How to Celebrate Thanksgiving When Your Husband is in Prison

Holidays are not the same when your husband is in prison. Grief, loss, and sorrow can easily steal your desire to celebrate the season with your family. In the face of the challenges you are dealing with, holidays become one more thing that sucks up your time and money. It is difficult to celebrate anything…

November 26, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Prison

How to overcome the stigma of prison

Prison. As soon as someone in your family went to jail, you became one of "them." You moved from acceptable to unacceptable, from an insider to an outsider, and from a friend to someone they used to know. You are now stigmatized. If you think that there is no stigma associated with prison, you are…

November 13, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Leadership Mental Health

Who Are You?

Hello Friends- We love this time of year. The cooler weather, the bright colors on the tress, and the anticipation of the holidays right around the corner are some of the reasons fall is our favorite season. We love fall because Ron came home from prison in the fall. September 2006 brought great joy…

November 4, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Mental Health Prison

How to Stay Sane When Your husband is in Prison

I tucked my sons into bed and walked down the hall to my room. I walked just inside the door of my bedroom and leaned against the wall. Shocked, I stood there staring out the window as the sunset. Relief flooded over me. I had made it through another day of Ron being in prison. …

November 1, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Leadership Mental Health

Cleaning up a Mess

I honestly love to clean my house. Toilets, sinks, carpets, windows—I like to do it all. Well, except for one item. The one thing I do not want to clean is my microwave. I do everything I can to avoid cleaning that contraption. I bought a cover to set over the food while it is…

October 30, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

yes and no people ron and catherine tijerina blog

Leadership Mental Health

Yes and No People in Your Life

Have you ever misjudged a situation and wished someone would have told you that you were wrong? Ron and I had an enjoyable experience of taking a boat out on a lake this past summer while we were camping. The pontoon was a top-of-the-line, brand new boat that was owned by the campground. We…

October 22, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Leadership

Showing up on Time

Having a husband in prison taught me a LOT about what is important in life. The lessons I learned while I was fighting for my family and marriage those 15 years created the foundation for our lives after Ron came home. Something I wasn’t expecting is that I would be applying those principles long after…

October 9, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

making time for fun ron and cathy tijerina

Family

Make time for fun!

The stress of family, work, and other pressures takes a toll on your marriage. You probably didn’t even notice it at first. The small things started to slip away. The good morning kiss, the good-bye hug, the shared intimate looks, holding hands and spending time connecting fade away as busyness takes over. Your commitment and…

September 26, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Activities Leadership

How to Create and Achieve Your Goals

My first family goal was to get off welfare. Even as I write that goal down, I feel a little sadness that it took me hitting rock bottom to realize the importance of creating goals for my family. I never made a conscious decision to become a welfare recipient. It just happened when my family…

September 11, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

single mom buying a house catherine tijerina

Family Leadership

How to Buy a House While Your Husband is in Prison

Buying a house was the impossible dream for me when Ron went to prison. I was convinced that I would never be able to achieve the prestigious label of “homeowner.” I know some people CHOOSE to rent instead of buying a house, but I did not have a choice. I didn’t have the income, nor…

August 12, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com