Tuesday, August 02, 2011
OK Blog! Here I come!
For those that don't know, my husband is currently an inmate in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Am I embarrassed to say that? Hell no! Why he is in doesn't matter. The fact is that he is there and I am here in Canada about 3,000 miles away. Up until about a week ago, I had never read a blog let alone wrote one. I thought it might be good (for me at least) to blog about the day-to-day events that occur and the stresses and pressures of single parenting while my husband is away. So, today will be day one of my personal blog even though my husband has been gone for a year now and a lot has happened since then. I will try and write as often as I can but who knows how that will work out with everything else that needs to get done in a day but I will make my best effort. Right now I'm up to my elbows in petitioning the Texas government and TDCJ to allow my husband as well as countless other inmates with family outside of the United States to be allowed to call their loved ones. Right now, TDCJ does not allow inmates to call family that are located outside of the U.S. An inmate can make an official request to the warden on their unit for a 5 minute phone call every 90 days but not all inmates are aware that this is a possibility so they go without talking to their families for what could be months or even years. Sound fair? Not even a little bit. Anywho, that's all I have for now. Oh and BTW I haven't eaten breakfast yet.
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And so your blog begins! It is cool that you started this and had never written a blog before, nor had even read one. Pretty cool! As far as the phone calls in prison, or lack thereof for people outside of the U.S. that have loved ones there, that just sucks! 5 minutes is barely enough time for each person to say hello, I love you, and goodbye. That is absolutely ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if you still read the comments on this, but I thought I would write to you anyway. My husband had to self surrender yesterday at 9 a.m. and it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to see or be a part of. We have been married for less than a month and we knew this day was coming, but it came faster than I realized and I feel like my heart is breaking. I worry about him. Is he cold? Is he hungry? Are the other inmates being kind to him? Was he able to sleep last night? Is he worried about me? I am trying to remember that God is in control and will keep my husband, Paul, safe. But that is so much easier said than done. I am told it will get easier and I hope that is true. I am reading your blog because it’s nice to read about someone who understands how I feel. Thank you for doing this. God Bless you.
ReplyDeleteDear Paul’s wife
ReplyDeleteI do read the comments and reading yours brings back memories of when my husband self surrendered as well. Yes it was terrible. I felt helpless like my world was falling apart and for the first little while I wasn’t sure how I would handle him being gone let alone if I could handle it. My husband was in Texas and I was in Canada which made it all the worse because I couldn’t see for myself if he was ok and I like you worried if he was ok and if he was hungry or cold and how the other inmates were treating him. I learned very quickly that even if I didn’t feel ok or if I was worried about him I could never let him know because I knew that he was worried about me and he didn’t need the extra worry about me worrying about him. All I can tell you is that your husband will do his time and you will do it right alongside him. You have to be strong even when you don’t feel like you can be. Somehow you will find the strength. Don’t let your mind wander to all the what ifs because you will drive yourself crazy. My best advice is to write him every day...don’t miss a day... because he will think something is wring if you don’t. The worst fear an inmate has is not about what is happening on the inside but what is happening on the outside. My husband always use to say that his time would be so much harder to do if we weren’t ok. So if you really love your husband you make sure he knows that you and he are always ok. I hope you continue to read my blog and that you do find some comfort in what I have written.
Keep your head up and your heart stong!