I think its important to offer that decision to the children instead of forcing it. I for one let my children decide whether or not the distance and time that separated them for so long was repairable. You see it wasnt my choice as to whether or not they were going to forgive them but it was my job to allow them that opportunity. I wish your family the best of luck !
Paper images capture only the shadows of her sweetness but love does not escape me I miss her.. quite possibly the most beautiful thing I've read in a long time.. Unconditional love is a beautiful thing and your blessed to have been able to experience it. Dont be sad that its gone, be happy that it happened.
Daniel, first off excellent post! I too believe in "restoration" being on both sides of the fence I now know what people go through. I was an advocate for addicts of all walks of life and I found myself defending my clients due to the lack of help that they received and the lack of injustice in the system. Then I found myself defending myself in similar circumstances. I promised to be a voice on the outside because people tend to forget that inmates are still people and not just an inmate number. Continue your research and be that voice! Looking forward to reading more of your blogs!
Dear Rich, I just read your post regarding the cost of incarceration when prisoners are not allowed to work. I have copied it on to a page that will start your chapter in our book - if you agree. I would appreciate it if you could write more about the way prisoners (you and/or others)- or your loved ones - are mistreated, manipulated, etc directly as the result of people thinking felons are worthless, subhuman, inferior, etc. Can you quote anyone who has said something belittling or hurtful specifically because they believe all prisoners are trash? If so, please give details about what happened before, during and after that. I'd also like to hear about the first time you understood the concept of prison - how old were you, who explained it and why, etc, and the first time you pictured yourself as going to prison. these are pretty person questions, so please feel free to omit personal anything you would not feel uncomfortable sharing. Felonism is a practice that has crept up on our nation, and most people just don't realize they are victims or participants because it's a new word. That's just like me not identifying myself as a racist when I was a kid (how could I not be initially since everyone around me a racist). Once I found out what the word meant, I still didn't see myself as having racist thoughts because it was just a normal part of my social group. It's like a fish not knowing what water is because it's such a constant, normal part of their life. If fish suddenly find themselves out of water, then they know what it was/is. So we want true stories that make felonism clear to everyone, but each person needs to take an objective look at their past to really be able to identify it in their past. There are even people who have felonies who are felonists - they have a negative view of prisoners because that is what's normal in their world - I had retired from teaching when we coined the term, but I already knew some students & parents treated me like I was a CO. Looking back from a distance, I can see how much honest conversations about felonism would have helped students feel more comfortable with teachers, staff, and other kids and made them more willing to learn for themselves. This may be a good question to consider: how do you know when a CO is trying to "keep you in your place - low on the food chain so to speak" verses trying to get you to comply with the rules so you (you being a generic term) will be more successful when you get out? I hope this is not too confusing or rambling. You are welcome to send your answers to me at P. O. Box 128071, Nashville, TN 37212. Will the DOC allow me to enclose a few stamps in a letter to cover your costs of correspondence?
Dear Mr. Muise, I can't thank you enough with all your effort in helping "B" and I. I actually got a letter from one of the governor's council opposing Wall...so I was happy! "B" will have a copy soon as I intend to mail it to him this week. Once again thank you so much, may God always bless you,
Hi Dymitri, No, I'm not an admin for this site...and I don't know what a "sysop" is so I'm definitely not one of those (or at least I don't think I am)! I just happened upon this site and decided to transcribe a few blog posts. These quotes from the Between the Bars page may help you understand my comment on transcription:
"Between the Bars relies on visitors to transcribe its bloggers' posts. You can help us out by signing up and logging in, and starting to transcribe posts that interest you. Transcriptions make the blogs more accessible to search engines, translators and visitors."
"Transcriptions make posts more accessible to readers with visual disabilities, search engines, and can help greatly in cases of difficult handwriting or poor typewriters."
Hopefully this information is useful to you. I look forward to reading your future posts. -Melanie
RSS
I just read your post regarding the cost of incarceration when prisoners are not allowed to work. I have copied it on to a page that will start your chapter in our book - if you agree. I would appreciate it if you could write more about the way prisoners (you and/or others)- or your loved ones - are mistreated, manipulated, etc directly as the result of people thinking felons are worthless, subhuman, inferior, etc. Can you quote anyone who has said something belittling or hurtful specifically because they believe all prisoners are trash? If so, please give details about what happened before, during and after that. I'd also like to hear about the first time you understood the concept of prison - how old were you, who explained it and why, etc, and the first time you pictured yourself as going to prison. these are pretty person questions, so please feel free to omit personal anything you would not feel uncomfortable sharing. Felonism is a practice that has crept up on our nation, and most people just don't realize they are victims or participants because it's a new word. That's just like me not identifying myself as a racist when I was a kid (how could I not be initially since everyone around me a racist). Once I found out what the word meant, I still didn't see myself as having racist thoughts because it was just a normal part of my social group. It's like a fish not knowing what water is because it's such a constant, normal part of their life. If fish suddenly find themselves out of water, then they know what it was/is. So we want true stories that make felonism clear to everyone, but each person needs to take an objective look at their past to really be able to identify it in their past. There are even people who have felonies who are felonists - they have a negative view of prisoners because that is what's normal in their world - I had retired from teaching when we coined the term, but I already knew some students & parents treated me like I was a CO. Looking back from a distance, I can see how much honest conversations about felonism would have helped students feel more comfortable with teachers, staff, and other kids and made them more willing to learn for themselves. This may be a good question to consider: how do you know when a CO is trying to "keep you in your place - low on the food chain so to speak" verses trying to get you to comply with the rules so you (you being a generic term) will be more successful when you get out? I hope this is not too confusing or rambling. You are welcome to send your answers to me at P. O. Box 128071, Nashville, TN 37212. Will the DOC allow me to enclose a few stamps in a letter to cover your costs of correspondence?
I can't thank you enough with all your effort in helping "B" and I. I actually got a letter from one of the governor's council opposing Wall...so I was happy! "B" will have a copy soon as I intend to mail it to him this week. Once again thank you so much, may God always bless you,
Sincerely,
Mrs. "B"
"Between the Bars relies on visitors to transcribe its bloggers' posts. You can help us out by signing up and logging in, and starting to transcribe posts that interest you. Transcriptions make the blogs more accessible to search engines, translators and visitors."
"Transcriptions make posts more accessible to readers with visual disabilities, search engines, and can help greatly in cases of difficult handwriting or poor typewriters."
Hopefully this information is useful to you. I look forward to reading your future posts. -Melanie