Reputation is everything.
Your reputation precedes you and either opens or closes doors for you. It is not fair, but people make judgement calls about you based on what they have heard about you. As the wife of a prisoner, then you have a lot to overcome. You have already been labeled as second-rate by…
Making Holidays special for all
After barely getting through the first Christmas with Ron in prison, I promised myself that my sons would have a lot of presents from then on. The next several years, I found myself looking for ways to get as many gifts as I could for my sons. I needed to…
“Should I tell my boss that my husband is in prison?”
This is one of the most common questions I get. One of the biggest fears a wife of a prisoner is that the news of their husband’s incarceration will cause them to lose their job. For some, it is a very real danger. Some…
Has anyone ever said something really dumb to you?
I am talking about the really stupid things people say to us when our husband is in prison. The, “I cannot believe they actually said that!” stuff. I am willing to bet that you have heard a lot of things said that should never have come…
We all have haters in our lives.
They are the people who do not want us to succeed. They might pretend to care, but they really hope you fail. HATERS may talk about you, make fun of you, or try to talk you out of things that will make you better. Those are your HATERS-…
Papers, papers, everywhere I looked I saw piles of papers.
Transcripts, appeals, motions, legal decisions, attorney bills…aaauuugghhhh! It drove me crazy. I moved them from the table to the dresser, to the counter, and back to the kitchen table. Inevitably, if I got rid of something—the attorney would ask for it and I would have…
Getting organized, poor communication, balancing work and home life
Every family struggles. Yes, even healthy families struggle. The struggles of parenting and managing relationships are real. You have to know that just because you struggle doesn’t mean your family is falling apart. You are not alone in dealing with the complexities of managing your family.
We…
How gratitude can change your world
I know this is a hard season to face with your husband in prison. The pain of his absence is more intense; his presence more pronounced when everyone is gathering together to celebrate Thanksgiving. It might not be obvious to you, but you have so much to be thankful…
Will life ever be the same?
Your whole world is shaken when your man goes to jail. I have said it before, and I will say it again—nothing will consequently ever be the same again. The grief, shame, and embarrassment can be paralyzing. You want to hide in your house. It is so hard to…
Do you ever feel locked up?
You know, like you are also serving time, but on the outside. The heavy weight of living with your husband in prison pressing in on you from all sides? I know exactly what that feels like. It is a prison without physical walls, but with physical impact.
Living in an…