CRAF, NJ...CHRISTMAS TIME WITHOUT YOUR HUSBAND

HI EVERYONE!

IF YOU ARE READING THIS JOURNAL FOR THE FIRST TIME, LET ME SAY "WELCOME!"  AND IF YOU ARE A PRISONER'S WIFE WITHOUT YOUR HUSBAND FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON, YES, I KNOW , IT HURTS.  THE WORLD IS WORRIED ABOUT WIDOWS, THE AGED, THE SICK, THE HOMELESS, THE MILITARY, THE VICTIM'S OF NATURAL DISASTERS, THE POOR AND THE NEEDY....BUT NO ONE, SIMPLY NO ONE , IS WORRIED ABOUT THE WIFE OF A MAN IN PRISON...NO, THEY ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE PRISONER, AND LET US NOT FORGET THE POOR LITTLE CHILDREN, WHO ARE WITHOUT THEIR DADDIES AND MOMMIES, FOR YET ANOTHER CHRISTMAS.....HOW HORRIBLE IT MUST BE FOR THEM! 

  I SHOULD CORRECT MYSELF...THROUGH THIS JOURNAL, I HAVE FINALLY MADE MANY PEOPLE AWARE OF PRISONER'S AND THE LOVED ONES THEY LEAVE BEHIND...THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS JOURNAL, AND WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO CHANGE THINGS IN OUR COUNTRY.  IF YOU LOOK INTO IT ON "GOOGLE," YOU WILL FIND THAT GREAT BRITAIN HAS AN EXTENSIVE SOCIAL SUPORT SYSTEM THROUGHOUT,  FOR LOVED ONES OF PRISONERS, INCLUDING CHILDREN....IT IS A VERY GREAT THING...PROVIDED FOR BY THE GOVERNMENT...I COULD ONLY IMAGINE IT , HERE, IN AMERICA...AND IT WOULD BE MY DREAM COME TRUE, TO SEE IT HAPPEN HERE....OF COURSE, WE MUST START WRITTING TO OUR CONGRESSMEN, ETC........MAYBE IF WE JOIN FORCES, WE WILL START TO SEE THINGS CHANGE IN OUR COUNTRY.

I GUESS YOU REALIZED, I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A FEW DAYS.....WELL, I'VE JUST BEEN TRYING TO GET MYSELF TOGETHER, HERE......MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY.

JIMMY CALLS ME EVERYDAY, HOWEVER DUE TO BROKEN PHONES, HE CANT ALWAYS GET THROUGH TO ME.  SO, HE HAS OTHER INMATES CALL ME, WHO ARE WALKING AROUND OUTSIDE HIS CELL....SO FAR, 3 INMATES HAVE CALLED ME TO SEE IF I'M OK, AND TO RELAY THE MESSAGE THAT JIMMY LOVES ME.  AND SO, I HAVE ALSO LISTENED TO A LITTLE OF THEIR STORY...ONE HAS A WIFE WITH LYMPHOMA, ANOTHER HAS A 5 YEAR OLD SON, WHOM HE MISSES DEARLY......AND SO, THE PRISON STORIES ARE ENDLESS...DIFFERENT FACES, SIMILAR STORIES OF HARDSHIP.

I MUST SHARE WITH YOU SOMETHING WONDERFUL THAT HAPPENED TODAY!....IT IS SOMEWHAT OF A MIRACLE...........ALL DAY TODAY, I WAS IN THE HOUSE PRAYING TO THE LORD..........I FELT COMFORTED, AND A PEACE CAME OVER ME THAT I HAVE NOT FELT SINCE JIMMY WENT BACKTO PRISON..............AND THEN, I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM MY COUSIN IN NEW MEXICO.  HER HUSBAND AND HERSELF , ARE VERY PROMINANT PEOPLE THERE, AS HE IS A VETINARIAN, AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN BUSINESS, AND JUDY, MY COUSIN, HAD A VERY IMPORTANT POSITION, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AS "STATE REPRESENTATIVE," (R), NEW MEXICO.  WELL, BOTH ARE VERY ACTIVE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH...JUDY WAS TELLING ME THAT BOTH DO MARRIAGE COUNSELING WITHIN THE CHURCH..............NOW, ALL DAY, I WAS THINKING TO MYSELF, THAT JIMMY AND I SHOULD DO WORK FOR OTHERS WITHIN THE STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH............................WELL, A FEW MINUTES LATER, AFTER THE LETTER ARRIVED, JIMMY TELLS ME THAT WE SHOULD BECOME MARRIAGE COUNSELORS FOR PRISONS, WITHIN THE CHURCH.........I WAS VERY SHOCKED...I KNEW HE WANTED TO DO THIS, BUT ALL THESE THOUGHTS CAME ON THE SAME DAY...................MY COUSIN WOULD SAY, 'IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, FRAN."

AND MY JIMMY WOULD SAY, THAT WE WOULD MAKE GOOD MARRIAGE COUNSELORS, AS WE HAVE A MOST WONDERFUL MARRIAGE, AND IT WOULD BE A JOY TO TEACH OTHERS JUST EXACTLY WHAT MARRIAGE AND LOVE AND COMMITEMENT IS ALL ABOUT................YES, WE BELIEVE VERY STRONGLY IN MARRIAGE........DESPITE WHAT A LOT OF OUR POPULATION FEELS........

JIMMY DID SEE THE "COURT LINE, " ON FRIDAY....HE IS APPEALING THE DECISION, AND SO IT WILL NOW GO INTO THE HIGHER ADMINISTRATOR'S HANDS..........IT IS BETTER THAT WAY................AND SO, THAT IS REALLY ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW, AS IT IS A LEGAL ISSUE.

GOOD NITE!           FRAN