My Personal Journal

It's been more than 19 months since Ron was released from Taft, but the hurt he feels from those that contributed to his incarceration doesn't end. It's easy for people (me included) to say, "just let it go." It's just not that easy. Everyday there are cruel reminders of what Ron's been through. Once we were at a party that one of our son's was at. During the party, and loud enough that a large group of people could hear, one of the men asked Ron if he liked the food at the party better than where he'd been, at Taft. This was a clear attempt to embarass Ron, and it did, even though many people at the party knew where he'd been. The man thought he was being funny with his comment about Taft, but it wasn't received that way. Comments like this make it difficult for Ron to just "let it go." How hard it is to move forward after incarceration depends on your personality. Some people are less confrontational and have an easier time letting things go. Others want to confront those that have wronged them. Some even want to get back at these people. Moving forward is hard when you're still stuck on what someone did 10-15 years ago. How often do you hear about a daughter who can't move forward because she's still blaming her mom for what she did years ago? Ron has moved forward in so many ways. He has a new circle of friends, and probably a better relationship with his children than he's had in years. Yet, he still thinks about a few people from the past that he hasn't been able to make peace with. I don't think he ever will, as he will most likely not speak to them again. Over time the hurt will lessen, and it will become less important for him to know why things happened as they did. Some things in life just don't have any answers.