johnnsims

[johnnsims]

The Masters

Hello my dear family, friends and followers.  This week is Masters Week. The Masters. In my opinion, the Masters is the most exciting of all golf championships as it is the only major championship that is played on the same course each year, and it is the one championship course that I know fairly well after having walked it five or six times years ago. No, I’ve never played the course … thanks…

[johnnsims]

Imagine

When I look back on my life, I want to know that I did everything that I could to make a difference in someone's life.

I’d like to change the world and make it better. I thought a good place to start would be one that makes me cry.

Let me rephrase my initial statement. I’d like US to change the world. You and I. Let’s do it. One child at a time. It will be the most important, joyful and loving thing you have ever done. I promise.

Imagine for one second.

Imagine a spot on the wall, where your field of view is a…

[johnnsims]

One Year

Hello my dearest family, friends and faithful followers. Yesterday marks one calendar year that I’ve been serving at Butner Federal Prison Camp. I want to thank everyone for their continued thoughts and prayers.  I had the pleasure of escorting “Kareem” around the Camp today for his “Merry-Go-Round.” For my new readers, Kareem in a blind, inner city inmate from Baltimore who joined the Camp in…

[johnnsims]

A Christmas Wish

Happy Holidays from Camp Wonderland in Butner, North Carolina. To all my faithful followers, I apologize for the delay since my last Thanksgiving blog. I hope this blog finds you all getting into the Christmas spirit and planning on spending some quality time with your friends and loved ones. Trust me when I advise you not to take this time for granted.

Of all the holidays, Christmas is my…

[johnnsims]

And Now I See

And Now I See

AND NOW I SEE

For years I’ve heard about invisible “energy” that every living being emits. In fact, I’ve recently read that even inanimate objects produce a level of energy that connects them to the rest of the world. This is deep, quantum physics type stuff that I am just reading about, but the theory is starting to make sense as I take the time to see the world around me.

Many of my readers may…

[johnnsims]

Thanksgiving

You won't hear too many inmates repeating this, but I have so much to be thankful for...

Good afternoon everyone from Butner Federal Prison Camp. I appreciate everyone following my blogand sharing with those around you. Undoubtedly, the holiday season in prison is an emotional time for inmates. But it also provides us the opportunity to truly reflect on what’s important in life. In fact, I have spent the last 10 1/2 months reflecting on my life, and more importantly, preparing myself…

[johnnsims]

Not Your Average Sports Bar

#NotYourAverageSportsBar

This was an amazing weekend for college football fans. Saturday’s games provided inspiration and excitement that spurred talk about Conference Championships and potential, high-level bowl games. At the same time, the hopes and dreams of many fell quietly aside after hard-fought battles in the trenches fell short. Welcome to college football.

I want to share a story about the festivities at one of…

[johnnsims]

Forgiveness

The ship releases the anchor not for the anchor's benefit, but for the ship.

Hello my dearest friends and family. Prison is the ultimate teacher. I’ve had a most fortunate opportunity the past ten months to reflect on my life and decide on the type of person I want to be in the future. How many inmates get the opportunity to say, ���I’m lucky.” I know that I have many good qualities. This has been reinforced time again by all of you through a myriad of means. But I still…

[johnnsims]

Prison Ice Cream

Hello Everyone from Camp Butner! Boy, have I got a treat for you. Before the weather turns too cold, it’s time to bring joy to your children’s or grandchildren’s hearts (and to yours) with this great, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ice cream. I know, you are all saying, what has John gotten himself into? Well, needless to say, prison ingenuity and creativity thrives, and it’s amazing what you can create…

[johnnsims]

Thinking Patterns

Hello my dear Family, Friends, and Followers. My apologies for the delay in this blog, but our server here at Butner went down for a week, which cut off access to computers. First of all, I’d like to give a special shout-out to my good friends Bill and Linn who visiting me last Friday. While the visit was short (okay, Shorbie can’t navigate any longer ) I felt refreshed and rejuvenated as I…

[johnnsims]

Rules for Being Human

Rules for Being Human

Good morning my dedicated Family, Friends and blog Followers. I’m writing today from Butner Federal Prison Camp and looking out a window that shows a beautiful, Carolina-blue sky.  Many of you have commented or emailed me asking for details about what we’ve been discussing in my “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life” course being offered through the Butner Psychology Department.  While we treat…

[johnnsims]

Motiviation

Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to another “Life’s Lessons from a Beverage Napkin” blog from Butner Federal Prison Camp. We are celebrating Columbus Day weekend here at the Camp.  A holiday is like any other day in prison, except inmates do not have work detail.

There has been a lot of activity around the Butner complex lately. If you’ve watched the news, there will be a lot of inmates released…

[johnnsims]

Life of a Prisoner

Life of a Prisoner

Good afternoon everyone from Federal Prison Camp Butner. As Hurricane Joaquin continues jinking and jiving off the eastern coast, the constant rain keeps falling on our Camp, adding a dreary coverlet over an already dreary bedroll. I made a mistake almost a year ago by reading about Butner Federal Correctional Institute. I can’t recall the date of the blog/article, but I seem to recall that…

[johnnsims]

PERCEPTION of a Lost Generation

PERCEPTION of a Lost Generation

Good afternoon my free warriors! As each of you battle the drudgery of your daily lives, remember that there are worse places to be. If you’ve followed my blog these past 9 months from Butner Federal Prison Camp, you have undoubtedly picked up on my perception that our American culture, perhaps sparked by a new generation, is changing. Change doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it’s just different. And,…

[johnnsims]

Being True To Oneself

Being True To Oneself

Good morning from Butner Federal Prison Camp. Due to a complex wide Correctional Officer staff meeting, I’ve got the morning off from teaching GED classes. Therefore I thought I’d take a few moments to reach out to my family, friends and followers. I apologize for the delays between posts, but this week has been quite chaotic. This week I’ve been prepping GED students for upcoming exams;…

[johnnsims]

The Sad Side of Prison

The Sad Side of Prison

Hello Everyone from Butner Federal Prison Camp! This week has been a somber time for the Camp inmates. While Butner is renowned for its medical facility and services, deaths occur here frequently–almost daily. Most inmates with debilitating diseases, injuries or ailments reside or are sent to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) on the Butner complex. Therefore, unless you are a permanent party of…

[johnnsims]

The Rookie Breakdown

Good Morning Family, Friends, and my dear blog Followers! I’m sitting here after a full day of teaching here at Butner Federal Prison Camp with good news. For those of you who have followed my blog,you know that I had five of my GED students take a total of eleven (11) GED course exams 3 weeks ago, and they passed every one of the tests! Further, congratulations to “Jimmy” who finished his last…