About Us

We have decorated, and plan on going forward with the essence of Greg with us.  He wants us to keep it going while he is inside and share with him our joy.  I am so very sad on my inside but I am doing this, for all of us.  If I give in to the temptation to mourn for the next 6 years then I am also incarcerated.  That is not my path.  My path is to stay here and live and remind him why this is better.

Greg has also made the choice for himself.  He chose the things that got him where he is and the frame of mind that will get him out intact, physically and mentally.  

So here is how we celebrate with him:

1. We paint tee shirts each year with our own design and wear them.  I asked Greg to make a design and I will paint his for him.  As silly as it sounds, I asked David (my husband and Greg’s dad) to cut a tee shirt size cardboard to mount Greg’s shirt on and I have a picture of his head so Greg WILL be in the pictures this year.  I will send him the pictures with him and of us.

1. I have been sending XMAS cards every day since Thanksgiving, funny ones, happy ones, the ugliest I could find, even had a vote for the ugliest card contest going for him.  I have not yet heard the winner... you get the drift.

1.  I printed off and sent The Night Before Christmas for him to read.

1. 4.     I printed off ornament decorations and origami instructions to make ornaments, stars and trees.  I sent them so he could decorate too. Note to self for next year, he does not have scissors to cut them out.  Duh

1. I sent my “call to arms message” to family, M.I.S.S. Mom’s and friends for cards.  He has received so many, some books too.

1. I renewed his magazines and gave him the list.  I sent a book or two, myself.

1. I answer every call that I am home to receive (once or twice a week is all) and tell him how we are decorating, baking, and etc.  What he does NOT NEED from us for XMAS is to hear our lives have stopped because of him.

1. I send him pictures printed on my letters.  I tell him I love him and also share that I miss him so very much.

1. I remind him that his responsibility is to reach out to others via cards and letters to wish them a Merry Christmas, thank them and just plain love them back.  He did just that.

1. I get up every day, even the days I don’t want to get up and allow myself to know that maybe that is all I can do that day. 

Two of my other sons are coming for XMAS.  My oldest son is bringing his new wife this year.  We have a picture of the wedding and Greg made the album, I have the phone in my hand to prove it.  Yep he nearly missed that too but he made the call so I am counting it.

And I cried, I am crying now. I am not giving up, I am not giving in but I feel all the sad things too.  I also need to feel the happy things.  Greg is very much alive.  Greg would be dead.  Incarceration saved him and now he has a new purpose. He really wants to live and knows what really matters.  He not only tells me but he shows me.  He has never been so sane.  

Merry Christmas, from our home to yours.

I'd love to hear what you have done.  I am so very grateful for you all