Dear Subscriber, I'm interrupting the current series of messages to this list to send you the following message from my wife, Tessa. If you want to write to her while she's "inside," do it very soon, because their mail system there seems really slow, and she'll be out of there on Friday, 2/9/07. (In other words, if you don't send something now, she'll probably be out by the time she would have gotten it.)
Larken
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- - From Tessa Rose (1/27/07) Dear List Subscribers,
Greetings from Danbury, Connecticut. I am now halfway through my 30- day vacation with the BOP (Bureau of Prisons). By the time the novelty of all this wears off, it will be time for me to go home. This is not a bad place to be, really. It's just not a place you want to be stuck in for a very long time. Going in was the hardest part for me--not knowing what it was really going to feel like or how mean people were going to be. But, with the notable exception of the rude lady who wanted a free strip show, the people involved in the intake process were polite and respectful. They did their things, and then turned me over to the inmates, who softened my landing here with their sympathy and generosity.
Now, two weeks in and halfway through, what I feel most is gratitude. I am grateful for the opportunity to come here and meet all these lovely women--to hear their stories and witness their pain, to marvel at their resourcefulness and spirituality, to live, for only 30 days, a life that other women are forced to live for years and years. I have seen and learned so much in this short time, so much that I will never forget.
I also thank the government every day for placing me in the honored company of all the people in history who have been imprisoned for telling the truth and doing the right thing. When I walk the hallway of Danbury FPC, I am also walking in the footsteps of great people. This makes me feel both very proud and very humble; proud to be part of that great company, and humble to be the least of them.
Lastly, I am grateful to those who have brightened my captivity by sending cards and letters. When I walk away from Mail Call with a fistfull, my step is lighter, knowing that you are still there for me.
Love to all,
Tessa D. Rose 59518-066 Danbury FCI (Camp) Federal Correctional Institution Route 37