Meet Robin…
I have many flaws, insecurities, thinking errors, and so much guilt and shame, yet everyday I try to do better, to be better.
Robin, 39
Incarcerated: 5 years
Housed: Federal Correctional Unit, Waseca, Maine
“No amount of darkness can hide a spark of light.”
I am not sure where this quote came from or when I first heard it but this is what gets me through the day. This is not my first time in prison and I’m not going to lie, there is quite a bit of darkness in me. I am an addict in every sense of the word whether it is drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, exercise, money or any other form of instant gratification, I struggle on a good day. I have many flaws, insecurities, thinking errors, and so much guilt and shame, yet everyday I try to do better, to be better. I have been to a state prison in Michigan and this Texas federal prison is a different world. This place is ruled by a cash app and exclusivity. Probably the hardest things to get here is treatment, programming or an education, yet everyday I stay positive and focus on that spark of light. I am a mother of three beautiful children and my dream is to show them I can overcome anything, that they are worth fighting for and that my mistakes don’t have to define me. I work in education in the morning and I am a math tutor for GED students in the afternoon. I facilitate adult continuing education. I love to learn and I am trying to find a way to get a degree. I want to want to be good. It is hard with a long sentence to see light at the end of the tunnel or to find a reason to care. There are times when I embrace my darkness and like it, but I always find my way back to the light.
Begin staying longer in the light side, cling to The LORD, and he will keep you safe and positive. Time is of the essence, use it wisely and you will be coming to meet your children on the outside. In the name of Jesus!