Family

I normally write about a quote that I find inspiring or powerful, but today I just want to talk about family and our relationships with them.  I have now been incarcerated for over 24 years and I still have the continual support of my family.

I listen to other women in here talk about their families and it is heartbreaking. In the last few days I have heard two stories that made me really think about how grateful I am for what I have with my family. One girl is getting ready to get out of prison after spending 26 years of her life here and when she called home to tell her mother about it, she got next to no response from her. I was so sad to listen to the disappointment in her voice as she told me about her reaction. You would think that after 26 years of waiting for your child to come home, you would be ecstatic at the news of their upcoming release. It made me sad

Another girl was told by her parents that she could parole home to them only to find out that they suddenly changed their minds because their son is staying there as he goes through treatment. Now she is left to find another option and I can see how sad and disheartened she is as she shares her feelings with me.

I say all of this because it reminds me of how important it is to work on our relationships with the people we care about. If you have burnt a bridge, DO THE WORK to repair the relationship. You only get one family. As someone who has a broken relationship with the only brother I have left (the other two have passed away), I know the pain that comes with damaged family relationships. And so many of us have them.

I would really like to encourage all of you who have a broken relationship with someone in your family to mend it…for your OWN peace of mind, if nothing else. Don’t take for granted the opportunity you have to be the bigger person. If you have a family you love and haven’t had any issues with, then you should be appreciating them even more so! Don’t forget how much your family means to you. Nurture those relationships!!