Life in prison is hard at best. At worst, it is your worst nightmare. There are many difficulties that face a woman.....loneliness, missing loved ones, and if you have health issues, not being well. It is difficult trying to keep up with a constant, regimented routine. Your whole day is pretty much planned for you...when to get up, when to go to bed...eat...everything. Your life as you knew it is totally gone. Days seem like months, months seem like years. I always figured prison would be a hard way of life...it is that and more. It is harsh, crude, and unforgiving. You make few friends because you have to be careful who you trust.

I miss being able to make decisions on my own, doing what I want to do, when I would want to do it. I try hard to be a model inmate, but find it very difficult, because of so many strict rules and regulations. Especially with health issues, that can cause confusion, and memory problems. It is not at all a good place to be if you are sick.

It is easy to make an error, not even knowing that you have. It is extremely hard to know you may be in prison for a very long time. Virginia has no Parole, so that isn't even an option to look forward to. Looking forward to getting mail and visits from loved ones, are about all there is to look forward to. I have tried to make good use of my time...getting more education, and if I can encourage someone else who is here, I do that, too. I enjoyed being in a recent event that allowed me to sing. Others seemed to enjoy that part too. My biggest regret is...that the sad tragedy that put me here, ever happened at all. That is something I would change, if I could.

If I could leave for one day...I would spend it with my sisters, and maybe go out to eat, and maybe just talk until we are too tired to talk anymore. It's the simple pleasures that are missed, and loved ones that are too far away. That is the life of a woman inmate.