saturday thoughts

Did you know that in the state of Georgia, 1 in every 15 people is under some form of supervision by the state? That includes being jail or prison, being on parole or being on probation. 1 in 15 -- that's a lot of people! There have been times where I've gone into a store with that statistic in mind and wondered how many of the people in there with me are on parole or probation. The national average is something like 1 in 34, making Georgia look pretty bad in comparison. I wonder what it is that causes the numbers to be so much higher here.


With Wednesday and Thursday mornings spent in group, it was really nice to have the entire day yesterday to be in the ranges with the women. I have decided that FC is my favorite range in my building so far, followed closely by FA. More of the women seem friendlier on those ranges; not that the women in the other two ranges aren't friendly, because they are, but the women on C and A are extra friendly, and someone almost always announced my presence to the rest of the range by yelling something along the lines of, "Chap's here, so anyone who wants to see her better come out!" There's one woman on C range in particular that I really enjoy talking with. She's always so positive with everything going on in prison, and each time I've walked away with lighter spirits.

In the afternoon I had set up a meeting with one of the women to make a phone call. Her mother is sick with lupus, and she hadn't heard from her in a long time and wanted to check in with her. Fortunately, her mother was doing all right, and she couldn't stop thanking me for letting her call.

One thing I end up doing a lot as I'm visiting the ranges is praying with the women. I've never felt confident in my on-the-spot-out-loud prayers. I always feel awkward and trip through it with ugly words. There are many pastors who are so good at praying on the spot, and I admire them for that. My Greek professor at Luther Seminary especially comes to mind. Dr Boyce would start each day of Summer Greek with the most beautiful prayers I've ever heard. Each day it was different and new and unique, and each day it was beautiful and full of meaning. I've always been interested in language and the flow of words. I just wish I could be better at praying out loud. Because of my lack of confidence, in the past I've avoided praying out loud. Here in prison, however, I'm the only chaplain in the building, and there are women who want me to pray right then and there. Since I've been thrown into the role of chaplain, the women in prison automatically acknowledge me as such, so every prayer I've said has always been followed by a word of thanks. After doing a number of these, I've gotten a little better. I want to continue to improve this skill, and practice makes perfect, so I guess I'm in a good place for that.

I've been enjoying a prison-free weekend. Working there takes a lot out of me and usually leaves me exhausted by the end of the night, but I know once Monday rolls around, I'll be ready to go back. Besides, anytime I'm at the prison and wish I could be outside the gates instead, I just think of the women who have to live there 24 hours a day. Poor things.