Sam Lewis and his family roller skating in 2016.
Dear John xxxxxx,
During my 24 years of incarceration, one of the things that distressed me most was my inability to be home for the holidays. Having always understood the importance of family, I found the holidays to be the hardest time of the year. This was true not just for me but for most of us behind prison walls. To make matters worse, institutions were often on lockdown during the holidays, due to staff’s spending time with their own families. This would mean that you could not even make a phone call to your family on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years. You would receive your “holiday dinner” inside your cold cell, and more often than not it, too, would be cold.
But the coldest part of the holidays was the fact that you would be away from those whom you love.
About ten years into my sentence, the holiday season just became too much for me. At the time, I thought I would never again be able to spend the holiday with family, and I was resigned to the prospect of dying alone and behind bars. As much as I possibly could, I would ignore the holidays—reading more, socializing less, and watching very little television. Catching a glimpse of something as benign as A Charlie Brown Christmas or It’s A Wonderful Life could make the time even harder. In a nutshell, I had the holiday blues and was beyond despondent.
What I could not anticipate was that I would take this feeling home with me. It took me two years to change this habit of ignoring the holidays and not being able to enjoy them with my family. When I first arrived home, I did not like going into stores or anywhere there were holiday decorations, because I would once more get that feeling of dejection and isolation in my heart. It was only when my daughter was hospitalized during the holidays in 2014 that I realized that this was all wrong: seeing her unable to join in the festivities—trapped in her own prison of sorts—made me realize that I needed to be present and that I wanted to participate.
I finally opened my heart to the holiday season, baking hams, turkeys, and even pies and cakes. I put up our Christmas tree, and I helped decorate it. If I couldn’t yet enjoy the holiday for myself, I needed to do it for my daughter—and for the rest of my family who missed her so much that Christmas. I now can fully embrace being home with my family and friends—especially during the holiday season!
At this time of the year, I am especially mindful of those that remain locked away from their families. Each Christmas Eve, some ARC staff, volunteers, and I spend part of the evening in juvenile hall, bringing pizza and cake to our youth, along with concrete signs of hope for the policy changes ARC helps shape and that might someday allow them to return home. Just as importantly, I share with them the fact that they have a loving family in ARC.
As an ARC supporter, you are an integral part of the ARC family. As you prepare to celebrate the holidays with loved ones, I hope you will be mindful of the enormous impact you have on all of our work. From advocating for legislation that brings people home, to preparing incarcerated men and women for reentry into society, to providing those returning citizens with housing, to helping them navigate prospects for their livelihoods through education and workforce opportunities....with your help, ARC empowers formerly incarcerated men and women to lead productive lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities. Please help us to continue this vital work helping our brothers and sisters return home and thrive by making as generous a gift as you can. ([link removed])
** Sincerely yours,
Sam Lewis
Executive Director
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P.S. Take advantage of our yearend match! This year, two ARC Board members, Paul Blavin and Damon Lindelof, are teaming up to match all gifts made by December 31, 2019. This means that your contribution can have double the impact, helping ARC rebuild lives and strengthen communities.
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