After my son was arrested, I shared our situation with a trusted colleague. She told me over and over, “Shonda, remember to be kind to yourself.” Each time she said that, I said, “Okay.” But I didn’t know what to do to be kind to myself. I am a wife and a mother. I’m busy taking care of my husband and son. I’m busy volunteering at the sports field, working in the concession stand, running errands, etc. After some years,…
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…
Life has its ups and downs. We go through good times and bad times. Some times are really bad times. Those mind-bending, I can’t believe this nightmare is happening to me, this is the kind of stuff movies are made of type of bad times. Other times seem bad in the moment, but in retrospect we can say it wasn’t so bad. If most of you are like me, my initial response when bad times hit is to begin to…
Do you believe God is able? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced the option of being thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to the golden statue. While staring death in the face, they declared, “God is able.” “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power,…
“… always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1 NLT). That phrase from the NLT version in the first verse of Luke 18 became seared in my mind after my son’s arrest. While my oldest son sat in a county jail awaiting trial, I cried out, “Lord our life is not supposed to look like this!” I prayed for my son to love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, and mind. Now we faced a tragic situation…
As a mother who has an incarcerated son, I’ve had the opportunity to met other family members who also have loved ones imprisoned. In my conversations with others, I’ve heard heartbreaking stories how these loved ones did not receive a fair trial. They may be guilty of the crime, but received a sentence that does not fit the offense. Or they may be innocent, but convicted and sentenced to prison. The common thread in my conversations with others is that…
The day we received the phone call that our son had been arrested, my initial reaction was to write out Romans 8:28– “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). Then I turned that Scripture into a prayer. Honestly, when I prayed that Scripture back to God, my desire was for Him to keep my son out of prison. To me, that would be…
After watching the movie Walt Before Mickey, I was inspired by how Walt Disney never gave up his dream regardless of his circumstances. He found himself homeless and hungry, yet he kept his dream alive in his heart. As I ponder this past month of the new year, I realized I want this to be a year of significance. Significance for me, means touching lives and making a difference in my circle of influence because I have dared to dream…
We must hold onto hope! Without hope, we risk falling into despair. As families and friends of the incarcerated, we must hold onto hope no matter what challenges we face. Yes, the court may hand down a lengthy sentence. In the forefront of our thoughts we may think that we will never see our loved one in the free world on this side of eternity. But with God nothing is impossible! I met Joe who had two life sentences and…
In life, we become accustomed to our ways. Habits and routines set in. We adapt and become comfortable with our lives even if we don’t necessarily like everything about our lives. Any change will disrupt the pattern we’ve adapted to as we tend to focus on our present circumstances. The disciples were a lot like us in that regard. They had traveled the country side with Jesus. In Mark 9, as they traveled, Jesus’ mind was on the eternal as…