This morning, Jeffrey left the prison...
He has completed the term of his sentence to include his allotted time off the back of his sentence for good behavior.
Jeffrey spent his days between prison terms mostly living on the streets, or in stinky shelters. And when he was very fortunate, he told me, he would manage to score small rooms in boarding houses.
Jeffrey said that he did better in the boarding houses. They were his best habitations until, he added, his mental illness and his alcoholism got out of control. Then came eviction and having to start all over again.
In Jeffrey's situation, nothing decent ever lasted very long. The demons of drink plus his own internal struggles would eventually get the best of him. Nevertheless, Jeffrey is a decent human being. He regrets his violence. He understands his illness. But he is in his 50s now, and he's tired of trying anymore. This is the sad part; this worries me.
We had our talks. I suggested that he visit a Rescue Mission, and he said that he wants to do this. He is familiar with one that is in the area he's going to. They will feed Jeffrey and give him some clothes. And they will tell him of God's love for him.
My prayer is that Jeffrey does okay on the outside. That this time he succeeds. Best of all, that he surrenders to Jesus Christ. Without God in his life, Jeffrey will have nothing. For he is a lonely and psychologically fragile man who will be living in a world that has no time for life's losers.
I noticed, too, that when he left the cellblock this morning, unlike the other men who were being released, he wore no smile.
D.B.
Jeffrey spent his days between prison terms mostly living on the streets, or in stinky shelters. And when he was very fortunate, he told me, he would manage to score small rooms in boarding houses.
Jeffrey said that he did better in the boarding houses. They were his best habitations until, he added, his mental illness and his alcoholism got out of control. Then came eviction and having to start all over again.
In Jeffrey's situation, nothing decent ever lasted very long. The demons of drink plus his own internal struggles would eventually get the best of him. Nevertheless, Jeffrey is a decent human being. He regrets his violence. He understands his illness. But he is in his 50s now, and he's tired of trying anymore. This is the sad part; this worries me.
We had our talks. I suggested that he visit a Rescue Mission, and he said that he wants to do this. He is familiar with one that is in the area he's going to. They will feed Jeffrey and give him some clothes. And they will tell him of God's love for him.
My prayer is that Jeffrey does okay on the outside. That this time he succeeds. Best of all, that he surrenders to Jesus Christ. Without God in his life, Jeffrey will have nothing. For he is a lonely and psychologically fragile man who will be living in a world that has no time for life's losers.
I noticed, too, that when he left the cellblock this morning, unlike the other men who were being released, he wore no smile.
D.B.
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