Reading the 2008 letter that Amma
wrote to inmates participating in the Circle of Love Inside program, I was
deeply touched by Amma’s boundless compassion that shone through the
letter. Surely if Amma could take time from Her incredibly busy
schedule to write to the inmates, I could also make time to write to someone in
need.
One inmate I write to has no
family or friends, and until recently, was in solitary confinement 23 hours a
day. I could tell that from an early age, he didn’t receive the love
and support necessary to grow and develop. After a few months of our
letter writing, his letters became warmer and kinder. I could see he
was beginning to experience empathy. He wrote in amazement,
“You seem like a sister of God to me, I believe that I can feel your joy and
pain, your ups and downs.” After a few more months of letter
writing, he proclaimed, “I thank God for choosing you as a friend for
me. No one has ever made me as happy in my life as you have, because
when I receive your mail it makes me feel like a new person. I feel
alive, I feel like there is a place in this world for me.” Not only
my pen pal has been positively affected by our letter writing; I have grown
more compassionate and accepting towards others. Through reaching
out to comfort someone in need, the wounds in my own heart are healing too.
--Paunami, Grafton, WI