When a family member goes to prison, we feel helpless. We go through the “could of” and “should of” list of what we could have done differently that would have prevented the incident or situation that led to his (or her) incarceration. But there is something we can do – Pray! Yes, there are many other things we can do for them such as visitation, put money on their accounts, and send letters and books. However, the number one thing…
A fresh starts are a good thing. God is always doing something new–even in impossible situations! “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19 NLT). Being in relationship with our Father through His Son Jesus Christ is never boring. He is eager to share something new every day. After my son’s conviction…
Holidays are a special time for families to get together. However, for some family gatherings they have someone they love missing. Some have lost loved ones who graduated to heaven. Others are separated due to other extenuating circumstances such as illness, finances, work, military service, or addictions. Then there are the families with a loved one incarcerated. When my son was sentenced to prison, I grieved. Hard. The life I imagined our family would have vanished with the incarceration. That…
Advocating for our incarcerated loved one at one time or another during their confinement is inevitable. I learned early on as a family member on the outside that I needed to learn to find a balance between when to call the unit on behalf of my son and when to leave things alone. On one hand, it may be beneficial for the prison staff to know that the inmate has family on the outside who care about their loved one…