Seven Secrets of Resilience: Our Love Story

They say love is easy when everything is going right.

But Shymel and I… we learned what love really is when everything wasn’t.

There are days when the weight of our reality tries to convince me that something is wrong with us—like love isn’t supposed to feel this hard. But then I remind myself… every couple faces challenges. Ours just looks different. It doesn’t mean our love is broken. If anything, it proves just how strong it is.

We’ve had moments where frustration could’ve easily turned into blame. The distance. The system. The time. But instead of pointing fingers, we learned to say, “Let’s tackle this as a team.” Because it’s never been me versus him… it’s always been us versus everything trying to tear us apart.

There are days when nothing changes—when he’s still behind those walls and I’m still driving back home alone. And on those days, choosing positivity isn’t easy… it’s a decision. A hard one. But we choose it anyway. We find light in small things—his voice on the phone, a shared laugh, a memory that carries us through another night.

When life hits us with another setback, we don’t sit in “Why us?” anymore. We’ve cried those tears already. Now we ask, “What can we learn from this?” And somehow, even in pain, we grow. Stronger. Wiser. Closer.

There have been times when emotions run high—when the distance makes misunderstandings feel heavier than they should. But we’ve learned to pause. To really listen. Not just to respond, but to understand. Because love isn’t just about being heard… it’s about hearing the heart behind the words.

And one thing we’ve never done… is try to carry this alone. When I feel like I’m breaking, I reach for him. When he feels the weight of his reality, he reaches for me. We remind each other constantly, “We’re in this together.” Even with walls between us, we’ve never let those walls get between our connection.

And when everything feels bigger than us… we turn to God.

Because our love isn’t just built on emotion—it’s built on faith.

We pray. We lean. We surrender.

And somehow, in the middle of all this uncertainty, we find peace.

Our story isn’t perfect.

It’s not easy.

But it’s real.

And through every challenge, every tear, every moment of doubt…

We keep choosing each other.

Every single time.

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Jeena Curry is the wife of Shymel Curry, who has spent nearly 29 years in prison serving a 50-years-to-life sentence for a crime that occurred when he was just 19. Although he did not pull the trigger or possess a weapon, he has remained incarcerated for decades. Jeena continues to advocate for his release. You can support her efforts by signing the petition.