WHAT?

I was walking to the restroom listening to the women in our day room talk and laugh, and I thought, "I'm going to miss these women when I leave."  What? Where did that come from? I want to forget this period of my life NOT remember it with fondness. What is wrong with me?

So I answered these questions by thinking of some of the women I've met here. One was in tears yesterday as she told me she was going home in 90+ days after being here for seventeen years.  I almost started crying with her.  She is a Christian and is looking for a church to attend when she gets out.

Another woman has been here 20 years on a 2nd degree murder charge, and she gets to go home in five more years. She wants nothing to do with God, but I get to be her friend.

One woman just had surgery to remove cancer, and she is going home in a couple of months.  She comes to my workplace almost every day just to tease me. I can't help but smile every time I see her.

Another woman was my roommate for a time, and she looks after me. She saw me when I first arrived in prison, and she said, "Joy, you look terrified!" So she comes by my work and checks up on me.  She is here for involuntary manslaughter and several other charges.

Being in prison has changed my life. but being around these women and getting to be a small part of their lives has been one of the greatest blessings. So yes, I'm going to miss these women. I will never forget the impact they've had on my life.

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