What are you chasing?
I have chased many things in my life. Most of the time, the things I thought were really important weren’t. I discovered the most important race to win is the Dream Chaser race.
Let me ask you a very important question. Do you have a dream? Or did you stop dreaming somewhere along your journey to this moment? If you are like most people who have a loved one in prison, you put all of your dreams on hold a long time ago. Your only goal is to live through this experience and see your man released from prison, read more about our experience. You only want your family back together.
Having your family back together is most definitely a huge priority. But just being together in the same house can’t be the only dream you have. You need to dream bigger. Your dreams should be goals you can work toward and achieve. Even while you wait for your man to come home.
You have to move forward to dream again
The day I realized that the only thing I was living for was the day Ron was released from prison is the day I decided I needed to learn to dream again. Ron would always share all of the things he wanted to do when he was released from prison. I didn’t have anything to share with him except, “I just cant wait until you come home.” So, all of the dreaming for our family was happening inside the prison walls.
I have something to say that may be hard to hear. You have to move forward and learn to dream again. You cannot make your whole life about waiting for someone to come home from prison. Know that you are doing them, yourself and your family a terrible disservice. It is up to you to rally your family to find the hope and strength to begin to dream again.
"You are not the only one stuck in a world you did not create"
When you start dreaming of a life you could have – one with peace, joy, and provision – you will start making decisions that will get you closer to your dream every day. If you want something better, it is up to YOU to create it. The system is not fair, and it is broken. We desperately need reforms to our judicial and penal system. You are not the only one who is stuck in a world you did not create. But it is OK if you are the only one you know who finds a way out.
I am not talking about moving on without your man. I am talking about building a life for your family that has room for him. You cannot let the crazy of prison life, appeals, lawyers, out dates, and court dates define your life and become your purpose. You and your family will fall victim to the system and to a bitterness and brokenness that will infect your children.
Revive your dream!
Become a Dream Chaser. You DO deserve to dream again, and to pursue your dreams. Now is the time to pursue the purpose the Lord put in your heart. It may seem like another lifetime ago. But it is still there. Let Hope create the spark you need to set it on fire again.
You have the hardest job, but also the greatest opportunity, to redefine your family. If you have stopped dreaming, you have stopped really living. Dreams are what fuel us to accomplish what others think is impossible.
Living though a prison experience will give you insight into brokenness, and into the power of hope and faith that few other experiences achieve. Every day you are facing the challenges of the injustices you see, the destruction of lives you witness, and the power of the system over your life.
Here are some simple things you can do to ignite your dreams:
- Design a Vision Board- use pictures to represent what you want to achieve in your life. Don’t just include material things, but also include things you want to do and things you want to establish in your family.
- Write a list of 4 things you could do in a year that could help you move closer to your dreams.
- Work on one thing on your list for 3 months. Don’t let anything distract you from working on that one thing. (It could be getting a job, or taking a class or writing, etc.)
- Move onto the next thing for the next 3 months (or until it is completed if it takes less than 3 months), and so on.
- Now, share your dream with 3 people who can either help you achieve it, or will encourage you along the way.
You must find a way to create shared experiences for your family that are positive, happy, and fond. Dreaming and working together to achieve a dream that is outside the influence of prison is a great start. read more about our story.
I am rooting for you!
Cathy