Wally & me: How writing to a stranger in prison changed my life
By 
Jill Richardson2023-02-23T12:18:00
Rev Jill Richardson shares a heartwarming tale of her decades long friendship with Wally
A blonde woman signalled through the window, gesturing me to come closer. She opened the door a crack.
“Are you Jill?”
“Yes,” I replied.
She opened the door further. “Hurry, get inside – if all those people find out who you are, you’ll be mobbed.”
“All those people” were the 25 or so guests waiting for the soup kitchen to open at the St Vincent de Paul centre in Watertown, Connecticut. I raised my eyebrows and gave her a curious glance. Why would I be mobbed by a crowd of homeless people, like they were the paparazzi and I a celebrity at an award ceremony?
“Walter spoke of you all the time. You’ve become a kind of legend around here.”
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