My work began at 2:30 this morning and I did not finish until after 9:00 this evening. I don’t think I’ve had a longer day of work and I hope to rest well through the night.
Besides writing for the entire day, I participated in a community service program for our group Those Outspoken Against Drugs, TOAD. Usually we speak with at-risk adolescents, but this evening we spoke for members of a youth church group from the Taft community. Thirty people comprised our audience and they ranged in age from 12 to 20. The group was attentive, even though they did not appear vulnerable to criminal influences. We had a total of 13 TOAD members participating in the group, and many brought an enthusiasm that those in the audience really enjoyed. Lou, one of the older members of the group, provides a powerful message about how partying and drug abuse led to a failed academic career, a lifetime struggle with addiction, and all the pains that accompany a lengthy prison sentence.
Malik spoke about how he began carrying guns to school in junior high, and how those decisions resulted in five felony convictions. Eddie offered a horrid prison experience for the audience to ponder, describing how he lost his mother, his father, and his son while serving time.
Our star speaker is Benny, who described how sales of drugs derailed a brilliant future. Benny came to prison in his early 20s, despite opportunities to play college basketball and pursue a career as a recording artist. He is a rapper, and a talented performer. For each of our TOAD group presentations, Benny raps for the audience. He is versatile, too; as he writes raps that are specific for the group. In today’s performance, Benny rapped about his love for Christ.
In the morning I ran 10 miles, brining my total to 1,283 miles over the past 145 consecutive days. I also made good progress with my writing.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
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