2000 and some to go--UU helps

October 30, day 297/2088 to go
Dear Dee,
I have heard from Church of the Larger Fellowship and I believe I have just finished qualifying for membership. They have a three-part correspondence course in which they send you some writings about UU, its history, its philosophy, etc. Then, after each one, they have a series of nine questions about what you've read. These aren't right or wrong answers, but rather the questions seek to evoke a response or reaction to what the material covered.

I got some pictures of my daughter's visit. They were not allowed to bring in a camera, but the way it works is that I buy photo tickets from the commissary for $1 apiece. Then they have an inmate on hand with a digital camera who takes the pictures. We get them 2 to 3 weeks later.

Thanks for sending me "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." It has been on my to-read list for years. I would have gotten to it much sooner if someone had told me it was like sci-fi as written by Monty Python.
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November 29, day 327/2058 to go

Dear Dee,
Thanks for your latest letter. And no, you can't send me pens. I can only have the Bics that I get from the commissary.

It's true that UU has been a real help to me at this time in my life. I consider it a gift all by itself.

I agree with you about Lindsay Lohan. There is a mean-spirited element to our culture that loves to put people up on pedestals and tear them down and stomp on them. This young girl is clearly in the grip of an addiction that she hasn't been able to conquer. Speaking as someone who had a good life destroyed by an addiction, I can only empathize with her.

You asked about if or how I keep my things private. I'm never alone, so I do take some precautions. I keep a daily journal but I write it in code, just in case anyone else gets their hands on it. My locker, a tiny thing that holds everything I own, has a combination lock on it. But the lock has a keyhole on the back so that any of the guards or staff can open it at any time. So in the end, there is no privacy. But things are reasonably safe from the other inmates.

Thanks again for being there. Love, Kent

Food for the soul

October 17, day 280 of 2101

Dear Dee,
Well, I finally got to see my granddaughter and she let me hold her. What a joy it was! It was one of the best days of my life. Ironic, I know, having one of the best days of my life happen in a place like this, but there you go. They came here on a Saturday and came back on Sunday. The first day was difficult because they couldn't bring in things to eat and drink, and we didn't know they had to have a stock of quarters to feed the vending machines. They came back the next day with lots of quarters and we got to visit for 4 or 5 hours. My granddaughter is not walking yet and was pretty mellow.

I noticed that when you sent me the sermon on addiction, that you had downloaded it from your church's website. I wonder if you would have the time and inclination to go there and pick some of your favorites to send me. I have decided to parcel them out to myself, reading one each Sunday morning in a sliver of time that I have reserved to feed my spirituality. They don't have to be germane to my situation as the previous one was. Anything that you find inspirational or uplifting would do. I just want to keep in touch with things that will make me think and feel. You will have my undying gratitude if you can do this.

Love, Kent