun to write a farewell letter addressed to my furry friend.
All these long and lonely days behind barbwire have taught me to ALWAYS be thankful for what I DO HAVE. I've learned that practicing gratitude daily is the best way to show appreciation for all the blessings remaining and emerging in my life.
The letter I wrote to Mr. Conrad below is my teary-eyed attempt to say "THANK YOU" to a dear friend. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to memorialize and share the massive impact C-RAD has had on my life.
****WARNING: Get your tissues ready because we're gonna be ugly crying together on this one
Dear Mr. Conrad,
As I write this letter inside our prison cell, you’re comfortably curled up, sleeping quietly by my side.
In a few short hours, we will go for one last long "walkie" around this familiar federal prison compound.
To you, Conrad, this "stride for stride stroll" will feel like one of the hundreds we have taken together before. But my dear friend, at the end of this particular afternoon walk, we will part ways forever.
You, my friend, are moving one step closer to fulfilling your destiny of becoming a SUPER SERVICE DOG!!!
Conrad, there is a family in crisis out there that desperately needs you right now. Buddy, they need a SUPER HERO in a red service dog cape.
You, sir, are going to be a walking miracle for your forever family. Conrad, you are going to save them just like you saved me. Some hurting and scared family is about to get a big brown-eyed guardian angel.
Conrad, thank you for being YOU and allowing me to be a part of your epic service dog journey.
I'm so proud of you, Mr. Conrad.
I've personally had the privilege of watching you overcome every obstacle thrown your way. Conrad, you have proved all the naysayers wrong and graduated at the top of your class.
Getting to be your Prison Puppy Trainer has helped me become a better person in every possible way.
You, my friend, rescued me from the deep dark pit of prison. Conrad, you gave me the gift of a second chance at life.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
I will be forever grateful for our friendship and the priceless memories together. We have had some SERIOUS adventures behind barbwire, buddy. Conrad, I'm thankful for every minute we have spent together.
Mr. Conrad, I hope you know how much I believe in you and admire the fact you will NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR PEOPLE.
My big brown-eyed friend, I just looked at the clock and it's time. Let's go on that last long walk together.
I LOVE YOU, CONRAD.
GO SAVE YOUR FOREVER FAMILY!!!!
Sincerely,
Brett (Your Blessed Prison Puppy Trainer)
– A Note From Noél –
Well… I don’t know about you, but I’m 100% ugly crying after reading Brett’s farewell letter to Mr. Conrad.
Just the thought of my husband sitting all alone in his dimly lit prison cell shatters my already aching heart.
I know Conrad’s unconditional love brought an indescribable level of joy into Brett’s daily life behind barbed wire. This big brown-eyed dog allowed meaning and purpose to enter into my husband’s prison journey.
Mr. Conrad, even though I never had the pleasure of meeting you in person, I hope you know that you will forever be a part of our Bartlett family.
Cambria, Willow, Lula, Zion, and I want to personally thank you for keeping our favorite person in the world safe and showing Brett so much love when he needed it most.
WE LOVE YOU, CONRAD!!!
Now go save your forever family. They need a big brown-eyed miracle just like we did.
You, Conrad, are a real Bartlett because you NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR PEOPLE!!!
Congrats on graduating from federal prison, big guy. We are all so incredibly proud of you.
In honor of Mr. Conrad’s well-deserved graduation day, I have a pretty BIG announcement to make:
As of today, “SPEAK DOG” is an OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED BOOK!!!!!!
I seriously can’t believe that as I write this letter, copies of SPEAK DOG are being printed into a big beautiful book. All of this is kind of blowing my mind right now. hahaha.
Thank you to everyone who placed advanced orders of SPEAK DOG when it was just a concept. Your trust and encouragement helped make all of this possible and gave me the strength to persevere on the hard nights.
Man oh man… transforming Brett’s original handwritten manuscript from prison into a polished and published book was 1,000,000 times harder than I ever expected.
But just like Mr. Conrad… we Bartletts NEVER GIVE UP AND WE ALWAYS FIND A WAY!!!
Look, I know I’m biased, BUT this book is truly special. Brett will even tell you that “something” happened while he was writing the manuscript in prison. It’s like God took over his pencil and said, “I GOT THIS.”
I promise you have NEVER read a book like SPEAK DOG. Be prepared to laugh until your cheeks hurt, cry happy tears chapter after chapter, and learn breakthrough dog-training strategies directly from Brett and Mr. Conrad.
I mean… what other book combines prison stories, adorable puppies, and God’s purpose woven through all of this mess?
Gosh, I’m so dang proud to publish SPEAK DOG and spread its beautiful message around the world.
I also know this book will help bring Brett one step closer to returning home. Instead of letting prison break him, Brett wrote a 55,000-word manuscript by hand that will change lives. This is who my husband REALLY is — and now the world will know it.
Brett, I’m so amazed by you. Thank you for all your hard work and for making me a Proud Prison Wife.
Ok everyone, below is the OFFICIAL link to the first book ever published by me/ Proud Prison Wives. I’m so grateful for all of your support and for helping spread the SPEAK DOG message. I could not have done any of this without you.
(Tap the picture below or Scroll down and click the shop now button to check it out!)
Love all of you so much.
Let’s freakin’ bring Brett home together.
With Love and Endless Gratitude,
Noél (A Proud Prison Wife & Publisher)
