Carol's Birthday Today

[Guest guest]

When I send a welcome message to a new Circle of Love Letter Writer,

I always ask if the new letter writer would be willing to write to a

brother or sister in prison. Hari, a man who started in the middle

of November, replied, "Regarding writing to prisoners, I have never

done that before."

 

I replied that I understood, and that was okay.

 

He immediately shot back, "I didn't say I wouldn't do it. I just

have never done that before."

 

Shortly thereafter, Temba Kelly called the MA center to ask if

anyone would write to Michael, a man who was facing life in prison,

who loved Amma very much. This was close to Amma's visit. Everyone

was busy so I wrote to Michael.

 

Subsequently I talked to Temba and learned how important letters are

to people in prison. Except where there is an industry in a prison

where inmates work, all prisoners have to do is read or watch

television. The daily routine is the same every day, except for

mail call. They long for letters. The one who gets lots of letters

is respected.

 

On Devi Bhava day in San Ramon in November 2004, I received

Michael's beautiful reply. It said,

 

"Since I have been here god has really changed me, I look at life

different now, I look at everything around me as being me, I am the

earth and the earth is me, I look at the essence of everything....

I am going to spread Amma's love to groups of people one day, I

have seen this in a vision, it is already starting to happen,

sometimes guys come to me wanting to know what keeps me so peaceful,

I tell them my god (Amma), Amma has touched a lot of the guys around

me.

There was a time when I was scared to do any time in the joint,

but now I look at myself as a leaf, wherever God blows me is where I

will be. It doesn't matter to me anymore whether I go home or I

don't. I just want to give love to everyone for the rest of my life.

Lots of people laugh at me. lots of people feel sad for me, but

I am not sad at all. Some people say that my life is over with

because I am locked up...but I feel that my life has just begun

because I have acknowledged god within me, the time I've spent in

this jail is not wasted. Time spent well is no time wasted at all.

 

This is a selection from the letter. From the rest Michael's pure

faith in Amma was clear. I thought to myself that my faith in Amma

was not as strong as his. More people had to write to him. If

letters were status, this guy should get lots of letters. He would

lead people, the people many in our satsangs would avoid, to Amma's

arms and to Amma's work.

 

Reviewing my emails, I saw Hari's offer to write to a brother in

prison and I sent him Michael's name and address and the rules for

writing to him aas well as this same selection from Michael's

reply. Hari proclaimed it "Prison reform, Amma-style!"

 

A few days later he wrote back to say that he had sent his first

letter off to Michael. Also, his seven-year-old son had drawn a

picture of the Circle of Love to send along.. The proud dad sent a

glowing description of his son's artwork.

 

I was so moved by this that I asked for another copy of the little

boy's drawing.. Maybe we could use it as a logo. I quickly

realized that color printing of stationery might be too expensive

but it could make a great birthday card. The 7-year old artist

would relate to a birthday card much more easily than a logo.

 

A few days later a precious birthday card arrived. On the back it

said "Made by Matthew, 7 years old.". With no time to lose, I had a

color photocopy made of it and sent it to another recipient, Carol,

an Apache woman on Death Row in Pennsylvania who hasn't had a

visitor in years.

 

Today is Carol's birthday. Tomorrow (Friday, December 10) morning,

a Circle of Love letter recipient, now a writer too, Kallika (Laurie

Lee) will visit her. Carol says she wants to read Amma's biography

and she prays for Amma every day.