While reading the paper tonight.I came across this letter to the editor.A writer from the State Prison in Concord,NH
I was touched by this letter and wanted to share it with you at t his time of the year.




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December 07, 2009 - 12:00 am



As winter descends upon New England, I'm reminded that Christmas will soon arrive. Not that I need nature to remind me. The great commercialization of the season heralds its arrival quite loudly.

Trouble is, I don't want a reminder of Christmas. After 19 years of incarceration I've turned holiday indifference into an art form, treating each passing day as though it were any other. It's less painful.

Holidays, especially Christmas, are difficult for prisoners. We all know why we're here, and we deserve to be here.

It's this segregation from all that we hold dear that is our true punishment, easily trumping the uncharitable odors emitted by our cellmate, or the horrors inflicted upon us in the chow hall.

I don't expect I'm engendering any sympathy. Before you inundate the editor with venomous, bombastic responses of how I deserve to suffer, let me be the first to say that I do. I'll never be able to atone for my transgressions, and I'm truly remorseful for what I've done to others.

The blessings of Christmas are the bonds of friendship and family and the gifts of peace and good cheer. But let's never forget that this is a time to celebrate the greatest gift of God: His son, Jesus Christ. And it was Jesus who instructed us to remember those in prison with compassion.

This said, as you celebrate your well-deserved holiday, would you take a moment to say a prayer for me and my fellow citizens in bonds this Christmas?

JACK BASS

Concord

(The writer is an inmate at the state prison.)