Family Newsletter January 2012.pub

Strafford County Department of Corrections
Family Newsletter
January 2012
Published by Strafford County Department of Corrections, Jail Industries
Special Holiday Newsletter Update
Lt. Roy requested that I might print a January newsletter. She wanted to have a contest to encourage the inmates to get the creative juices flowing by submitting, poems writings, and songs related
to Christmas. The winning submissions will be printed first followed by additional entries.
Christmas Contest
For Christmas a contest was held. The contest
was to write a poem, story or a rap about
Christmas. Several inmates wrote on subjects
from family Christmas time to Santa flying with
Zebras. Cpl Fisher and I enjoyed reading them
and we even shared with other officers who
found them to be not only well written but very
entertaining. Each unit had one winner and
that winner received a bag of commissary for
their enjoyment. Happy Holidays!
The unit games will look different this year as
Cpl Fisher will be doing them in 2012. He is going to have to cut back some and he will not
need a game coordinator. As far as Games with
Prizes from other Supervisors it looks like that
may depend on the over all look of the unit.
They will be looking for a well kept unit with
clean rooms before the unit will have games or
different prizes.
We hope to try some new games and some
new ideas if you have anything new drop a request to Cpl Fisher.
See you at game time
Lt. Roy
The Gift
by H.B.
To consume the breath of life
A cleansing of my soul
The celebration for the anointed one
I shall feast the bread of heaven
He bleeds the wounds of his sheep
He is enveloped with sorrow for our tears
He hath built us a bridge from sin
He carries of souls to salvation
When the wicked are multiplied transgressions
Increase
But the righteous shall see their fall
I am only one among the plethora
I implore you to guide me toward thine grace
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity
Worthy to decipher the wicked I fall
You are fairer than the sons of man
I am bound by earthly evils without you
We celebrate for we behold a savior
Born unto us from the heavens
Guide me through the carnage of flesh
To sit in spirit embraced by the kingdom of heaven
Time of the Year
by T.M.
Santa’s Using Zebras Now
by D.S.
Santa’s using zebras now
To pull his Christmas sleigh
Because a boy in Africa
Wrote to him one day.
Santa please drop by he said
And bring some toys with you
So now he’s using Zebras there
Just south of Timbuktu
Donner, Blitzen all the reindeer
Put him on the spot
They were used to ice and snow
But Africa was hot!!
He couldn’t use an elephant
Gazelles are much too small
He couldn’t use a rhino
No that wouldn’t do at all!
He settled on the zebra
They all made quite a sight
As they flew through the air on Christmas Eve
Bringing gifts that night
It’s that time of year once again,
It brings together Families and friend.
That time of year that makes both girls and boy’s
cheer.
Kids will make up their list
Some will check it twice
Parents will make that special dish
Some will add sugar and spice
Families will pick out a tree
On cold evening nights
Bring them home put them up
And add some bright lights
It’s a time for tradition
Some old and some new
But the best part of all
Being with your favorite few
Christmas Poem
by R.B.
The temperatures are lowering so fast
The snows falling, it’s starting to last
The smell of pine fills the house
Along with laughter and smiles, it’s all so nice.
Shopping for gifts, in the stores we go
½ off everything, it’s a blow.
Wrapping gifts is a pain.
When you have help you mange to stay sane.
Hanging stockings and lights all through the house,
Christmas songs are coming from my mouth,
Before you know it; it’s time for bed
Put out cookies and milk so Santa is fed
You can’t forget about the reindeer to
They’ve traveled so far so feed them too.
Here comes Santa, down the chimney he goes,
With a bag full of presents, under the tree they go,
Morning is here, I’m woken up by the children’s cheer,
Family and friends gather to be near,
Peace, Love, Happiness and Joy,
Makes Christmas the best time of the year.
The End
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Christmas Choice
by A.C.
No one here will be home for whatever reason,
We are all missing our loved ones this Holiday Season
Me I’m no different than any other,
We the missing in action, fathers, sons, and brothers.
Every month a mile stone marked by tears of our mothers
When we look back we wish we had needed the warnings.
We all know where we will be waking this Christmas morning.
No smiles no presents, no laughter, nor cheer,
The little things we’ll be missing the next handful of years
No chestnuts roasting no sugar plums dance,
Reality sets in, why did I take the chance
My stocking won’t be hung up with care
Thanks to poor judgment, I won’t even be there
Should have listened to my conscience, that faint small voice
I could be home for Christmas had I made the right choice
It’s not my goal to keep Christmas & Joy separated
But it’s hard being merry when you’re incarcerated
So I’ll accept what I can’t change
Change what I can
I know I’m not perfect
After all I’m just a man
If any of you learn a lessen, one to remember
If we made better choices, we’d be home for Christmas this December
We would be home with family and friends
To All a Merry Christmas, and this is where it Ends.
Christmas Cheer
By C.S.
If I had the means I would give it
To the kids whom Santa will not visit
Because they will have no story to tell
About Santa’s sleigh or ringing bells
So this Christmas I will shed a tear
For the kids that have no Christmas cheer.
No presents under the trees
And no pictures for memories.
So how will they remember
Of a merry Christmas this December?
So my goal is to plead
For your love to those kids in need
So they too may have a smile
And their Merry Christmas heart awhile.
This Christmas we should all share
And show those kids that somebody cares.
Merry Christmas to all.
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Christmas Wishin’ (song)
by R.S.
Chorus 2x:
Wishin’ freedom was near
Wishin’ freedom was here
Wishin’ I wasn’t missin’
Christmas for the third consecutive year.
Verse:
Wish I was with my family
Under the Christmas tree
Watchin’ my brothers open presents so joyfully.
Why did I let my actions take another holiday from me?
Sitting at the table with ham dinner is a dream
I’ll be sitting at Strafford County watchin’ a snowy scene.
Wish my record was clean
Sometimes life is just mean.
Wish I could have a tree
With pine needles so green.
Wish I could build a snowman with my bro
And everything in between.
Missin’ a third Christmas, I know this just can’t be.
When that morning comes, I hope my “fam” is thinking of me.
Wish I could feel all the happiness and the glee,
To eat and listen to laughter with all of my “gene team”.
But like I said before, this is nothing but a dream
Wake up and look around…I’m still in cell -- -Chorus 2x:
Wishin’ freedom was near
Wishin’ freedom was here
Wishin’ I wasn’t missin’
Christmas for the third consecutive year.
Christmas Without YOU Michael and Sean
by M.G.
Celebrating Christmas without your smiling faces is like having Christmas without Santa this year. Because you teach me the glory of Christmas through your eyes. You teach me to open my heart so I can
experience love and gratitude are all about. Your deepest friendship has been my home of love, trust, honesty, and faith. You are my world’s precious gifts of love, and laughter, as claims that will always be a
wonderful elixir that allows hope and miracles in my life. Your little faces and glow really touches my heart
to a point where my heart melts into a raging river seeking to flow into your ocean. You are all that is
beautiful and more. You are beyond all that is magnificent and more. You are every beautiful flower. You
are every beautiful lily, every beautiful rose, every beautiful tulip, every beautiful orchid. every beautiful
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gardenia. And for that you will always blossom into a fragrance that will always leave a beautiful trace for
me to remember you with. Your smiles are like the fragrance of the first rain of the season.
Your voices are like the flash and sound of lightning and thunder that wakes me up from my coma. Your
laughter is the light of the sun that warms my heart. Everything about you reminds me about God. Your
love for me that continues to unfold never stopping. Always expanding no matter what mood. You continue
to encompass me with your love through your eyes of continually accepting me. Your gentle love and voices always makes me feel safe around you. You are truly Angels sent to me from God so I can be reminded of how true God’s love is. You are reflections of nature’s beauty that constantly reminds me of who and
what I am through your sweetest and cutest faces. You are the reflection of the full moon and stars at
night. You are the light of the sun that warms all hearts. Whoever or whatever they may be.
You give me faith in the possibilities and trust in the invisible, that way I will never be far away from home.
You are my spiritual teacher of love that have brought passion and appreciation to each moment to remind
me, that the present is the only time I can consciously live in. Rushing through life to a future that will always be ahead of me or that I might regret a past that is over and can’t be undone, because I will lose
sight of now, which is mostly important in my life and you are my now. From now onwards I will not be
afraid or doubt my role as a mother, because I will use your lightning shining smiles to remind me that
there is an innocence in each of us. So don’t forget to put milk and cookies on the table, because Santa
will be home for Christmas. You have been good boys this year, so he said.
Your always loving Mum.
I (Marilyn Allen) also wanted to share some activities that the Family Reception Center was involved in after the last
newsletter related to the Holiday Season.
On December 17th Santa took time out of his busy schedule to visit all day Saturday at the Family Reception Center.
In addition to passing out many of the 84 presents that families had signed up for volunteers worked that day to snap
pictures of Santa with visiting families and children. These free pictures were then given to the families” incarcerated
loved ones. I am happy to say that all pictures were distributed to their individual incarcerated loved one.
Presents continued to be passed out the entire month of December to those families who had not picked up their presents. Unfortunately some were unable to be passed out due to discharges or transfers. The pictures on the next
page show the volunteers wrapping presents for the upcoming event as well as Santa, seated in the chair of honor.
Also pictured is the beautiful Hugs Across America teddy bears. We were excited and grateful for the arrival of the
beautiful soft, plush, teddy bears that arrived at the FRC shortly before Christmas; donated by “Hugs Across America.” Several of the teddy bears have already been passed out to little children who especially were not on the sign-up
present list or first time visitors..
The final pictures are of Charmingfare Farm. They donated a $50.00 certificate to their farm during the Christmas
holiday season for one lucky family. We conducted a free raffle and chose the winner the week before Christmas.
The winner was very excited. The farm has sleigh rides or hayrides depending on the season, with farm animals and
wild animals, as well as campfires and many seasonal activities depending on the time of year. Charmingfare Farm is
located in Candia New Hampshire. We are very grateful for their contribution to bring joy to one family and we also
wish to thank one of our volunteers, Sandra for her idea to contact Charmingfare after experiencing the farm with her
family.
As we enter the New Year it is a good opportunity to thank all of our volunteers and our sponsors in 2011 that helped
make all these activities and support of inmate families possible. Please note that the list below does not include all
those places that have donated items to us as well:
The Bishop’s Charitable Assistance Fund, INC. ( Catholic)
St. Mary’s Church (Special Account)
Rev. Ellen W. Lankhorst
Inmates (through orders for pictures)
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Hugs Across America
Teddy Bears
Santa and his Elves
Charmingfare Farm
Jail Industries
December Employee of the Month
P.D.
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