12/19/16
5:30 PM
Listening to Pink Floyd

Dear E,

Hi. I received your comments today. Thank you.

I agree, it is so hard to separate the person from the crime or sin, whatever they did wrong. It truly takes a strong person to do that. No one is perfect; we all mess up. Some worse than others (me). But when you put the effort in to not hating the person, it makes you see them in a different light.

For example, I met a woman once. She wrote me and told me a mutual friend showed her my photo. She thought I was very attractive and she wanted to write me. She did not know why I was here nor did she ask our friend. But after about a year of writing each other, she asked and I told her the whole story. She told me, "Bob, I hate what you did. I hate what happened, but I do not hate you." She was the first to show me this kindness. She is married now, three kids, but we are still friends.

It is easy to say I hate that person because they did this crime, but get to know them first before your dish out the hate.

My friend Paul, the man who brought me into the church, he was someone I looked up to. We were life brothers in here. Then I found out why he was in here. I showed him hate. But I was wrong. I hated what he did, but I did not hate him. He took a life in 1993. He wasn't that person anymore, but I didn't see that. I saw the crime. Took me a year to remember that he changed. I can hate what he did, but I do not hate him.

I kinda do hate myself sometimes though.

No, my daughter hates me again, so we're done. Breaks my heart. I sleep four hours a night because all I do is worry that she is being hurt by men. But what can I do? I am so powerless. I feel useless, a failure. Not an easy thing to deal with.

Well, I am going to go get ready for dinner. Take care of yourself, and I hope to hear from you again soon. God bless, ciao.