THINGS ARE GOING WELL!

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP!.........JIMMY IS GETTING SETTLED AT HOPE HALL...........WE  CAN TALK ON THE PHONE MORE OFTEN , NOW, WHICH MAKES ME HAPPY!

WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING, I FELT A LITTLE SAD,,,,,,,JIMMY CALLED ME AT 4 AM, AND AT 8:30 AM.  "JIMMY," I SAID, "I'M SAD BECAUSE WE CAN'T TALK AS MUCH ON THE PHONE."....."FRAN,' HE REPLIED, "YOU ALWAYS WANT THINGS  TO HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY. THINGS TAKE TIME. I JUST GOT HERE."

IT'S FUNNY, BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS MAN IN MY LIFE WOULD ALWAYS TELL ME THE SAME THING.  "ROME IS NOT BUILT IN A DAY,"  HE WOULD TELL ME.

I GUESS, UNKNOWINGLY, I'M A LITTLE IMPATIENT IN LIFE!

AND SO, JIMMY CONTINUED TO CALL ME THROUGHOUT THE DAY.  HE EXPLAINED TO ME HE IS NOW ON A BETTER SCHEDULE, AND CAN TALK TO ME A LOT, THROUGHOUT THE DAY.......ONE RESIDENT EVEN WAS NICE ENOUGH TO GIVE UP HIS PHONE TIME TO HIM, AS HE CALLED HIS MOTHER IN THE EVENING ONCE A DAY......

I DID GET TO GO OUT FOOD SHOPPING, AND JIMMY CALLED ME ALL ALONG THE WAY!...........HE CALLED ME JUST AS I ARRIVED IN THE PARKING LOT, ON MY CELL PHONE.........HE CALLED ME AS I WAS BUYING SOME FRESH JUMBO SHRIMP AT THE FISH COUNTER.........I WALKE D THROUGH THE STORE TALKING TO HIM.........HE WANTED ME TO WALK TO THE MEAT DEPT. AND I DID, TO SEE IF THERE WAS LIVER FOR PRINCE...........AND IT WAS THERE, AND JIMMY WAS HAPPY!

THEN HE CALLED ME AGAIN, AT THE CHECK-OUT COUNTER.......THE PRETTY, YOUNG CASHIER ASKED ME WHO I WAS TALKING TO....."MY BOYFRIEND," I SMILED........"NO, JUST KIDDING...MY HUSBAND....BUT HE IS ALMOST LIKE MY BOYFRIEND, BECAUSE WE CARRY ON A LOVE AFFAIR, EVEN THOUGH MARRIED!"...I JOKED.

JIMMY WAS SO HAPPY BECAUSE HE LIKES TO FOLLOW ME AROUND ALL DAY ON THE PHONE...........AND I LIKE IT THAT WAY TOO.........HE IS A MAN WHO LIKES TO BE IN CONTROL OF HIS HOUSEHOLD, EVEN THOUGH AWAY IN A PRISON..........HE LIKES TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON AT HOME, AT ALL TIMES...........AND I TELL HIM EVERYTHING........I HAPPEN TO LIKE IT THAT WAY, TOO.....SO, IT WORKS..............

HE TELLS ME HE WORRIES ABOUT ME, EVERY SECOND, THAT SOMETHING MAY HAPPEN TO ME WHEN I GO OUT ALONE.........BUT I'M ALWAYS OK, AND PROTECTED, SOMEHOW........

AND SO, NOW I AM HAPPY...........I HAVE A HOUSEHOLD STOCKED UP WITH NICE, WHOLESOME FOOD..........FRUITS AND VEGTABLES AND FRESH THINGS......AND THE ABIMALS ARE HAPPY AND CONTENT , TOO, BECAUSE THEY ALL HAVE GOOD FOOD TO EAT........AND I CAN TALK TO JIMMY ON THE PHONE ALOT.  HE WILL CALL ME AGAIN , IN 20 MINUTES, AT 2 AM........

HOPE HALL IS "THE ROLLS ROYCE" OF HALF-WAY HOUSES.......MEN WALK AROUND , OPENLY WITH CELL PHONES........NO ONE DOES ANYTHING TO THEM.  MEN HAVE TV'S , RADIOS............YESTERDAY, THE GOOD HUMOR MAN PULLED UP OUTSIDE , IN FRONT OF HOPE HALL, AND ALL THE MEN RAN OUTSIDE TO GET ICE CREAM!

TONIGHT THE MEN WERE ORDERING CHINESE FOOD....JIMMY DIDN'T WANT TO ORDER ANY...I INSISTED HE DID............HE FELT THAT OUR MEMORIES WERE IN CHINESE RESTAURANTS, AS OUR ROMANTIC SPOT.....BUT I TOLD HIM I WOULDN'T BE HAPPY UNLESS HE ORDERED A LITTLE SOMETHING.......

TWICE TODAY, HE EVEN PUT ON THE PHONE ANOTHER RESIDENT ...EVERYONE SOUNDS CHEERFUL, AND TONIGHT THEY WERE LAUGHING AND JOKING AROUND.........

SO, THINGS ARE MOVING ALONG....

I'D LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!"

EVERY YEAR, I ALWAYS SAY "I'M NOT A MOTHER, AND I NO LONGER HAVE A MOTHER."...........I KNOW I AM WRONG TO SAY THAT, BUT I GUESS WHEN YOUR MOTHER PASSES TO THE OTHER SIDE, YOUR HEART FREEZES OVER, AND YOU NO LONGER FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU.

HOWEVER, I PREFER TO THINK OF SOMETHING A PRIEST SAID IN HIS HOMILY, MANY YEARS AGO, ON MOTHER'S DAY......I WAS IN MY TEENS WHEN I HEARD IT..........HE SAID, "EVERY WOMAN IS IMPORTANT ON MOTHER'S DAY, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH SHE DOES NOT ACTUALLY HAVE CHILDREN, EVERY WOMAN IS "POTENTIALLY" A MOTHER."  (IN OTHER WORDS, SHE HAS THE HARDWARE TO HAVE A CHILD)...........................

SO, EVERY MOTHER'S DAY, I REMEMBER THOSE WORDS........

TODAY, JIMMY SENT ME A HOME-MADE MOTHER'S DAY CARD, FROM HIM, AND PRINCE, MISTY, AND JIMBO.  ALSO, HE ASKED ME TO GO OUT AND BUY MYSELF A PRETTY BARBIE DOLL, FOR MOTHER'S DAY, AS I COLLECT BARBIE DOLLS.........

WELL, I'LL SAY GOOD-NIGHT FOR NOW!........FRAN

PS.....IN ANSWER TO SOME QUESTS  (in the comments).......I WOULD CALL HIS PAROLE OFFICER AT LOGAN HALL....BE PERSISTENT....I WAS CALLING VERY OFTEN, ALTHOUGH THE VOICE MAILBOX PICKS UP...........ALSO, I CAN'T TELL YOU ANY RULES FOR LOGAN HALL, AS THEY ARE ALWAYS CHANGING, ACCORDING TO WHO YOU SPEAK WITH..........JUST KEEP CALLING, AND BE PERSISITANT.....KEEP TRYING TO GET THE PROPER INFO...I HAD A VERY HARD TIME WITH LOGAN HALL.............ALSO, ASK TO SPEAK WITH HIS COUNSELOR......