Reaching a decision

After my time in discussion with my parents and prayer I've decided to turn down the parole board's offer of eighteen months of treatment followed by parole. There are a number of reasons for my denial and I've tried to meet with the parole guy and warden here to talk with them about my decision. Because I haven't been able to talk with them, I went ahead and drafted a letter to be sent to many different officials (to make sure it gets into the right hands) denying the parole offer.

I had some great supporting material for my decision sent to me by my mom. These letters from counselors and fact sheets from organizations helped back up most of my reasons, putting credentials behind my words. Without those references, I would have a hard time convincing anyone that I had made a sound decision and may have seemed a fool, but God knew I needed help.

Once I finished the letter, I shared it with a friend to get his reaction. "I guess you're serious, huh?" he remarked after reading the letter. " After seeing all that, I probably would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes."

Now I pray that the people who receive the letter will be prepared and open-minded to my decision and that no ill effects come of it.