More than a Note

By Mimi Marie

Corresponding through visits, letters and correcting Bible studies of inmates around the world has taught me how to love far beyond what I’d ever expect.

I wasn’t able to comprehend how a note of encouragement could keep a human spirit alive. That is, until I was told by my friends also referred to as Pen-Pals. I can’t imagine having to serve a life sentence in prison, but for most of my friends, it’s the reality they wake to each day.

I thought that prison was a place of hopelessness. A dark dungeon surrounded with mean spirited people. And in some cases, this may be true. But as for my friends, hope is all they have. And hope with a good attitude is what keeps them going. Healing and freedom is their focus. It’s a choice they make to manifest the good in what so many believe to be the end.

Reaching out to those in prison is like a revolving door. Sometimes I talk and sometimes I listen. We may laugh. And we may cry. But each time I go in and come out, only one thing remains. Humbleness! A place that seemed so dark slowly transforms. When I opened my eyes a little wider, the picture of prison changed. I see good people behind bad circumstances. Good people that pray for me too.

A childhood cut short due to sexual abuse led me to grow up in survival mode. Many of my friends lived in similar ways. Some were physically and sexually abused, mentally tortured, emotionally neglected or all four. Many had caregivers who modeled crime. And they followed. A few were kicked out on the streets at a young age to fend for themselves or were sold for drugs. And then there are those who started using drugs at an early age, getting high became a normal part of life. Many got high with their own parent(s). Tools to live right may not have been available or were too far to grasp. But I believe that it’s never too late to heal and learn.

Many have to fight to get into healing programs, but when they do, it helps to clear out the pain that they’ve carried for years. They may be in prison, but they live in peace instead of turmoil. Instead of masking their problems with unhealthy coping skills it allows them to acknowledge their pain. And it teaches them healthy coping skills, a way to love themselves and others.

My seventy two year old friend was reunited with her family after her life sentence was overturned. Through prayer and God’s mercy, she went home after serving twenty nine years. The miraculous transformation becomes a trickle effect; it gives other inmates something to embrace. Hope through Christ.

A piece of mail is more than a note; it’s a small token of love. It may be the note that sparks a positive change in a person’s life. It sparked a change in mine.

Mimi Marie is a pen name.  She writes from Novi , Michigan. reachinggodspeople@yahoo.com