Just Breathe….

There are times we must remind ourselves to Breathe.

Just Breathe.

Like days when the prison call comes and the voice on the other end is strained, frustrated, depressed.

We say the things we hope will help, the supportive things, the up-lifting things, the words of encouragement that they need to hear on the other end of the phone.

We swallow the lump that catches in our throat, the tears may roll down our cheeks but we don’t allow them to ever hear it in our voice and we end the call on a happy note and hope that our words helped.

And then we Breathe .

Life behind bars is much like the movie Ground Hog Day, everyday the same as the next with the ever looming fear that things will never get better. For us or for them.

We tell our loved ones that it will be OK, that they’ll be able to pick up the pieces of their lives when they get out, even though we ourselves aren’t at all sure that that’s possible.

And then we Breathe.

And  we do it all over again the next time the prison  phone call comes.

And each time, we must remind ourselves…..Just Breathe.

One thought on “Just Breathe….

  • August 16, 2016 at 2:55 pm
    Permalink

    Just reading through this brought me to tears. My son was military and in California. The NCIS and brig authorities would not let him call home for 9 days! We didn’t know where he was.

    I didn’t get to visit him but every six months because the trip to California was expensive. When I went to see him and visitation time was up I would try to hold it together and ask, “Are you OK?” His answer was always “I’m OK if your OK!” Once he said, “I wish you could put me in your suitcase!”

    As a parent you listen to every word they say on the phone and try to evaluate how they are doing the best you can from a distance. When you don’t hear from them for 2 or 3 weeks you are about to panic then you learn their account was out of money.

    Those were the days I don’t miss…..onward and upward, right?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *