Letters to My Son

About the Book

This is the story of letters written to my son while he was incarcerated in county jail. My story begins when my son Jonathan was a minor and living with his mother after his parents’ divorce. Jon took his mother’s car and ran into a lady’s porch. The police were called and found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the car. Prior to this, Jon was “hanging out” with a group of young goths (Satanic group). This was a young group of kids dressed in black and worshiping the devil. John went to court and was sentenced to probation for one year for his first offence in the First Offenders Program. When he completed the course, the conviction would be sponged from his record. Jon saw his probation officer monthly. John had drugs in his drug tests, and his attitude did not change. The probation officer gave him a second chance, and he was sentenced to another year of probation. Jon’s mother called me and asked me to take Jon and take him to his probation meetings. I did this, and Jon was still hanging out with the goths and still was not passing his drug tests. Probation sent Jon to court, and he was put in work release. Work release placed Jon at Wendy’s. The first night of work, Jon returned from Wendy’s high; he was then placed in the main jail. This is when the letters between Jon and I began, and the story begins.

About the Author

Gary Bowen resides in the country 15 miles north of Harrisburg, PA, with his wife Eilene on three acres of land beside Susquehanna River. They attend Bible Fellowship church in Dauphin. Gary and his first wife Rose; raised four boys, and one daughter in their home by the river. Gary and Rose divorced, and Gary remarried his present wife Eilene. Having worked six years in the county prison, he knew what Jonathan faced while he was incarcerated. Gary wrote letters to Jonathan and tried to help him turn his life around. As a born again Christian, Gary felt burdened to show Jon how to restore the love of Christ in Jonathan’s heart, and wrote John letters weekly. The letters were to encourage Jon, while he was incarcerated, and show him how to make changes, and lead Jon closer to the Lord. The letters became the pages of the book. Many letters were written, and some of them aren’t contained in this book. Gary’s prayer is for other’s to know the love of the Lord and develop a personal relationship with him.