Gift Ideas for Inmates

One of the simplest ways to let someone know you care about them is to get them a gift. Gifts are wonderful for holidays, birthdays, special occasions, or just to lift someone’s spirits during a difficult time. When someone is in prison, sending a gift becomes complicated and confusing. People often ask questions like, “What…

October 16, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

No More Goodbyes

When Daddy goes to prison, everything changes And nothing will ever be the same again. This is especially true for children who lived with their father before prison. Suddenly, every encounter they have with Daddy (prison visits, phone calls, or letters) includes an emotional goodbye. Goodbyes are hard. They remind us we are parting, each…

October 10, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Writing to Someone in Prison

It is so amazing to me how much people take talking for granted. How much I used to take it for granted. I love to talk. I talk to people, with people, at people, and I have even been known to talk to myself. It never occurred to me that there would come a day…

September 29, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Protect Your Marriage

You might be surprised that I am actually talking about the impact of prison on sex. No one really talks about how prison drastically affects intimacy. When Ron went to prison there was one important part of our relationship that stopped. Sex. Naturally, sex had been an important part of our relationship, but it wasn’t…

September 19, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Dad in Jail

I can remember the day Ron went to jail so vividly! We woke up that morning and got ready for the day, just like any other day. We showered, brushed our teeth, got dressed, ate breakfast, and even had a small disagreement about a wet towel on the floor. As far as the boys knew,…

August 31, 20170Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

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

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