Ten Simple Blessings Behind Bars

This article was originally published in the Franklin News-Post.

Part of what we do through our ministry, My Brothers’ Crossing, is a jail and prison ministry.  We connect with people who are incarcerated at the local, regional or state level.  For the next two columns I submit, I’ll share a writing that I received from one of these men.  His name is Randy.  This week, I’m sharing the first four of the blessings that he currently counts in his life.  In two weeks, I’ll complete the column with the last six blessings.


There are certainly consequences for our actions.  The people to whom my wife and I minister through this outreach do not deny this truth. They acknowledge the behaviors and choices they have made that have resulted in their incarceration.  Personally, I use to hold a dim and harsh view toward those who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law.  But through repentance and forgiveness, we can be restored.  We want to be evidence of God’s love and hope that we’ve been shown.


Christmas, or any holiday for that matter, is a difficult time for those who are incarcerated.  The usual isolation one experiences in prison is magnified may times during the holidays.  Some inmates miss friends and family.  Even a visit from a loved one does little to allay this problem, because the visitation is brief, and then the inmate must return to the desolation of his cell for the duration of the holiday.


Some inmates find the holidays difficult, because the holiday season reminds them of traumatic experiences with loved ones; whether from the loss of loved ones or from the remembrances of events best forgotten.  Many inmates are sullen, moody, and very difficult at this time of year.  Since I am incarcerated, I can relate to this difficulty.  For my first five years of incarceration, all I wanted was for the holiday to end as soon as possible.


In prison, we have no Christmas decorations, no friends or family, and most definitely no good Christmas meal.  After many years of incarceration, I now focus more on the things that I have always loved about the holiday season.  I especially focus on the things about which I can count as blessings, even in prison.  Where once there were the Twelve Days of Christmas, now there are my Ten Simple Blessings Behind Bars.


God is my first blessing.  He is always with me and undoubtedly responsible for my altered perspective on holidays behind bars.  God helps me not to dwell on what is lost.  He helps me focus on being as positive of an influence as possible here in prison; doing for others is a way to give to others.  This giving is not limited to the holidays.  Giving of yourself and your time can and should continue throughout the year.  Helping others helps you stay positive in all aspects of life.


Friendship is my second blessing.  Even after two decades in prison, I still have two old friends who have not forgotten me.  Sue and Bill are very special people and I am sure that I do not appreciate their friendship and loyalty as much as I should.  Additionally, I have several friends here in prison.  Generally speaking, they are not your typical inmates.  Most are older, well-educated, and quiet, thoughtful people who lost control of their lives for a brief time. They must not spend the rest of their days behind bars.


My third blessing is J.T., with whom I became acquainted over two years ago.  His friendship and encouragement is invaluable.  I always feel invigorated after speaking to him on the phone.  He encourages both my artwork and my writing.  If everyone in the world were as supportive and kind as he, then the world would be a much better, kinder, and less stressful place.  People would smile more, engage each other more, and be happier.


Believe it or not, cancer is my fourth blessing.  It has brought me much closer to God.  Cancer is not necessarily the curse that most people believe it to be.  For me, truly, it is a gift from God.  I consider myself lucky to have been blessed with it.

My fifth blessing is artwork, which has been a major factor in my ability to survive cancer in the last decade.  I have always loved art and started doing it at a young age, but I never forgot to continue this love over the years.  In prison, I have been able to reconnect with my creativity, and it has been wonderful.  For me, art functions much like meditation.  When creating a picture, I cease to be in prison.  I am within my landscape or whatever the picture of the day may be.  Plus, making and creating pictures gives me a tangible purpose, something to hold, touch and know that I created. It provides a feeling of accomplishment and purpose.  The fact that others seem to enjoy it is just icing on the cake.


I am probably lucky not to experience too many episodes of senility at my age, so my sixth blessing in my memory, which is still excellent. I vividly remember holidays with family and friends, and I draw upon these happy memories to make my life more tolerable at this time of year.  I am fortunate to have so many pleasant memories.


Music is my seventh blessing.  Holiday music conjures up memories of happier times.  When I hear certain holiday songs, I can almost smell the wonderful aromas that came from my mother’s kitchen as she baked and prepared for the holidays. Both music and aromas filled the house.


My eighth blessing is my reduced ability to hear.  Yes, I can still hear, but many times I have found that my ability to distinguish conversational words clearly has wanted.  This is a blessing, because in prison, the conversations around you are impossible to avoid and usually not worth hearing.  Now that my hearing acuity is failing, I simply do not have to hear these conversations.  If I ever get the hearing aid that an E.N.T. specialist advised was needed, then I shall have to remember to wear it selectively.


My ninth blessing is my undiminished, sometimes slightly sick sense of humor.  It helps me survive in prison.  Others may wonder why I am smiling.  It is usually easier to say that I thought of something very humorous rather than ne totally honest.  Many people in prison have no sense of humor.  I do not mind when told that I am always smiling.  There is no much in the world that is humorous.  Why not enjoy it?


Finally, my tenth blessing is my ability, over the years, to remain true to myself.  Yes, I am institutionalized.  I try to maintain a schedule. It is rigid, and it rarely varies.  Still, I am who I once was, plus twenty years.  Everyone in prison gets tattoos, but I have none, except for the tiny dots given to me at VCU for cancer radiation treatments.  I wear my hair in the same style that I always have.  I even cut my own hair in order to be assured that this doesn’t change.  I have none of the usual prison interests: gangs, football, basketball, cards, or gambling.  I do not seek out drugs or some other means of getting high, and I do not sleep all day and night.  I am blessed that prison has changed me so little.


My identity is intact, and I thank God for this fact.  Ten simple blessings have enabled me to remain myself.  If you have friends, family, and your freedom, then you are blessed.


I think there is much for each of us to consider in Randy’s message. God’s word reminds us to be thankful in all situations.  While most of those reading this column have likely never been incarcerated, how many of us have been imprisoned spiritually?  As we prepare to start a new year, a new decade – it is past time to take countenance of all the ways that Jehovah Jireh provides for our every need.