Singing in Prison

Tonight I went with my choir and sang in Newport Women's Prison. I didn't really want to go. There was supposed to be good food in the Caf tonight along with a semi-formal atmosphere, it was below freezing outside, I was tired...there were many contributing factors to me not wanting to get on a bus and drive for 45 minutes, take another 45 min. to get through security to sing for people forced to listen to us. At least that was my philosophy. After our first song, these convicted felons burst into applause and stood for our choir. It took me by surprise. We sang some more and the reaction was just as enthusiastic every time. Wow. After we had sung a few songs, the prison choir (that a previous member of Harding's Concert Choir who was sentenced to prison time but is now released had started 8ish years earlier) sang a few songs including "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus" and another song all about how Jesus' blood washes away all of our sins. They obviously meant what they were singing and it was extremely moving.  Then our choir got up and sang a few more songs. When we sang "The Lord Bless You and Keep You", and we sang it TO them, looking at their faces, tears flowed down the inmates' faces.

             So even though I came in with a bad attitude, God blessed me tonight with the inmates of Newport Women's Prison. I feel like they ministered more to me than I did to them.

By the way, most are in for drugs, but one out of  six of the women there are convicted of murder, including several of the members of the Prison Choir. The blood of Jesus covers a multitude of sins. :)

I'm On a Roll

Writing is like a roll of toilet paper.  You may look at this strange comparison and think, "Where in the world is she going with this one?" But when you look closely, there are several similarities between these two seemingly unrelated topics.

In the same way that people use way too much toilet paper and it ends up clogging the drain pipes, some people use way too many adjectives and superfluous words just to make themselves sound smarter, add up more word count and add fluff to their paper and it ends up congesting their paper and making them sound stupid and brainless and like they do not know what they are talking about.

If you use toilet paper way too fast and carelessly, you are going to miss some things. Time is crucial when you are writing a paper. You cannot just spit out an amazing paper without putting in the time and effort necessary to write it correctly. If you start writing your paper the night before and edit your paper the morning it is due, you are not going to catch all of the mistakes you made or the sentences that could be improved. Take the time you need to create your best work.

Sometimes, toilet paper sticks to your shoe. You walk around the whole day with a trail of white, flowing toilet paper following your every step. Good writing can also stick with you for a while. Unlike the toilet paper, good writing is not embarrassing when someone points it out to you. A thoughtfully written essay can stay in your readers' minds and even help them with future problems and discussions.

Toilet paper has many different brand names plastered on its shrink-wrapped packaging. Boasting of its double cotton ply, ultra softness, or unmatchable strength, toilet paper is proud of its features. Plenty of research goes into the production of toilet paper. Be proud of your work! It is going to have your name on it. Work on it as if you had to sell it to somebody. If you would not want to buy it, nobody would.

This was an assignment for my Comp I class. I had a blast writing it and I hope you enjoyed it.