Letter to a Young Man in Jail, Again

January 28, 2012

Dear  ***:

I worry about you.  I don’t like seeing your name on the jail list.  I’d rather take you out for coffee somewhere and hear about the good things you are doing.  

I care about you.  I know that you care about yourself, too, and want to move ahead.

Love yourself. You have an infinite capacity for love.  You are a loving man.  There is a great deal to love about yourself.  You are worthy of that.  

You are worthy of success, of happiness, of peace.  

Nourish that wonderful spark of amazing love that burns inside of your heart.  Let your light shine, let your love fill this world.  You make a difference in other people’s lives, and you make a difference in your own life.  You, my friend, are a beautiful person.  Believe it.  Act on it.

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.  

This is wintertime in your life.  Time to rest, to reflect, to refocus and gain new directions.  Get your seeds ready for planting.  Your springtime is coming soon.  This is a time of reinventing yourself, for oiling the gears, and repairing what needs to be repaired.  Your garden is ready for plowing, and seeding, and new growth.  You are a good gardener.  

You know the answers.  You know where you want to go.  I give you permission to go there, to do the hard work that needs to be done, and to fill your heart with love for yourself.  It is OK to love yourself.  It is OK to make the hard choices, and to move in the direction you truly want to go.  That is your destiny.

You have unlimited potential, and unlimited strength.  Your love has no limits.  You are a child of God and you are beloved.  

Tell the voices that bring you down, that degrade you, that hurt you, to shut up.  Find your own voice, and sing your own song.  

You already know all of this.  I’m just flapping my jaws and making noise here.  You already have all the wisdom you need.  You already have all the skills.  You know where to go.  You know the steps you need to take, and the path that you need to walk.  

I’m just saying that you have permission now to go do what you need to do.  You have all the abilities, all the knowledge.  If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t be wasting money on the postage for this letter.  

You also have all the courage and determination you need.

The future is yours.  You are in charge of the present, the now.  Go, and do what you need to do.  Tell the voice of despair and “failure” to shut up, and listen to your heart.  

I expect no less of you.  I expect greatness in you.  I expect you to fill yourself with love and the Light.  Let your Light shine.  

I believe in you.

Sincerely,

Neal C. Lemery