Getting Off of Welfare

One of the most difficult things for me to do was to get off of welfare. Yes, I did mean to write, “get off of welfare.” Many people think the hardest part was getting on welfare. It was not hard to start receiving the assistance. I was utterly grateful, and a little desperate, for the…

August 23, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Facing Stereotypes

We all have our own opinions about... almost everything. Sometimes, our opinions are based upon our own experiences; more often than not, our opinions are formed from stereotypes. We live in a world where gossip spreads faster than melted butter. If someone has a bad experience somewhere, we see it all over social media. As…

August 22, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

The Power of Letters

You must find a way to connect with your husband while he is in prison Writing letters is important. Emails and phone calls don’t accomplish the same thing. Prison changes everything, but it changes how you communicate the most. There is nothing more intimate than a handwritten letter. Nothing replaces the strokes of a pen that…

August 21, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

adjusting to coming home from prison tyro blog ron tijerina

Family

Adjusting to Dad Coming Home After Prison

It seemed like a lifetime since he had lived in the same house with us. Our sons had grown from toddlers to teens. Our lives had changed so much in that decade.

August 20, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Help for Single Mothers

Being a single mother is a very tough job. Not only are you mother (which is a huge responsibility all by itself!), but you are also provider and protector while parenting solo. Being a single mother can be very daunting. You work hard all day and into most of the night to make sure your…

August 17, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Saving for a food box

Prison brings a lot of financial stress. The list of expenses can go on forever - attorneys, gas for visits, food for visits, phone calls, emails, letters, food and sundry boxes. Whew! That is a lot of extra spending for anyone, but especially for us families left with only one income while our husbands are in…

August 16, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

find your inspiration tyro blog Ron and Catherina Tijerina

Family

Finding Your Inspiration

Why? This simple word can hold so much emotion and so much passion. It is the question we ask when we are seeking an answer to the extraordinary pain we encounter. But sometime in our journey, the “why?” changes from a desperate cry for help to a surrendered question of purpose. The word same…

August 15, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Be the Change

"As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.." - Ghandi As you walk through this chapter in your family’s story, you will experience a lot of pain, and you will see so many things that will break your heart. Living though a prison experience will give…

August 14, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Overcoming Discouragement

Lets face it, we all encounter discouragement at some point. It comes when our hopes are high, we are expecting something good to happen, and then we are disappointed. What we had hoped for, is not what we get. Disappointment is the beginning of discouragement. We get discouraged when we are disappointed over and over again.…

August 13, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Stop Comparing Yourself

Our culture is always sending us messages that tell us that we are not good enough. We look in the mirror and don’t like what we see. We look at our work and feel that it is not good enough. all of us look at our stuff and think we need something better than what…

August 10, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com