A Corrections Christmas Day

A Corrections Christmas Day

The family gathers round

They are missing you most

But they understand your duty

And the importance of your post

 

Thank you for your faithfulness

At your station this Christmas Day

I want to express my gratefulness

But it’s more than mere words can say

 

There is no one to pass the turkey

Or ring the Christmas bell

As you fulfill your vital mission

Checking cell by cell

 

It is still Christmas Day

Yet there are no halls decked with holly

And the scenery behind these walls

Is anything but jolly

 

No shared holiday traditions here

Of tinsel strewn upon a tree

And mistletoe under which to kiss

Or praying child on bended knee

 

Here in this concrete city

There are familiar things today

Of miserable choices and clanging steal

From which you’d like to turn away

 

One has responded to the call

Hope arises in my mind

He has brought a gift

A precious treasure to find

 

From Bethlehem’s manger to Calvary’s Hill

All the way to this jungle of concrete and steal

He has brought hope and peace for you

Strength and comfort that are real

 

The manger of Bethlehem was lonely and lowly

For our dear Saviour’s birth

May you fully comprehend

The excellence of His worth

 

I am thankful for you corrections officer

And for this gift of salvation today

So you can have the best and what matters most

This blessed Christmas Day!

 

If These Gloves Could Talk

 

If these gloves could talk they would break the silence revealing the things we’ve touched and handled that we don’t want to speak of yet are imbedded in our minds.  Seeing and hearing what we see and hear affects us, but there is an additional effect when “hands on” must come into play.

 

Gloves are for protection in a number of ways; there is no hesitation in using them and no doubt about the necessity.  May we be as diligent in applying what is needed to protect our hearts while we serve in the corrections environment. Proverbs:4:20-21,23 “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart…Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”Comfort and peace can be found as we communicate with Him, trusting in His Word.