Grief -Overcoming Incarceration

If you are just joining me on my blog – Welcome! This blog post is part of a series I am writing on how to overcome a prison experience. I had been married for 5 years before my husband was sent away to prison on a 14-25 year sentence. The path out of the pain,…

July 26, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Anger – Overcoming Incarceration

Welcome back, warrior! You are reading part 3 of a 10-part series on how to heal and overcome incarceration as a family. You are going to make it – don’t give up! Trying to figure out how to get through the pain and loss of someone going to prison is really difficult without a roadmap…

July 25, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Denial – Overcoming Incarceration

In my last blog post, I talked about Shock (read this post). The shock of your loved one going to prison is a feeling you will NEVER forget. But, the good news is, shock can be the first stage of moving toward acceptance and healing. The bad news is, it can also easily become the…

July 24, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Shock – Overcoming Incarceration

I will never forget the experience of Ron going to prison. It changed everything. It changed my family, my opinion of the justice system, and my world view. It changed who I was. The change was immediate, and yet also a journey. You have to experience it to understand how much prison affects your life. …

July 23, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Leadership

Its All Who You Know

We have all heard the saying, “It isn’t what you know; it is who you know.” If you are like me, you imagined people connected to powerful politicians, wealthy individuals, and business owners having it easy because they knew somebody. I have learned what is true and what is not true about that picture! It is…

June 22, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Leadership

Leadership Intelligence

If you are like me, you have been hearing a lot about leadership and what it takes to be a great leader– integrity, hard work, fairness, consistency, courage. The list goes on. All those things are true. There are a lot of skills you must learn and practice to become a great leader. And I…

June 20, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Leadership

Do it

There are three basic types of people: Doers, Thinkers, and Talkers. tyro blog - do it A Doer is someone who does what they say they will do Their life is full of action. You can watch them tackle any project they take on. If they say something, you can be confident that it will happen.…

June 18, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Creating a budget that includes prison visits

Budgeting for prison visits is important, but often neglected. Budgets. I don’t know anyone who likes to talk about budgeting—except for a banker or investment counselor! I think of my budget as a necessary evil. It stops me from spending money on things I want, but I cannot afford. It also helps me pay for…

May 10, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

How to Repair a relationship

Some years ago, a therapist named Susan, who had four decades of experience, confessed that she felt more like a divorce facilitator than a couples’ counselor because, for 90% of the couples she saw, it was already too late. She explained that she was the last stop, not the first, and that by the time…

March 12, 20180Comments

Byinfo

Family

Prejudice

Prejudice. I never imagined that I would see prejudice because of a car I drove. It was such a surprise to me when people openly expressed their disdain toward my sons because my car was old and not attractive. When my sons were in baseball. The parents were responsible for providing rides to and from all…

March 1, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com