August 15 Update

Dear friends,

·       You may now sign up to get notified when a Jacob update gets posted. Huzzah!

·       Thanks to the technical assistance of one of Jacob’s friends from his graduate program at PSU, I have added to the website a “blog” section, where I intend to post updates about Jacob on a regular basis, along with the subscription functionality.

·       Enter your email address and click “Subscribe” in order to receive notifications when a new entry is posted. Go there now to subscribe, and to read the most recent update.

·       Jacob continues to handle his situation with aplomb, given the restrictions on his agency. We continue to feel profoundly grateful for this, notwithstanding the ongoing heartbreak. We feel solidarity with all of you who suffer vicariously for their loved one(s), for whatever reason…

·       Jacob has been LOVING receiving mail!! Please keep it coming. Be mindful of the highly-restrictive rules. We have found at least 5 of our own letters ignominiously stamped “RTS” (Return To Sender).

·       His mother and I have had almost-daily contact with him by phone. He must initiate those calls, at whatever time works for him. When he calls, our Caller ID says “Jacob in Prison,” and the dedicated ringtone – “Valley” for those of you with iPhones – alerts us to immediately cease whatever else we might have been doing and give our undivided attention to the present moment. It is a powerful meditative practice that we carry with us at all times. The calls are allowed to last as long as 15 minutes, but Jacob must be mindful of protecting his minutes, given that he has a fixed monthly allotment, and a few other people he is allowed to call. Each call is periodically interrupted by a mechanized voice intoning: “This call is coming from a Federal prison.” As if we didn’t know that.

·       We have not yet been awarded the privilege of visiting Jacob in person during authorized visitation hours (Saturday and Sunday mornings), despite our having submitted the requested documents three times now, the most recent time via certified return-receipt post. While it might be tempting to feel bitter, I am reminded that our suffering pales in comparison to that of countless other people. And so we wait, with as much patience as we can muster. We harbor hope that we might get to visit next weekend, which will mark one month of Jacob’s incarceration, as well as my birthday. Wouldn’t that be a lovely birthday gift?

·       Jacob has been running almost daily, on the outdoor track at the Sheridan Prison Camp. He has upped his distance to 3.1 miles, i.e., 5 K. I am thrilled by the knowledge of this.

·       Jacob has been writing prodigiously. He has written 15 single-space pages about the details of his experience during his first days in prison. He would love for those words – and many more – to be shared with all of you and the wider world, but we are unclear about the permissibility as well as the wisdom of that. As I trust you can appreciate, we are striving to err on the side of caution right now. His written voice is exquisite, evoking some of the nuances, subtleties, ironies, indignities, injustices, and laugh-out-loud absurdities of his situation. I look forward to sharing some of it with you in future posts.

·       Jacob has also been reading voraciously. His most recent foray has been 2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson, which won the Nebula Award for best novel of 2013. The hook states: “The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.” Hooked yet? I know I am!

·       Jacob is keenly sensitive to others around him, all of whom are also there against their will, for reasons he is not permitted to elaborate. He recognizes that most of them do not have many people closely paying attention to their incarceration as he does. He is finding ways to share the Light, through the kinds of acts of quiet friendship and consideration that those of you who know him personally would instantly recognize as a hallmark of his character. For this and so many other reasons, Jacob is my hero.

·       I will not write about politics in this post. I may in future posts. I am endeavoring to capture my thoughts, feelings, and leadings in writing, possibly for sharing with a wider audience, Quaker and otherwise. It is noteworthy for me to realize the constraints I now feel placed upon me by my son’s situation, and to appreciate that many – most? – people have felt similar constraints for their entire lives. And has that stopped them? One Elder gently reminded me that lots of people write things that other people disagree with. Indeed, they do. Jacob would be quick to look me directly in the eye and say, “Don’t obey in advance, Dad.” We shall see.

With love overflowing from Portland, Oregon,

Tom