My beloved husband

My husband of nearly 16 years was taken from me nearly 2 weeks ago. Arrested in the middle of a shift, he was taken from me. He has since been incarcerated and I've only seen him 3 times. I am depesperate. I may be forced to move, lose my car, but more importantly because of the nature of the crime he was falsely accused of, he is denied freedom, a future, a chance to defend himself. A recovering addict, he now sits surrounded by the very things that threaten his mental resolve and health.

He is a good man who once hated God, for reasons only he knows. Perhaps that's why he tortured himself with addiction. For many years, I also suffered, yet remained faithful, praying for the day he would conquer his personal demons. He told me yesterday that he no longer hates God, for which I am grateful. He has helped others in the past and now needs help himself. He needs to get out, he needs to be freed. He is my life.

I don't want him to stay in that jail until a January pretrial hearing. I don't want a promising career as a surgical tech studying to be a surgical nurse be ruined by any of this. I can stand losing everything--just not him.

My resolve to teach has faltered and all but sputtered away.

Alone in our bed, I cry every night wondering when or if I'll ever feel him in my arms again.

I read the life of St. Rita and was impressed by what I saw. She would seem to understand what I am going through. So I ask anyone who is willing to ask her to intercede for my husband; that he will be set free and the charges be dropped. If she will grant my request, I will honor her each year on her feast day with her favorite flowers (and mine): roses as a sign of humble gratitude and devotion, in memory of a miracle of life in the midst of winter of mine.

I have nowhere else to turn...