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I just got back from the most important gig of my life...


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It was at my second prison REC... I am completely spent! Played my a$$ off (even broke 2 nails and a D string!!!!) and as at my first REC, just an incredible high!!! Our team really DOES make a difference in these mens' lives! It is without a doubt, the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life of nearly 50 years... There are way too many stories of both joy and despair to share with you here, but suffice to say that if you are EVER approached to do this, DO NOT HESITATE! Tell them YES! If you give 100% of yourself during the weekend, you will still get a thousand-fold back in return. I am not sharing this with you to boost myself up... There is just too much joy here in me to contain within myself! I have never played better... We played the James Taylor CD of "You've Got A Friend" at one point in a talk that our speaker allowed me to jam with as a gift to the guys and even if you weren't a believer in God, when you heard what came from my guitar, you would have known something immensely special just happened there! Even the guards outside were all smiling and cheerful and especially commented on that JT piece and they weren't even in the room!!! I also finger-picked a piece of music my wife had translated into Spanish that she sang in Spanish during the Communion service and the response was as though a full audience in a music hall had just let loose!!! The unconditional love and appreciation shared there is just too much to comprehend or put into words... To connect with another human being who doesn't even speak your language by just being there for him when his emotions are so full after having learned that more than a thousand people have signed up to pray for them throughout the weekend... that learning how much people who don't even know them care enough to be there or to just pray for them had caused his heart to overflow to the point of sobbing uncontrollably and reaching for you to cry together arm-in-arm as brothers and communicating through your hearts... Right there, in that room with brick walls behind razor wire was the world that God had created and meant for us to have. Please forgive me for pontificating, but I just had to share that with you. It is too much to keep inside. I pray that someday you can have that kind of experience in your lives! God Bless, everyone, and have a magnificent day!!! Boggs :wave:
Check out my Rock Beach Guitars page showing guitars I have built and repaired... http://www.rockbeachguitars.com
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Boggs! Sounds as though it was truly sublime. What does REC mean? I have taught in prison and played concerts in Folsom and Solano for about 11 years. I'm taking a break, not sure if I'm going back. I've made many life long friends. I say that knowing that I'm more than likely never seeing these guys again. Yet I know there are a bunch of men there who've "got my back" forever. For whatever it's worth I've got theirs too. I've probably learned more about life, people and the depths we can sink, fathom and endure from my work there. I can't say it's all been gratifying, bureaucracy being what it is and guards and prisoners being who they are, but those moments of real contact with these men, who in one way or another are desperate, has meant more to me personally than I can say. They were never [i]prisoners[/i] to me. I was never [i]STAFF[/i]. I'm an outside instructor. I'm not in their system; neither prisoner nor guard. When trust is established many end up talking to me in ways they otherwise can't inside. Whew. These are human beings.

All the best,

 

Henry Robinett

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AMEN to that! REC stands for Residents Encounter Christ... and it is not a "Holy Roller" kind of thing. True, our religious beliefs are strongly in evidence there and is a strong tool for helping teach these men how to turn their lives around, but it is not a recruitment exercise. It is an amazingly powerful experience! At one point, because the guards were "in the spirit" all weekend, the inmates asked if the guards in the building we were holding the REC could be asked into the room for a minute so they could express their appreciation... The guards came in and the inmates gave them a standing ovation!!!! To even give them all that moment of community... WOW!!! Hugs and smiles were running amok this weekend, as were unburdening tears and tears of absolute joy. Just awesome! Boggs
Check out my Rock Beach Guitars page showing guitars I have built and repaired... http://www.rockbeachguitars.com
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That's pretty awesome, Boggs. To you and Henry... I've never even thought of this. I've thought of singing for old folks homes but never prisons. What are the drawbacks? The rewards are obvious. Is there much red tape? What if the warden knows you? Would that help? Do they allow anything informal or major productions? Do they allow regular contact or occasional productions? I do have a very soft spot for prisoners. People are gonna screw up. And that'll never change. Never. What a terrible way to spend you life.

> > > [ Live! ] < < <

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The fact of the matter is that many of these guys will get out sooner or later. The prison system as it stands doesn't do anything IMO toward rehabilitating the "rehabilitatable" (is that even a word?)..but, you get my drift. You all are making a difference in not just those inmates' lives, but also the people that they'll interact with upon their release. A very important task. But, realize, you can't do it all. There are some that just won't ever be able to be rehabbed. But for the few that you reach, it's well worth it.
"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Merry Christmans - I think you just got your present. That was a great post - I had twinges of this sort of appreciation of music when the Concert for NYC was held last fall ( esp. during the Who's set) when all those men in blue were finally able to blow off some steam. Of course, this REC event was probably much more intense for you - cause you were part of the human interation. Thanks for the uplifting post.

Check out some tunes here:

http://www.garageband.com/artist/KenFava

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There is a board and a thread which starts with my original message but has follow-on inspirational stories that occured at this REC. Rather than post them all here, you can see them and any follow-on stories from this REC at http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=12;t=001935 . It saves me typing or copying and pasting and slowing down the board unless you specifically WANT me to post them here as well. Please feel free to express yourselves... Boggs :)
Check out my Rock Beach Guitars page showing guitars I have built and repaired... http://www.rockbeachguitars.com
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