“We’re here today at the Mother’s Day event,” says Sage Kinney, standing next to his mom, “that Warden Upshaw provided us here at the Cleveland unit, here in Texas.”

Residents of the Cleveland Correctional Center in Cleveland, Texas were given the opportunity to celebrate Mother’s Day with their moms. Some grandmothers even attended. The special day included dinner, music, and gifts. But the best part of the day was simply spending precious time together. The following is what some of the participants had to say, as mothers and sons were interviewed together.

Thomas Jarma: “This is the best Mother’s Day we’ve had in 14 years.”

Ruben Torrez: “It means a lot to me for my mother to be here.”

Rashodd Ishmel: “This means the world to us to have this dinner and to be able to eat with each other, and sit with each other, and chat with each other.”

Sage Kinney: “So I just want to say thank you so much, Warden Upshaw, thank you for this opportunity and this privilege to be with my Mom. To touch my Mom, it just means the world to me.”

Thomas Jarma: “You know it’s just real inspiring for me, and it’s encouraging for me to keep my faith, keep powering forward.”

Sage Kinney’s Mom: “I just want to say ‘thank you’ from the bottom of my heart to Warden Upshaw for doing this, because this is a long road, and it’s hard.  I think the worst thing is holidays.”

Rashodd Ishmel’s Mom: “And I want to say ‘thank you’ to Warden Upshaw for setting up such a beautiful day for remembering us.”

Ruben Torrez’s Mom: “I thank God for the warden and for everybody that’s here.  Everything was great. I’m just waiting for my son to come home soon, and I love my son. I love my son. Thank you.”

Thomas Jarma’s Mom: “And I am thankful for my son. I love him. And I will never give up on him.”