I love holidays, especially Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. I enjoy the food, fellowship and, most of all, my family.

However, I am aware that some people might find it hard to celebrate, due to difficult circumstances. I particularly relate to those who are incarcerated at this festive time.

It is hard to cope when you have a loved one who is in jail, and equally as hard for those who are serving time. I know, because I spent the holidays in jail back in 1989.

I love the movie, “A Christmas Carol.” There was a time in my life that my heart and my head were as hard as were Scrooge’s. As I look down the corridors of my life, I, too, had three visitors who came along and pointed me in the right direction.

They were a judge (Thomas Delahanty II), a jailer (John Lebel) and a probation officer (Joseph DePhillips). Though they all played a roll in punishing me, they also tried to correct me so that I would learn from my errors.

A word of advice to those who are incarcerated during this holiday season: It would do you and the ones who love you a lot of good to recognize, receive and be restored by those who have been sent to help you.

When I look back, jail was not the worst place; it was the best place for me at the time.

I hope that somehow my three special visitors read this letter.

The Rev. Doug Taylor, Lewiston