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When Things Get Tough

By: Sandra, SPW Contributing Author

I have been sticking by my love’s side since the very first day I met him, even before getting romantically involved with him. I have always tried to make him see the positive side of things and I encourage him to stay out of trouble and focus on bettering himself both as a person and as an inmate. I try my best to keep his spirits up and, in general terms, I think he is doing quite well. However, when some time passes with no incidents, when everything seems to be going smoothly and there is no big reason to worry, something pops up, out of the blue… It can be some argument with a fellow inmate, some disagreement with a CO, some misunderstanding with his counselor… Anything can happen at any time and sometimes I need to remind myself that he is prison and, therefore, my peace of mind could very well turn into concern and anguish all of a sudden.

When things get tough, we need to adapt and try to handle things the best way we possibly can. Our loved ones are in a place in which everything can change from calmness to conflict in a matter of seconds and, sometimes, they can get caught up in trouble that has nothing to do with them. We need to be ready for changes, for constant ups and downs and for the unexpected.

When things get tough, we need to keep strong for our loved ones because we are their reminder that there’s more to life than prison life, that people out here care for them and that they should never give up, no matter how tough it might get. We are their hope and reason to keep going.

When things get tough, we need to be tougher than circumstances and pull our loved ones through because, after all, we chose to stay out of love so all we can do is be the strong prison wives we are and keep fighting! My love likes to say: “it’s you and me against the world baby” and that is exactly how I feel. It’s him, me and our bond! We can make it through anything if we are together!

When things get tough, keep strong ladies, team up with your man and fight!

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