I write this in the spirit of compassion. I know, firsthand, that jail is a hell of a place to be at Christmas time.

I am reminded that Step 4 in the Alcoholics Anonymous program says “Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”

Ever since I discovered that golden nugget of truth, my life has not been the same. The year was 1988. I had just turned 19 years old. I was serving a year behind bars at the Androscoggin County Jail. My life was reckless and fueled by addiction. At that time, my family was frustrated, and local police furious, with my dysfunctional behavior.

Eighteen years later, I’m proud to say jail was the best place for me at the time. While I was incarcerated, I attended AA meetings and Bible studies that, by design, confronted the nature of my wrongs. I had to admit that my life had become unmanageable, and that I was the one responsible.

It was at that point that I experienced an awakening.

I write this in hope that someone struggling in jail this Christmas season will decide to get real, get honest and become free. The best present a person could give is to make a list of the people they have harmed and become willing to make amends to them all.

People who do that can also experience an awakening in the brand new year.

Rev. Doug Taylor, Lewiston