52 CHURCHES THE BOOK

My first Church/Chapter is at my mom’s church and takes place on a perfect Easter Sunday. I guess it’s my church also now since I stuck to my prison plan and got baptized there. My baptism was one of the first things on my “to do” list. It was very special for me and a little six-year-old girl got baptized too. By doing this I am sticking to my decision to make every effort possible to stay out of that miserable place they call prison. As far as I’m concerned prison is one of the many “hells on Earth” although there are many places worse than an American prison. I hope this action of faith will help me when I’m faced with my demons (alcohol, speed, weed, sex, etc.). My baptism lets you know that this first stop in my book is a Christian church.

            One part of the service was Communion where they give you a piece of bread and some grape drink. This church has communion every Sunday. Communion is the partaking of the consecrated bread and wine. This represents the body and blood of Christ. This church uses grape juice, some use water, and some use real wine.

            Well, good morning! It’s now Wednesday and I’m up early for my first rain storm in the “free world!” It felt great to be able to stop and watch the rain or go inside whenever you want, but the rain is almost over and it’s going to be a beautiful sunrise. I’M FREE and so happy!

            If you don’t think today is a good day just try missing one by being locked up. It’s hard for some people to understand how excited an ex-con can get at little things that most people take for granted. I saw a new $10 bill and I was shocked at how different the new design looked. Everybody looked at me funny. They probably figured out that I had been locked up for a while or maybe they thought I was from another country. I felt like I was from another planet! When you get out and first begin riding in a car again, you feel like a little kid taking their first trip to New York City! Everywhere you go, you are looking at all the stores, and the restaurants, and everything else. It really feels great!

            I wrote some of the guys back at the unit as soon as I got home and have already received some letters back. Getting mail in “the joint” is a really big deal. Most people are forgotten once they end up behind bars. Now they are of no use to the “users” that they used to call friends. The best thing for me when I write back to prison, is remembering what it was like being incarcerated and how easy it would be to go back. We all need to focus on how lucky we are to be free.

Sometimes we wonder what the meaning of life is and we wonder why we should even make an effort. We see all the major problems in the world and it can cause us to lose our faith or hope for the future. We may see others doing great things and we may think that they can take care of everything and that they don’t need me or us. We could work hard toward something, but then one day everything will all be over anyway, so why should we even try. Well there are several good reasons so let’s cover a few of them.

            Your life is yours and no one else’s. So what you do with it is mostly up to you. You can waste it but it’s not like you’ll get another chance someday. You only get one shot on this Earth so why not enjoy it. You could party away your life and that would be fine if it made you happy. You could party away your life and that would be fine if it didn’t make you feel so bad. You could party away your life and that would be fine if it didn’t end up ruining your life and perhaps the lives of others. You could party away your life if it didn’t make the ones who love you cry. You will not know what you are doing is wrong until you learn and believe what you are doing is wrong. Everyone needs to feel they have some value even if it’s only to themselves. Finding any kind of job will start this process and then a “slow and steady” approach will lead you to better jobs and better situations.

            But work alone may not be enough. You may need the support of others—Church, Recovery Groups, etc. You may need to join some kind of club or group that benefits society—some group that doesn’t care about your social status or how much money you make. This type of personal progress, along with the loving care and appreciation of your simple belongings, will give you the satisfaction you need to stay sober and/or happy, depending on your own personal demons.

            Once again, remember that alcohol, and especially other drugs, will destroy everything we have just discussed. We need to focus on this daily by reading positive mental-reinforcing material, by saying positive statements and/or praying. By doing this we can begin to eliminate some of our problems. Some of us may slip, but if we don’t give up and we continue to try harder each time, eventually we can beat all the problems that try to ruin our lives.

            Taking care of yourself physically must be one of your top priorities. Without your physical well-being none of this will be possible. Taking care of your body will give you the mental energy you need so you can work toward other things that you would rather be doing. Walking is the easiest way to get started on an exercise program and water is the most important part of your diet. How you fuel your brain is very important too. After a good night’s sleep, your morning meal is very important. Eating breakfast sets your metabolism so it can burn calories during the day. Without this active metabolism, calories aren’t burned so they’re stored as fat. Instead of sugary foods or maybe even coffee, start your day with some fresh fruit for long-lasting energy. Then let that digest by itself for 45 minutes. Then you can have a small amount of protein. Today I started my day with eight ounces of water and then one cup of coffee while I read a couple of pages out of the Bible. I don’t have any fresh fruit yet so I ate one egg and one slice of bacon. Then I exercised for about 20 minutes and took a shower. Then I meditated and/or cleared my mind—focusing on my main objective for the day.

            Don’t let your life-style habits hold you in bondage. Learn from the past, live for the moment, work for the future! And remember, your day will be just like your attitude so let your face shine.

Start your new life today, I am!