"Bill Letter not dated
Thank you for the letter and jokes! I enjoyed them both. I write to you in great health and spirits and pray this finds you and yours in similar condition.
You asked do I read and the answer is yes. I love to read and do so daily. Right now, I'm reading a book from the "Game of Thrones" series (HBO has a series based on the books) and I'm on the 5th one, "Dance with Dragons". I myself would love to write novels one of these days and have written down some ideas for a book.
It made my heart smile to hear that you and your daughter have reunited. I'm very happy for you and hope y'all have many years of love and friendship ahead. You're a great guy and it's only time before the rest of your family see the truth and if they don't; it's their loss......
.......................Thank you for working on a pen-pal. Give me the game on how I can get 75 penpals. K. (Poppa* had around 75 pen-pals when I was incarcerated.) Take care and keep your head up!
Love and respect,
Austin"
"Bill 7-21-13
Hello my dearest friend! Let me start by saying thank you for the $. I made it to the store a few days before my B-day, so I was able to eat a nice meal. I also put a blue slip in for some shoes and a radio. I can't wait to put some fresh sneakers on my feet........
How are things going in your world? I pray that this letter finds you in great health and spirits. I'm doing great and been working out a lot. I've been trying to discipline myself to practice yoga daily. I got a book from the library called "Yoga: The poetry of the body" and so far it's very illuminating. When I can force myself to be still and focus my energy on yoga, I feel great during and afterwards...........
............Once again, thank you for the $ you sent. I consider myself truly blessed to have such a wonderful person in my corner. Don't you ever forget that I will always be your friend and if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or just a sympathetic ear I'm always gonna be here for you. Keep up all the good works and please take care of yourself. I'm so proud of you!
Love always,
Austin"
Stuart Austin Busby's Home Page.
"Dear Bill 11-10-12
Thank You so much for the letter and postcard you sent.
Things are uneventful over here and we're still on lockdown and will be thru Thanksgiving. Hopefully, we can get a hot meal instead of these Johnny Sacks. I've lost over 10 pounds of muscle so far and they seem to be intent on starving us half to death. I'm ready for a camping trip! We can fry up spam and home fries over the fire and feast like kings...
...In your last letter, you asked about my Mother. She lives in a town called Bay City and I rarely hear from her. The last visit I had with her had to be shortly after you and I met when I went back on bench warrant for 2 weeks....
....You were wondering how I sign my letters and I still go by my nickname in here. Tho, my special friends know me as Austin. :-) Austin is my middle name and was also my Grandfather from my Father's side. (That was already passed on before I was born.)
Hey, I just got done reading two great books, "The girl with the dragon tattoo" and "The girl who played with fire". I loved them both and there is a 3rd book to the series called "The girl who kicked the hornets nest" that I hope to read soon. I need to get started on my novel cause that stretch limo with chicken and pepsi sounds great! I wish I had a good how to book on writing a novel that talks about pacing, plot, character development and the creative writing process. I truly don't know the mechanics to writing a sellable story.
I'm hoping to get one of those newsletters, "Blessings Beyond Bars" soon and would love to get a calendar if you can get me hooked up! :-) You need to tell me how I can get 75 people to correspond with me like you had. What's the secret? Any penpals you shoot my way, I will gladly write. I need more communication with the outside world to remind me what I'm missing.
I thought that was just the sweetest thing that you and your Aunt Mary have been penpals all your life. I bet that she is a rare individual and you're very lucky to have her in your life......
Congratulations on your job! Is it what you have been looking for? I'm proud of you and know that you will do great. How could they not like you? You're smart, sweet and energetic, so they made a good choice if you ask me. :-) Also, Thank You for the postcard. I love cows!............
Love and respect,
Austin"
Poppa* met Stuart in December of 2004 shortly after he was incarcerated. Stuart went by the nickname, "Buzz". Poppa* met Buzz at the Holliday Unit in Huntsville, Texas. Buzz was only 21 at the time they met. The Holliday Unit is an intake facility of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Buzz was also newly inducted to TDCJ. Buzz is a delightful young man and he has a very positive spirit even though he is saddled with a 99 year sentence.
Buzz was always working out and full of energy. He was very popular in the dorm because of his outgoing personality.
But, one evening, Buzz was not his usual self. He was laying in his upper bunk and he looked rather melancholy. Poppa* questioned him about it and Buzz confided in Poppa* that he was concerned about his very long sentence. He was concerned about not being able to be with his family and especially his ailing Mother.
Poppa* immediately asked Buzz if he could say a Prayer for the young man. Without hesitation, Buzz said, "SURE!" And right then and there, Poppa* and Buzz prayed together.
Shortly after that, Poppa* was transferred to the Duncan Unit in Diboll, Texas and I didn't know if I would ever see him again.
"Bill 3-22-13
I'm sorry that it took so long to write back again. I've been unable to use indigent since I had a balance of $5.00 . They have not had any toothpaste or deodorant for 5 months in the store and I've been saving the $5.00 just for that. Well, I went to store today and got a deodorant (I've been out for 3 weeks.) and got two stamps. They sold the last toothpaste to the guy in front of me. :-( I only have enough toothpaste to last about a week and that's stretching it. It's truly enough to make a man crazy! LOL!...........
............I want to thank you again for the $ you sent and mostly for the letters and love you send. I'm very blessed to have you in my corner and wish I could do more for you in return...........BRB :-)
3-28-13
..........I'm back! Sorry it took so long to finish this letter; when I went to rec last Friday, I ended up breaking my ankle playing handball. I'm going crazy being crippled and limping around on crutches! I feel so helpless and hate that I'm missing all this cool, Spring weather to play handball.
Well, I pray all is well with you and yours and would enjoy a detailed account of how your days are progressing..........I'm looking forward to being able to hear your voice again. I'm also so proud of you doing so well and making your dreams become a reality. Keep up the good work and stay outta trouble. I'll kick your butt if I catch you in this place again!...
Well, my days have been super boring lately so I've little to talk about. I guess I will end this so I can get it out in the morn. I Love You tons and hope to hear from you soon.
Love always,
Austin"
"Dear Bill, 9-9-13
I got the letter about the drawing contest you sent. I'm going to try and enter the contest myself.
Hey, I'm sorry for not writing to you more. I've really been lost lately... I have drifted away from my relationship with God and my soul has been troubled. I feel that I've squandered my life and this 99 yr sentence is weighing heavily upon me. I don't have any kind of relationship with my family and it's killing me inside. I try to push it away and soldier on, but we got to deal with it. What should I do?..........
.............I'm going to try for a timecut soon and pray I can get some relief. Hell, if I got my time dropped to a 30, I would come up in 15 yrs and would then be able to get assistance as far as school is concerned. I just don't know what to do and feel like my life is stalled out and I'm powerless to get it moving. WTF!
I want to thank you for all of your support and love you send. I would be devastated if I lost you! You're such a great person and I love you dearly.
I pray this finds you well and hope to hear from you again soon. Take care and be safe.
With Love and Respect,
Austin
P.S. Thank you for being such a great friend!"
You may write Buzz at:
Stuart Austin Busby
01267745 Stiles
3060 FM 3514
​Beaumont, TX 77705-7635
"Bill 2-10-13
Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you so much for the card you sent....
....... The wind is really blowing out of the south right now and the humidity is terrible!...... I played handball (doubles) yesterday and ran the court the whole time so my old joints could use the rest.
....... I feel like the clock is ticking on my Mother's health also and need my minimum custody so I can have a much needed contact visit with her...
Well I guess I'm going to cut this off for now before I eat this letter - LOL (He had told me earlier in the letter that he was hungry and his stomach was growling.) I Love You and pray this finds you in great health and spirits. Take care of yourself and stay out of trouble. I hope to hear from you soon. Muwah!
Love always,
Austin"
"Bill This letter was not dated. It was received 2-09-13
I was so glad to hear from you. I'm still alive and making my time fly by. I truly thought I had wrote to you last and you just didn't respond. During the holidays, I wrote a bunch of heartfelt letters to family and friends and never even got a card in return. I guess it kind of left me jaded. I won't put you in that category again. Okay. :-)
Well, I'm glad to hear that things are going good for you. I admire the focus that you have in life and pray you continue to prosper. All you need do is stay outta trouble and you can't lose. I'm really proud of you!...........
............. I don't want to ruin the mood, but I also have bad news. My Mother wrote and told me she has Alzheimer's disease. Her Mother had it and my Mom's the one who took care of her til she passed. I have not seen my Mom in over 8 years and it's been since the day I robbed the bank that I hugged or kissed her. I feel so powerless since I can't take care of her. I don't even know what will become of her when she gets really sick. Please keep her (Nonnie) in your prayers for me......
............. Hey, I almost forgot to say thanks. Thanks! I got a letter from Nitta in Hong Kong the other day. It was a pleasant surprise to get her letter and she seems really sweet and bright. Her birthday is this month and I'm going to draw a nice card for her. I've never had an overseas penpal before and hope Nitta and I become good friends.
I also want to thank you for the offer to send $. I'm broke as a joke right now and can truly use the help. Hopefully when we make store on the 14th they will have toothpaste and deodorant. It's been over 2 months since they have had those two items in stock. They say that the contract expired, but this is getting crazy! My celly and I are sharing a deodorant and I have a week's worth of toothpaste left. You're a really great friend and I'm blessed to have you in my corner.
I'm sorry that this letter is so short, but my life is so boring right now. All I do is read, workout, do yoga and try to keep from going crazy.......... I hope that this letter finds you in great health and spirits. I Love You and hope to hear from you soon. Keep up the good work!
Much Love,
Austin"
Poppa* received a letter from Buzz dated 8-16-12.
"Bill,
Wow! I was so surprised to hear from you and yes I remember you. :-)
Thank you so much for the B-day Card. (His Birthday is 7-18-1982.) It was one of only two cards that I received this year.
Well, I'm very glad to hear you're out and doing well and I pray this letter finds you in great health and spirits. Things have been crazy for me since we parted ways. I've been in riots, lost family and been doing this time without much support of any kind. I can say that I have my health and my mental state under control, so I can't complain. Much. LOL! Hell, you may not recognize me still. I look like a Men's Fitness magazine model from all the workin' out I've done over the years..............
.............Bill, my friend, it really is great to hear from you and I hope we can continue to correspond..........
.............................................Much love,
Stuart"
"Bill, This letter was not dated
How are you doing these days? Are you in your apartment yet? I sure hope that you are out of that crappy 1/2way house already.
I'm sorry I took so long to respond to your wonderful letters. I can't explain what's wrong with me these days; all I do is exist and try to forget about the free-world. I read novels, workout and sleep to kill the daylight hours. I'm healthy as a horse and yes, my body is very fine still, but my heart has grown cold..........
...............I think your idea of The Felony Ranch is great. What's your vision of the place look like? Give me details! :-)
I would love to be a part of The Felony Foundation when I touch down one day. I think you're such a great man for all the love you give back to this forlorn place...........
..........Really, I need more good friends like you who are able to help me out on $ now and again. The holidays really suck when you don't have anything at all. You have done more for me this last year than my family has in my whole time gone and I'm truly grateful.............
............I love you so much and hope this finds you're doing well. Take care of yourself and stay out of trouble!
Love and Respect,
Austin"
Buzz was born on July 18th. His zodiac sign is Cancer. As a Cancer born on this day, he is a very creative person. His Horoscope also defines him as a cheerful person. People born on July 18 can be defined as transforming just as rapidly as the Moon, attentive and intuitive.
"Bill, 9-18-12
How are you? I got your post card. Thank You so much! It's great to hear my name at mail call. :-) I write to you in good health and spirits and pray I find you and yours in similar condition.
Well, things are going ok on my end and I'm staying out of trouble and holding tight to my sanity. :-) So, how does it feel to be free again? If and when I make it out of here, I want to go camping for about 2 weeks and sleep under the stars. I've had enough of small spaces and razor topped fences to last forever and would be at peace in the woods. I'm a country boy at heart and miss the smells and sounds of nature....
How are you doing finding work? I know it's tough going, but keep at it and you will find what you are looking for and I will keep you in my prayers. I wish I could get a paying job so I could take care of myself and help out my Mother. I should be out there with her living with me. I can't think about it too much, least I burst into tears.........
I'm so glad to have you to write to and hope to hear from you soon. Take care and keep your head up.
Love and respect,
Austin"
"Bill Letter received in July 2013 (Not dated)
Thank You so much for the letter you sent. It truly made me smile; it also had me laughing! :-)
Well, I will take the T.H.E.A. test on 7-12, so I will tell you next time how it goes. I'm kinda nervous. Math is totally not my strong point. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I know I can! LOL! I'm sure I will pass, tho I still worry.
Also, thanks for the pictures you sent. You look sharp and ready for business. I can't wait to get out and dress up nice again. White is just not my color! LOL! I would love to dress up in an Armani style suit and tie; like a Wall Street stock broker.
How are you enjoying this dreadful heat? It's crazy hot down here in Beaumont. I heard that four inmates have already died in the system due to heat related injury. That is so messed up! My old fan is working overtime and I fear it won't last so the first thing I'm going to buy with the $ you send is get a new one. Thank You so much for the offer to send $. I'm going to get some new Balance shoes also. It's been since 2008 since I had new shoes. Hell, I've only had one new pair of shoes the whole time I've been gone........
.........Thank You so much for being such a good friend to me. I'm so glad you kept my info all these years and wrote to me. You're a true blessing and I Love You tons! Keep doing your thang and live your life to the fullest! I'm very proud of you and hope to hear from you again soon.
My B-day is on the 18th and I will be 31! Dang, how the years have flown! Take care and know you're always in my thoughts and prayers.
With Love
and Respect,
Austin
P.S. Thank You for the Prayer for my Mother. My Sis says she is doing well!"
Poppa* reconnected with Buzz shortly after his release and return to Dallas, TX.
Poppa* was released on June 12th, 2012. I was living at The Dallas Transitional Center which was a half-way house. It was a horrible facility.
I had started forming The Felony Foundation and I was assembling our Partner Roster. I had Stuart's contact information and I sent him a letter to re-kindle our friendship...