Do I Deserve Better

I never felt so alone or insignificant as I did when Ron went to prison. Most of my family and friends had abandoned me. The future looked dark, bleak, and cruel. It seemed to be calling me into a life defined by social isolation, poverty, and hopelessness. I was overwhelmed! I was drowning in responsibilities—taking…

August 25, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Teaching Moments

Teaching moments When I read a blog or article that echoes my own beliefs, I feel so affirmed! This is a great article on how to keep your kids safe—by not keeping them too safe. I love it! I watch so many parents overcompensate for the absence of the other parent by doing all these…

July 31, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Traveling With Kids

It is so crazy how quickly children learn! Every moment in their lives becomes an opportunity to learn something new. As we were traveling across Ohio to visit Daddy in prison, there were so many “teachable moments” we had together. We were not always conscious of how much our sons were learning from traveling to…

July 26, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Prison Visits

Prison visits were both wonderful and terrible moments in our lives. Wonderful because we got to be together, hold each other (however briefly) and talk to each other while we looked into each other’s eyes. Terrible for so many other reasons – the location, the atmosphere, and the reminder of the reality that prison was…

July 21, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Overcoming Fear

Over the course of my life, I have conquered many fears. Growing up, I went from being fearless to becoming fearful. I battled fear of being alone, fear of driving, fear of riding in a car, fear of flying, and many other fears that would often paralyze me. Over the course of time, I have…

July 18, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Why Kids Steal

“I want to stay here with Daddy!” Every time I heard those words, pain would shoot through my heart. Not just the pain that comes from knowing your children are hurting and you cannot fix it, but also pain from the terrifying picture of my sons in prison. I knew they did not understand what…

July 16, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

How to Avoid an Argument

Arguments are never about nothing Most of the time, we are left wondering how in the world we got into this heated argument when it started out as a serious conversation. The original topic somehow gets lost in the discussion as soon as someone asks the question, “WHY?” or the other starts their sentence with,…

July 11, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Tips for Traveling Alone

When Ron went to prison, I was absolutely devastated. And not just because I was now a socially single mother, but also because I was suddenly thrust into having to travel alone. And I am not talking about national travel, I am talking about driving. Probably no big deal for most people, and probably the…

July 8, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Tips for the Holidays

Let’s face it, holidays are hard. Independence Day is coming quickly, and everyone I know is making plans to spend time with their families for the holiday weekend. I am reminded of all the holidays we spent with Ron in prison. When Ron first went to prison, I did not want to celebrate at all.…

June 30, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Ron & Cathy Tijerina

Ron and Cathy Tijerina Welcome to our blog! We are super passionate about helping others build a strong, resilient, permanent family—especially those who are deemed disposable by the rest of the world. We were that family! Our family lived through 15 years of Ron being in prison and came out on the other end strong,…

June 25, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com