HOME TODAY

JIMMY CAME HOME TODAY, THURSDAY, AND HE ALSO CAME HOME LAST TUESDAY.  TODAY WAS HIS 22ND TIME HOME, FOR HIS 12 HOUR VISIT............

JIMMY WILL COME HOME FOR GOOD IN 17 MORE DAYS......IT IS QUICKLY WITTLING DOWN, AT THIS TIME.  WE ARE BOTH EXCITED RIGHT NOW.....

JIMMY KEEPS VERY BUSY WHEN HE COMES HOME...I THINK IT HELPS TO PASS THE TIME EVEN QUICKER FOR THE 2 OF US.............

TODAY, AND EVERY VISIT HOME, HE CLEANED THE HOUSE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AND COOKED....

TODAY HE CLEANED AND CLEANED, AND CLEANED..........EVERYTIME HE COMES HOME, HE CLEANS THE FLOORS, AND CARPETS.....HE WASHES THE CLOTHES AND BEDSHEETS AND COMFORTERS......

THE 12 HOUR VISIT REALLY GOES WAY TOO FAST. IN ONE WAY, IT IS BETTER FOR IT TO PASS QUICKLY, SO HE WILL RETURN HOME SOON.

W GO OUT IN THE MORNING, AND DO SOME SHOPPING.  THEN WE ARE HOME AROUND 12 NOON, AND DO THINGS IN THE HOUSE...................WE LAY DOWN AROUND 2 OR 3 PM.....WATCH A LITTLE TV.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR JIMMY TO COME HOME FOR GOOD.  JIMMY IS A VERY ACTIVE MAN.  YOU MAY SAY, I AM THE ONE PERSON TO CALM HIM DOWN A LITTLE....THAT IS, WITH ME, HE IS MORE SETTLED DOWN, AS A HUSBAND......WE WILL THEN ENJOY GOING OUT TO A MOVIE, OR SOMEWHERE ELSE.............WE WILL FEEL CALM BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT AT NIGHT, AT THE END OF EACH DAY, WE WILL GO TO BED TOGETHER.  THEN, WE WILL RISE AGAIN IN THE MORNING, AND START A NEW DAY.

I CAN'T KID YOU......I AM A LITTLE ANXIOUS FOR HIM TO BE HOME FOR GOOD......BUT WE ARE STRONG PEOPLE, AND ARE HANDLING IT WELL,,,,,,,,,,,,WE SET OUR MINDS TO IT..............THAT IS, WE THINK IT IN OUR MINDS THAT WE MUST DO EACH 12 HOUR FURLOUGH, AND WE DO IT USUALLY TWICE A WEEK.

ON THE FURLOUGH, JIMMY CALLS VOA AT THE DESIGNATED TIMES THAT HE MUST CALL.................AFTER DOING IT 22 TIMES, WE HAVE GOTTEN USED TO IT................

YES, 17 MORE DAYS.............WE WILL NOW BE IN SEPTEMBER.............

LABOR DAY IS HERE, AND THE END OF SUMMER..............THE SEASONS START TO CHANGE.............PEOPLE CHANGE.............WEATHER CHANGES.............IT GETS DARK EARLIER....................EVERYTHING CHANGES, NATURALLY.  AND NOW, JIMMY WILL SOON BE HOME, FOR GOOD, AFTER 3. 6 YEARS.

THE GUYS AT VOA TELL JIMMY, "GEE, YOU HAVE BEEN IN PRISON A PRETTY LONG TIME."  MOST HAVE BEEN IN PRISON FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME.  IT IS HARD FOR THEM TO IMAGINE 3.6 YEARS.

AND THEY CAN HARDLY BELIEVE THAT ME, HIS WIFE, STAYED DEVOTED AND DEDICATED TO MY HUSBAND FOR ALL THOSE YEARS......

MAY I SAY, TO ALL THOSE PRISONER'S WIVES STARTING OUT , PLEASE KNOW, THAT "YOU TOO CAN DO IT1"......JUST AS I DID.................

MOSTLY, YOU MUST NOT THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT, MINUTE BY MINUTE.............JUST LET THE TIME PASS.......

FOR ME, I LET THE TIME PASS, BY BECOMING VERY IN-TUNED WITH NATURE...............I WATCHED AS NATURE CHANGED....THE SKY, THE LEAVES, ETC........AND THEN I KNEW THAT TIME WAS PASSING ON.

TIME AUTOMATICALLY PASSES IN LIFE...........

FOR MYSELF, AFTER 1 YEAR OF JIMMY'S INCARCERATION, I STARTED WRITING A LOT............AND THAT WRITING BECAME OART OF ME, AND VERY IMPORTANT..............MY THOUGHTS BECAME MY WORDS.......................MY WORDS WERE PUT ON PAPER.................AND SO, I SOMEHOW KEPT MYSELF BUSY.

AND NOW, WE ARE IN THE FINAL STAGES OF JIMMY'S JOURNEY THROUGH PRISON AND HALF-WAY HOUSES.......

17 MORE DAYS TO GO..........

I WILL ALWAYS KEEP WRITING THIS JOURNAL, AS IT HAS BECOME SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF ME................YES, I WILL PROBABLY WRITE ABOUT, "LIFE AFTER PRISON.".............WE WILL SEE.

AND SO, I'LL SAY GOOD-NITE, FOR NOW...................FRAN