And we made it through another one, and for that I am grateful. May 2023 be one of the best new years experienced in our lives. The last few have certainly had their challenges but most of us survived and have lived to fight another day. Go with God Speed into a bright and prosperous future, one day at a time!
For those who didn’t read what I wrote last year, here is the link. Have a wonderful day!
Happy Thanksgiving Day to those who celebrate the American holiday! And even to those who don’t celebrate holidays, I hope each of you are filled with gratitude for all you have in life to be thankful for: start with the functioning body parts and the air you breath to see another day.
Turkey Day USA! For me, I celebrate each day because of the life I’ve been blessed with living, which is less than what I want, but is much better than what I had when I posed for that picture inside the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville, Georgia in the 80’s.
Healthwise, I was in much better physical condition back then than I am now, of course, but in regards to what really counts, today I am in better overall condition.
The positive aspect from that experience and others I was fortunate to have survived, is that I did walk out the prison doors and lived to fight another day. And decades later, continue to have a life worth writing about, which I do often in hope of inspiring others or to otherwise affect a positive change.
The most success in my writing career has become writing on Quora.com where I have over 1.2 million views on my profile page and Life Inside and Out. Should you decide to subscribe or to check out a free subscription, I am paid a small commission. Visit my profile to learn more: Wayne T. Dowdy or click Here to subscribe to Quora Plus.
Should I focus on writing about the negative, I could write for days and still fail to tell everything that I dealt with throughout the years. A wonderful thing is that I could also write for days about the good things that I have experienced and feel fortunate to still be able to sit before my computer screen and type.
Finding the bright side of life can be a challenge if filled with self-pity because life is not happening the way I feel it should. But when I stop for a moment to remember where I came from, and then accept that things are working the way that the God of my understanding wants it to be, then I can breathe in a be grateful for the moment, knowing that I am blessed to have been around for all these years and to have accomplished the things that I have during the last few years.
My plan for the next few months is to focus on changing several things that I have the power to change in pursuit of accomplishing more than I have since my release from the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons on August 28, 2018. Then maybe next Turkey Day I will write about some spectacular events; however, I am probably going to stop paying for this website and end it for several reasons I may write about in an upcoming post as Revising A Life or Life After Release.
In reflection of 2022, I am grateful for many things, including being given the opportunity to appear on a public television station, which you may watch the YouTube version of by clicking the link in Revising a Life-10 for a Steadfast Journey-Bridging the Gap, with the lovely, Dr. Micshell Milsap, or by clicking the following links where I appeared in Wisdom Episode 10 and another Walking With God. Please check them out and click to like and subscribe to her channel. Thanks!
May your heart be filled with more gratitude this year than most, even though the World affairs have deteriorated. If you pray, remember Ukraine and those who suffer around the world.
Happy Father’s Day to all fathers of the World who provide for their families, whether there is a biological connection or not, the one acting in the capacity of a father to his children deserves praise and an acknowledgement for the things he does because of his love and responsibilities.
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For the single parent who fills both roles, a special thanks goes out to you. You’re the Best! May God give you the strength and resources you need to provide for your family.
Many good people go unnoticed who do not receive the praise deserved for the acts of love shown each day in their actions, not just in words. A title doesn’t matter. May the love you show come back to you ten-fold.
Special Acknowledgment: I chose the photo shown above in honor of my brother who passed away in 1978 and left behind two children, one four, the other six, both of whom he loved and would have made countless sacrifices to provide for their comfort and safety. Unfortunately, he died twenty-five days before he turned twenty-five. If you are blessed with a father or anyone else who holds special meaning, give him or her a hug, and let them know that you love them because one never knows if the moment that the opportunity presents itself will be the last chance given.
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“Time goes by fast when having fun” is an old cliché I use often. For me, it seems I spend most of my time spinning my wheels procrastinating at times.
Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!
You registered on WordPress.com 7 years ago. Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.
Seven years ago when I began this website/blog with the assistance of my publisher at Midnight Express Books, I was sitting in the only Federal Correctional Institution that I was ever in during the thirty-years and ten-days that I served on a 420-month federal prison sentence.
My primary purpose was to use Straight from the Pen as a way to promote my books and to stand up and fight against the system that held my body but could not contain my mind and spirit. For evidence in regard to fighting the system while on the Inside, please read my blog, Fight for Change, and notice the copies of my letters written to the then BOP Director, Mark S. Inch, and Congressperson, Trey Gowdy.
What I became more successful at was fighting the system, which I continued after my release on August 28, 2018. My plan was to continue the fight with the help of concerned citizens who were willing to fight a worthy cause. Unfortunately, I stood alone when it came to financing the projects, as well as providing the content to elicit additional support.
People are quick to complain about public issues but very few put forth the necessary energy or time that it takes to do something about it, or to at least make an attempt to change what is troubling to them. That is true even when it comes to voting against the ones who lie to get a political seat, only to deceive those who voted to put them in office.
And so the story goes. At the end of the day, my most important goal was to keep from returning to the system I professed to hate. To accomplish that goal, I refused to live my life in a manner that would result in being wrapped in chains again, literally. Because my criminal history and tendency to slip away from confinement, I qualified for the Black Box Special during transportation, via the United States Marshall Service.
Those who qualify for the Black Box Special line of treatment, are escorted with a belly chain (large linked-chain heavier than what is used on most dogs) wrapped around their waist, with the handcuffs encased in a black box designed to make it more difficult to escape. To compliment the arrangement, shackles are secured around the legs near the ankles and often induce pain when walking.
So, as I type, I continue to accomplish the goal to be Free from Incarceration. The Revised Life I now live does not include committing crimes or doing things I shouldn’t be doing if I want to remain a free citizen, a Returning Citizen to society, not to the prison system.
Some of the other things I do are to provide content on Quora.com for my profile page and my space, Life Inside and Out. I am coming up on 1,000,000 views on Quora, and for Google Maps as a guide, over 24,000,000 views.
Right now, though, I need to work on getting some sleep so I can get up and do my good deeds at Goodwill as an Environmental Service Technician.
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DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlyNow that I have an employee seen sitting on the keyboard in the above photo, I may correctly use “We” in the following disclaimer: We act as affiliates for trusted merchants and may earn referral commissions resulting from the purchase of a product or service promoted or reviewed on this website.
In this short post, the only affiliate link is for Webull, where participants get three free stocks for signing up and funding an account. Please click the link below if you wish to participate while I work on finding a way to get my new employee to do some work around here.
Sitting on the keyboard looking cute won’t pay the bills. 🙂
Removed link to Webull promotion because I have found that Webull does not honor its promotional bonuses for referrals.
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STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN 