(Personal memories might include loss of friends, relationships,
property, lives, money, health, sanity,
jobs, or opportunities, as well as instances of pain, injury,
arrest, incarceration, embarrassment,
humiliation etc., etc.)
I loved you to death – well, almost. Sorry, sweetheart,
but “till death do us
part” is NOT part of our deal! I want so much more than
what we can have
together. So, goodbye, good riddance, and may we NEVER meet
again!
But don’t worry, I know you’ll find another, and another and
another
and another………..
No Longer Yours,
__________________
This letter was composed by Paige Morrison, a
Thresholds volunteer rehabilitation teacher, in consultation
with her prison inmate client, K.S., at the George W. Hill
Correctional Facility, Thornton, PA.
Chico's
Puzzle
Chico has been incarcerated at
"the Hill" for a long spell, and often returns to Thresholds
sessions to help out, distributing literature and sharing
his personal insights.
Here's an
internal memo from David, one of our teachers, to the
Thresholds program manager at George W. Hill
Correctional Facility.
~~~
A macro class is a
group of 10 to 20 clients, usually taught in the evenings.
The micro is a one-on-one, taught during the day.
Hi:
Yesterday before my lesson with Mxxxx, I bumped into Cxxxx, an
older gentleman, black, Muslim, glasses and scraggly beard. I
remembered him from a macro I attended and said hi to him on
the way in.
On my way out, I stopped to speak with him. He asked that I
send his greetings to his teacher. He wanted me to pass along
the following message:
He uses the ideas of Thresholds on a daily basis. He thinks
it has made a difference. He was supposed to be released Jan
15th after a mental eval, but due to a screw-up, he never got
his eval. Rather than throwing a "shit-fit", he thought about
what was best for him and handled it differently. He
requested an eval and is waiting patiently.
I am not sure who his teacher was, but he should enjoy
hearing this feedback from Cxxxx. He was still a little
rambling, but was thinking about others, which I remember
being a problem during the macro. Small steps!
Regards
David
Note: Cxxxx was the man who told me after his exit
interview:
“If I gave you everything I have, it wouldn’t be enough.”
Cxxxx also repeated as his mantra: “Coming back is not an
option.”
Pat Cahill has been teaching both micro
and macro sessions at "The Hill" for over 5 years.
She also shows up regularly at volunteer teacher training
workshops, as well as for client intake interviews.
Our clients talk about how Thresholds works in their lives.
I was in the kitchen and someone “called me
out”. I had to take a good look at myself and choose what was
right or wrong. I walked away. I didn’t react.”
“I think more clearly about what I want or what I
say or do before I do it. It opened my mind.”
“In an argument with my girlfriend, I asked her
to think about the whole thing. but I didn’t get mad at all.”
“I really liked the program. I really think it’s
going to help me and I want to thank all of my teachers.”
“When I was at work release, I got a couple of
guys together and we shared ideas of finding a job.”
‘This program improved my relationship with my
family.”
“At first I came to get out of the cell, but
realized it was a great help and was glad to come to the
sessions”
“When I first heard of the “time” I was getting,
instead of reacting, I looked at the whole picture and now I’m
using this time to better myself.”
“I actually applied the steps a few weeks back
when I was put in a negative situation that could have resulted
in me getting sent to ‘the hole’.”
“In observing situations that don’t pertain to
me, I avoid getting involved. I walk away.”
“I would recommend this program to any inmate.
Got something out of it he could use.”
“I could sit and write a letter to a lawyer.”
“Learned to view things in different ways from
Artforming. I liked it a lot.”
[Click
here to move to the page with a sample and explanation of "Artforming."]
“I’m glad I did something that can help me stay
positive. It’s working for me so far making right decisions and
not getting angry.”
“I had a problem with my ‘cellie’. I didn’t get
mad, but blew it off using Thresholds.”
“When someone on the block angered me, I went to
some other older inmates and got some feedback on how to handle
the situation.”
“Daily situations in the kitchen. Making the
right decisions, think first and evaluate.”
“I’ve looked for my options for when I get out.”
My teacher gives me inspiration. He shows me
that I can change and be the person I want to be.”
“When I had a problem with another inmate, I
thought about the possibilities and resolved it peacefully,
instead of jumping to conclusions and fighting.”
“ The other day in the kitchen instead of me
flipping out I stepped back and talked it out with my
supervisor.”
“ Just last week… A friend of mine didn’t write
as quick as they promised. Normally, I would have jumped to
conclusions and wrote or called and blow up. I decided
to be still and now I heard from my friend that there were legit
reasons behind it.”
