I Am Thankful My Daughter Is In Prison
Tiffany And Ethan At The Prison
When I tell people my daughter Tiffany is in prison, I normally get an “Oh….I’m so sorry”. I just respond, “Don’t be sorry. It’s OK….I’m thankful Tiff’s in prison.” That usually earns me an odd look.
But it’s true.
I am very thankful for those weekly 100 mile round trips to the prison to sit in a visiting room crowded with inmates, some who have committed truly unthinkable crimes.
I am very thankful for those phone calls from Tiffany that always seem to come when I am busy doing something else or just don’t feel like talking.
I am very thankful for those insane conversations about how bad things are in prison or how weird her “cellee” is.
I am very thankful she was pregnant when she was arrested.
I am very thankful she is in prison so I can now raise my other grandson Keelen.
I am very thankful she got 70 months.
I can hear it now. “Girl…you have lost your freakin’ mind! How can you be thankful for that?”
Well….every week I get see my daughter. I get to hug her and give her a kiss and I get to watch Keelen play games and read stories with his mom.
I get talk to Tiffany almost every night on the phone and Keelen gets to tell his mom about his day.
I get to watch Tiffany grow from a “wannabe” street thug into the amazing woman that I always knew she was with no interest in a life of crime.
I got to watch Tiffany give birth to a healthy baby boy, my second grandchild Ethan and in a selfless act of love give him to an amazing deserving adoptive couple that will raise him to know both his moms.
I know that Keelen is safe and well cared for and gets to have a relationship with both his mom and dad.
It is going to take the full 70 months for Tiffany to break this destructive cycle of drugs and unhealthy men.
Plus the brains behind this crime got 136 months. And if the person he assaulted had died, Tiffany could be doing life!! So…WOO HOO only 70 months!!
There are many many parents with children that were traveling down the same path as Tiffany. And they now have to visit their children in the cemetery. So, yes…I am very thankful Tiffany is in prison.
What are you thankful for?
Happy Thanksgiving
Debbie
Don’t Be A Victim!
(This post was originally posted on Ms Sparky on May 31, 2008. I moved it to Blue Behind Bars when I separated my personal blog from my political blog.)
If you read my “I Got Mugged In Istanbul” blog you remember that my bank accounts were seriously compromised because I used a public computer in Istanbul to check my account status after being mugged.
Here is an excerpt from an article I just read on this very subject entitled: “7 Surefire Ways To Become and ID Theft Victim” by Sheyna Steiner (to read this article click the link above)
For maximum risk, commit the computing equivalent of licking a handrail in a New York City subway station and do some online banking on a public computer — like the one at the library or a public cafe. Bonus points are added if your Social Security number is your user ID for any transactions.
Evidently, I did the equivalent of licking a handrail in a New York City subway station. That analogy just makes me want to gag!!!!
This is an informative and well written article with some humor thrown in. You may be amazed at how often you put yourself at risk. Can you answer yes to any of the following questions:
1. Do you use a wireless network in your house?
2. Do you mail out checks for bills from your mailbox?
3. Do you carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse?
4. Do you ever give personal information via email?
If you answered yes to any of these question, do yourself a huge favor and read the article. I thought I was totally educated on protecting myself from identity theft and I learned a lot.
For every defense we take to protect ourselves, identity thieves are counter attacking. It’s a freakin’ war!!!
Ms Sparky
I Got Mugged In Istanbul-Part 1
(This post was originally posted on Ms Sparky on May 20, 2008. I moved it to Blue Behind Bars when I separated my personal blog from my political blog.)
When Cal and I were working in Baghdad we took the opportunity to take our R&R’s in places we had always wanted to visit. We spent our first R&R in Cairo, Egypt riding camels and exploring the pyramids at Giza. We had decided we were going to spend our next R&R in Phuket, Thailand. When Phuket was hit by a devastating tsunami in December 2004, we decided to go to Istanbul, Turkey instead.
Istanbul (aka Constantinople) is a very old and beautiful city. There are an abundance of attractions such as The Topkapi Palace, The Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, The Grande Bazaar, The Spice Market and The Orient Express to name only a few. The museum at Topkapi Palace was my favorite. It is the home of the Spoonmaker Diamond (aka The Kasikci Diamond). A single 86 carat stone surrounded by 49 individual stones (see photo) That would look soooo good on my finger!!
Unfortunately, Istanbul is also the pickpocket capital of the world. Read more
