Hello my love It’s Sunday evening - sky has been clear most of the day - but relatively cold. I made it to church today - had to leave my sweater in the car - they always have the heat on in the building - probably wouldn’t be so bad, but the people add extra heat. I’m not the only one who feels it - the lady who sits in front of me is usually fanning herself too :) I was right the other night - internet went down right after I saved the first half of this message. By the time it came back up I was sleeping- it seems like it takes forever! I’m sorry you didn’t get your birthday card in time for your birthday - I’ll probably mail it tomorrow or Tuesday - hopefully you’ll get it before Christmas! I love you - gonna go to bed and pretend you’re there to snuggle with....hope you’re feeling well Always your Jeannie
Dearest Guy It is Lyn writing to you. I have missed our letters. We had to suddenly move around 15 months ago, our lease was not renewed and we were so close to being homeless We have a lot older and smaller house, but only half the rent at $260.00 a week. Our new address is: 11 Alan Crescent, Burton, South Australia, Australia We don’t have a lot of money, but I will send you what I can after Christmas for stamps. I will write soon. Your friend always, Lynette Brunato
Hello Christopher. Unfortunately there was a big portion of your letter that was blanked out,a third of the way down on the first letter. probably a copying error, or printing. Anyway. I'm glad you got the Iyanla Vanzant quote. I love that woman and everything she says, I have every one of her books. So much wisdom given and she has had such a hard challenging life. Bishop T D Jakes is another one. He says ‘ I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It's a gift you give yourself.” Atonement is very much a part of that. Congratulations on passing the PLUS course. Nice one. Keeping your mind pointing forward and working to get out of prison eventually, a you should do. Trouble with forgiveness is that some people just cant. Others look at it as a form of weakness. And perhaps letting their loved one down in some way.Unfortunately in my experience it always seemed to be those who profess a Christian belief, yet are unable to adhere to the basic of the precepts, to forgive and love. I would ask you to reach out to this family, if only to let them know that they are in your thoughts and prayers. So in light of that create your own atonement. Live your life better. Few of us are the same people we were ten, twenty, thirty years old, it is inane to assume we were. We all change, true, some people get worse, but most improve with time, like good wine. Perhaps try and reach out again to that particular C.O.s family. He who dares, as they say. Are there any reparation courses run from jail where a second party, maybe a chaplain or preacher could act as a go between to start up a dialogue between you all? We Buddhists say that holding into hate is like holding a hot coal in your hand and expecting someone else to get burned. It may be helpful to them. But it comes down to the fact that we here on the outside have absolutely no comprehension about what living inside a correctional facility is like, and it’s effects on a person who finds themselves within this ‘microcosm’ with completely new rules and customs and violence. Coupled with the onus of living with remorse. In another photo of you I saw some dreadlocks, what happened to them? Well keep on keeping on. I hope you have a great Christmas and hear from you in the New Year. Have a great one. T
Hello Antoine. Great that you responded. Yes I am in the U.K., I live 25 miles outside London. Not a great place to live, high crime and we now have gangs, they are known as country lines gangs, kids get caught up in their shenanigans which usually end in death and stabbing. They use children to cross country lines to deal dope. In the U.K. you aren’t criminally responsible until you are ten. Then between ten and seventeen it’s lax too. Gun ownership is very controlled here. People do get their hands on guns, but the sentencing for being in receipt of one, usually puts people off, so we are lucky in that respect. Nature is weird isn’t it. In the animal kingdom the male is usually prettier than the female. Like Peacocks and peahens, ducks, lions. Seahorses are interesting because the male looks after the child. And did you know that pigeons are monogamists. The pigeon only has one partner. I have a friend who hates pigeons he calls them skyrats! I try to avoid surgery when I can. I actually removed my own wisdom teeth with pliers at home rather than face the dentist. Didn’t hurt a bit. The surgery I had last month was an emergency. And I was in so much pain I was just saying to the anesthetiser guy, just knock me out!! I got another scan Thursday 19th Dec, might need more surgery. This is the problem with ageing, you are like a car, things fall off, get blocked, need replacing. I wrote this before to another inmate, the human being is only supposed to last about 40 years, it is just medical advancement and chemistry that has made us live longer. Came from a hard drinking Irish family. My mum was one of 12 kids, one of my aunties had 21 children. My mum and dad were heavy drinkers/alcoholic but both kicked the drinking in their 50’s. I never really had the taste for it, just binge drank when I was young, but I couldn’t put up with the hangovers!. If you thought the price of shoes was bad when you were last out, you should see it now. Especially with Kanye’s Yeezy brand, shoes going from several thousand dollars now. Rubber, and material and some laces, crazy money. Designing shoes is a great idea. And clothing too. I don’t know if you remember the trend for wearing jeans that slipped down to show your pants, Ice Cube and other rappers dressed like that as a throwback to jail where they take your belt and shoelaces away from you. Crime is a big seller now, many programmes on television monetising crime. Why as an ex con (God willing soon) you shouldn’t have your experience mean something, rather than something you have to hide? Do ALL the programmes they offer you, jump through all the hoops. You have to work your way out of there. Design some sneakers, send your ideas to the big names, Nike Converse Vans, shoes with an inmate twist, even incorporating your cross stitching designs. It’s Saturday 14th December, so you’ll probably get this by Christmas so I wish you and your loved ones a great Christmas and a Hapoy New Year 2020
My dearest love (my only love) Still sickly - haven’t gone hardly anywhere...well, I did get to go and have a colonoscopy - Skye got to drive me! He told me all is well - don’t have to see him (for that) for another 10 years! At least I was sedated - so I didn’t feel anything! He did say I have minor diverticulosis - but didn’t seem worried about it. Said to start taking Benefiber so I guess my diet doesn’t provide enough. Oh well - just one more thing to mix up in the morning. Hmmm - it’s 11 PM on Friday the 13th - I can hear the thunder now (been raining most of the day) so I’m going to send this now before the internet goes out. I’ll write more either tomorrow or Sunday so it will go out this Monday
Hello Nathaniel The thing with ageing is, realistically we’re not supposed to live beyond 38. It is medical science and chemistry that has prolonged our lives into the eighties, (for some). Like a car, into my retirement sixties now, pieces fall off. get blocked, or just fail to start. Now I’m an old codger, complete with walking stick, shopping trolley and limp, Many of my friends never made it this far. Have you ever considered the possibility that jail may have prolonged your life? Maybe in the outside world of nonterra firma you would have been ‘toes up’ by now and sprouting daisies? Inside my head isn’t a great place. I dislike silence and introversion. I like chanting mantras, OM namah Shivah, Nam myoho rengay kyo. Among favourites. That’s why I don’t meditate. I think I would go quickly insane in a SHU. It’s my ambition to retire to India, live in a nunnery among fellow Buddhists, I’ve spent time like that before in my life, Marriage killed off the celibacy! I think my husband will probably follow me there, he’s Muslim but quite open minded and accepting of other people and their faiths. He does like vodka though, and they don’t have much of that halfway up the Himalayas! Also, being in India and dying there increases my chances of being reincarnated nearby. I don’t want to come back here, in the west. It’s not good here in the most important of ways, Buddhism appealed to me because it makes the most logical sense. ‘God’ or whatever this energy is that created everything is something we lack the intellectual ability to understand. Look at a human being, then think about those microbes we cannot see that live on its eyelash. Starfish, wombats, skunks, snakes, stink bugs, fireflies, whales, peacocks, ants. Did you know that the domestic ant has a lifespan of 15 years? It lives in a community with others, they even perform surgery on each other. A honey bee lives just one month. What we evolved from in just 200,000 years, yet most other species stayed the same. We are consciousness. This is a video game. We didn’t choose the game, but we can choose how we play within in. Most of us have had troubled childhoods. It is the 1 percent that get raised by Ma Walton. Polishing your legacy doesn’t have to be done confrontationally. Look at what Gandhi did by non violence. Going by the turn around on this blogging site I will probably hear from you sometime in 2020 if we both make it that far. All the best. Hope Christmas is good for you, although Santa probably has you on his naughty list, Happy New Year and all that. T
I just bumped in on your name, a while ago.:) Going through the list of inmates with a blog here. I am a pen pal of some few other friends here. I am Belgian, but I lived 7 yrs in the US.3yrs in Utah and 4 in Ohio. I read with a lot of interest what you wrote!The nature describing is great. I also traveled a lot in my life. I don't know how you're doing right now? You can tell me on this blog. I could see you didn't get any answers, which is a shame... Eventually later we can write letters as pen pals.- smile I really hope to hear a message from you.
Take care and know I care.
All the best! Kind regards from Rita! Ps. I also wrote poetry in the past. :)
RSS
It’s Sunday evening - sky has been clear most of the day - but relatively cold. I made it to church today - had to leave my sweater in the car - they always have the heat on in the building - probably wouldn’t be so bad, but the people add extra heat. I’m not the only one who feels it - the lady who sits in front of me is usually fanning herself too :)
I was right the other night - internet went down right after I saved the first half of this message. By the time it came back up I was sleeping- it seems like it takes forever!
I’m sorry you didn’t get your birthday card in time for your birthday - I’ll probably mail it tomorrow or Tuesday - hopefully you’ll get it before Christmas!
I love you - gonna go to bed and pretend you’re there to snuggle with....hope you’re feeling well
Always your Jeannie
It is Lyn writing to you. I have missed our letters. We had to suddenly move around 15 months ago, our lease was not renewed and we were so close to being homeless
We have a lot older and smaller house, but only half the rent at $260.00 a week.
Our new address is: 11 Alan Crescent, Burton, South Australia, Australia
We don’t have a lot of money, but I will send you what I can after Christmas for stamps.
I will write soon.
Your friend always, Lynette Brunato
Unfortunately there was a big portion of your letter that was blanked out,a third of the way down on the first letter. probably a copying error, or printing.
Anyway. I'm glad you got the Iyanla Vanzant quote. I love that woman and everything she says, I have every one of her books. So much wisdom given and she has had such a hard challenging life.
Bishop T D Jakes is another one. He says ‘ I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It's a gift you give yourself.” Atonement is very much a part of that.
Congratulations on passing the PLUS course. Nice one. Keeping your mind pointing forward and working to get out of prison eventually, a you should do.
Trouble with forgiveness is that some people just cant. Others look at it as a form of weakness. And perhaps letting their loved one down in some way.Unfortunately in my experience it always seemed to be those who profess a Christian belief, yet are unable to adhere to the basic of the precepts, to forgive and love. I would ask you to reach out to this family, if only to let them know that they are in your thoughts and prayers. So in light of that create your own atonement. Live your life better. Few of us are the same people we were ten, twenty, thirty years old, it is inane to assume we were. We all change, true, some people get worse, but most improve with time, like good wine. Perhaps try and reach out again to that particular C.O.s family. He who dares, as they say. Are there any reparation courses run from jail where a second party, maybe a chaplain or preacher could act as a go between to start up a dialogue between you all? We Buddhists say that holding into hate is like holding a hot coal in your hand and expecting someone else to get burned. It may be helpful to them.
But it comes down to the fact that we here on the outside have absolutely no comprehension about what living inside a correctional facility is like, and it’s effects on a person who finds themselves within this ‘microcosm’ with completely new rules and customs and violence. Coupled with the onus of living with remorse.
In another photo of you I saw some dreadlocks, what happened to them?
Well keep on keeping on. I hope you have a great Christmas and hear from you in the New Year. Have a great one.
T
Great that you responded. Yes I am in the U.K., I live 25 miles outside London. Not a great place to live, high crime and we now have gangs, they are known as country lines gangs, kids get caught up in their shenanigans which usually end in death and stabbing. They use children to cross country lines to deal dope. In the U.K. you aren’t criminally responsible until you are ten. Then between ten and seventeen it’s lax too. Gun ownership is very controlled here. People do get their hands on guns, but the sentencing for being in receipt of one, usually puts people off, so we are lucky in that respect.
Nature is weird isn’t it. In the animal kingdom the male is usually prettier than the female. Like Peacocks and peahens, ducks, lions. Seahorses are interesting because the male looks after the child. And did you know that pigeons are monogamists. The pigeon only has one partner. I have a friend who hates pigeons he calls them skyrats!
I try to avoid surgery when I can. I actually removed my own wisdom teeth with pliers at home rather than face the dentist. Didn’t hurt a bit. The surgery I had last month was an emergency. And I was in so much pain I was just saying to the anesthetiser guy, just knock me out!! I got another scan Thursday 19th Dec, might need more surgery. This is the problem with ageing, you are like a car, things fall off, get blocked, need replacing. I wrote this before to another inmate, the human being is only supposed to last about 40 years, it is just medical advancement and chemistry that has made us live longer.
Came from a hard drinking Irish family. My mum was one of 12 kids, one of my aunties had 21 children. My mum and dad were heavy drinkers/alcoholic but both kicked the drinking in their 50’s. I never really had the taste for it, just binge drank when I was young, but I couldn’t put up with the hangovers!.
If you thought the price of shoes was bad when you were last out, you should see it now. Especially with Kanye’s Yeezy brand, shoes going from several thousand dollars now. Rubber, and material and some laces, crazy money.
Designing shoes is a great idea. And clothing too. I don’t know if you remember the trend for wearing jeans that slipped down to show your pants, Ice Cube and other rappers dressed like that as a throwback to jail where they take your belt and shoelaces away from you. Crime is a big seller now, many programmes on television monetising crime. Why as an ex con (God willing soon) you shouldn’t have your experience mean something, rather than something you have to hide? Do ALL the programmes they offer you, jump through all the hoops. You have to work your way out of there. Design some sneakers, send your ideas to the big names, Nike Converse Vans, shoes with an inmate twist, even incorporating your cross stitching designs.
It’s Saturday 14th December, so you’ll probably get this by Christmas so I wish you and your loved ones a great Christmas and a Hapoy New Year 2020
Still sickly - haven’t gone hardly anywhere...well, I did get to go and have a colonoscopy - Skye got to drive me! He told me all is well - don’t have to see him (for that) for another 10 years! At least I was sedated - so I didn’t feel anything! He did say I have minor diverticulosis - but didn’t seem worried about it. Said to start taking Benefiber so I guess my diet doesn’t provide enough. Oh well - just one more thing to mix up in the morning.
Hmmm - it’s 11 PM on Friday the 13th - I can hear the thunder now (been raining most of the day) so I’m going to send this now before the internet goes out. I’ll write more either tomorrow or Sunday so it will go out this Monday
I love you so very much
Your Jeannie
The thing with ageing is, realistically we’re not supposed to live beyond 38. It is medical science and chemistry that has prolonged our lives into the eighties, (for some).
Like a car, into my retirement sixties now, pieces fall off. get blocked, or just fail to start. Now I’m an old codger, complete with walking stick, shopping trolley and limp, Many of my friends never made it this far.
Have you ever considered the possibility that jail may have prolonged your life? Maybe in the outside world of nonterra firma you would have been ‘toes up’ by now and sprouting daisies?
Inside my head isn’t a great place. I dislike silence and introversion. I like chanting mantras, OM namah Shivah, Nam myoho rengay kyo. Among favourites. That’s why I don’t meditate. I think I would go quickly insane in a SHU. It’s my ambition to retire to India, live in a nunnery among fellow Buddhists, I’ve spent time like that before in my life, Marriage killed off the celibacy! I think my husband will probably follow me there, he’s Muslim but quite open minded and accepting of other people and their faiths. He does like vodka though, and they don’t have much of that halfway up the Himalayas! Also, being in India and dying there increases my chances of being reincarnated nearby. I don’t want to come back here, in the west. It’s not good here in the most important of ways,
Buddhism appealed to me because it makes the most logical sense. ‘God’ or whatever this energy is that created everything is something we lack the intellectual ability to understand. Look at a human being, then think about those microbes we cannot see that live on its eyelash. Starfish, wombats, skunks, snakes, stink bugs, fireflies, whales, peacocks, ants. Did you know that the domestic ant has a lifespan of 15 years? It lives in a community with others, they even perform surgery on each other. A honey bee lives just one month.
What we evolved from in just 200,000 years, yet most other species stayed the same. We are consciousness. This is a video game. We didn’t choose the game, but we can choose how we play within in.
Most of us have had troubled childhoods. It is the 1 percent that get raised by Ma Walton. Polishing your legacy doesn’t have to be done confrontationally. Look at what Gandhi did by non violence.
Going by the turn around on this blogging site I will probably hear from you sometime in 2020 if we both make it that far.
All the best. Hope Christmas is good for you, although Santa probably has you on his naughty list, Happy New Year and all that.
T
I just bumped in on your name, a while ago.:) Going through the list of inmates with a blog here. I am a pen pal of some few other friends here.
I am Belgian, but I lived 7 yrs in the US.3yrs in Utah and 4 in Ohio.
I read with a lot of interest what you wrote!The nature describing is great. I also traveled a lot in my life.
I don't know how you're doing right now? You can tell me on this blog.
I could see you didn't get any answers, which is a shame...
Eventually later we can write letters as pen pals.- smile
I really hope to hear a message from you.
Take care and know I care.
All the best! Kind regards from Rita!
Ps. I also wrote poetry in the past. :)