"I say to myself, I will not mention His name, I will speak in His name no more. But then, it becomes like a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones, I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it." Jeremiah 20:7-10
Paul and I will be celebrating our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary this April. I want to do something really special and Paul and I have been having some wonderful conversations, dreaming of plans together. We'll certainly celebrate Mass and have our marriage blessed and we'll probably enjoy a special dinner with our family. Maybe we'll take a little overnight trip away, just the two of us, which we haven't done since the babies starting coming along so many years ago.
But beyond all of those special celebrations, I want to do something that would have a lasting impact of good for others. We've been so blessed in ways that others can only dream about and those blessings should not remain within our household but should spread to the world around us. We thought about planting a silver birch tree to replenish the earth on our silver anniversary since the date lands so close to Earth Day, and maybe we'll still do that, but I want to do something even more meaningful.
Then, I came across the idea of donating my wedding dress and I just knew that this is what I have to do. I certainly can't fit into it anymore, and even if I could, where would I wear it? My daughter won't want to wear an old dress that will be out-of-fashion by the time she gets married. For twenty-five years it has been sitting in a box inside a trunk where nobody can find any meaning or joy from it. My dress, a garment rich in beautiful memories, symbolizing the happiest day of my life, is destined for a new life with a greater purpose.
I found a website, Donate My Wedding Dress, which has many ideas on where to donate wedding dresses for women who are in poverty or women who are suffering other indignities in life and while I was still pondering all of those worthy causes, I learned about Angel Gowns. Throughout the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and perhaps many other places around the world, talented seamstresses give of their time to repurpose used wedding gowns into burial gowns for babies who are stillborn and they call them Angel Gowns. Each donated wedding dress can be made into multiple burial garments which are all donated to Neonatal Intensive Care Units and funeral homes. I think that each stitch of the needle and thread is a prayer of love and sympathy for the grieving families who must cope with such unimaginable sorrow. The life of a child, however short, has meaning and purpose and the grief of parents who lose a child to miscarriage and early death is real and piercing. I decided that I wanted my wedding gown to be used for burial gowns that will offer dignity and meaning to parents who must say good-bye to their children far too soon.
It took a few visits to several Angel Gown websites before I found someone who is currently accepting wedding gown donations. I found her through Angel Gowns by Michelle, a beautiful website well worth a visit. Linda, the woman to whom I sent my dress, has just started a website, Angel Gowns by Linda, and a facebook page, and is currently trying to raise funds to obtain tax-exempt status. Please consider sending a donation if your heart is so moved.
As I wrapped my dress and hat in tissue and placed them in the box for shipping, I added a prayer for the future recipients and another one for the generous seamstress with the gifted hands.
Heavenly Father, you have blessed me in abundance with every good and lovely thing, and in particular, twenty-five years ago, you blessed me with a husband who has been my treasured companion each and every day. In gratitude to you for your goodness, I give this dress, worn and kept with so much joy in my heart, as a token of my love and appreciation for the gift of all human life. Please bless the seamstress as she deftly takes the seams apart and creates a new garment of love for the little ones whose lives ended far too soon. Please bless the parents and family members whose grief and heartbreak will rip and tear at the seams of their hearts for years and years to come. May the gown that they place upon their babe bring them some peace amidts the tears. And please bless the babies who have perhaps endured suffering and pain in their little bodies and are eager to join you in heavenly bliss for all eternity. My Jesus, I trust in You and Your eternally wise and holy plan. You make all things new and beautiful. Thank You for the grace of Your love. Amen.
"Wisdom! Most holy Theotokos, save us. More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim. In virginity thou gavest birth to God the Word. True Theotokos, we magnify thee." ~from Moljeben in Supplication for the Victims of Abortion
Orthodox Clergy at Moljeben Service (photo credit: 40 Days for Life/Dan Miller)
photo credit: Mary Anne Urlakis
Fr. Gregory Madlom and Subdeacon Henry Shirley, the clergy from St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church in West Bend, Wisconsin, hold a weekly Orthodox Moljeben Prayer Service for Victims of Abortion with an ecumenical congregation outside of Affiliated Medical Services, a Milwaukee abortuary, during every 40 Days for Life Campaign. The prayer service is beautiful! It's 30 minutes of chanted prayer with so much incense that the demons must surely be smoked out of that place of torture and death. I have been honored to take part in several of the prayer services during each campaign. Our gatherings are always peaceful events; peaceful, that is, until the last prayer service of the most recent campaign, a prayer service that was anything but typical.
About 30 people had gathered in front of the abortion mill to pray on Sunday, November 3rd at 3 PM. Fr. Gregory was delayed in traffic, and everyone was waiting patiently for the prayer service to begin. A car approached the abortion mill, and the driver, not bothering to pull over to the curb and out of traffic, rolled down his window and very kindly said hello and then said something about how nice it was to see so many people gathered for prayer. That, unfortunately, was the only nicety he offered. Then the back window rolled down, and a man with a megaphone began shouting insults at our group. He criticized our God, our religion, our belief in the right to life, our politics, our clothing and our hairstyles. He was a typical bully. All the while that he was shouting through the megaphone, the man in the front seat continued his rant as well. They continued for at least 20 minutes. We tried to ignore them, and many of the men in our group stood with their backs to the aggressors to form a wall.
Shortly after they began the harrassment, a beautiful young lady, being quite disturbed by this hateful display, approached the car to try to reason with the antagonists. The man in the front immediately laid into her with profanities, and one of the men from our group had enough. He knocked the megaphone down to the ground. The man in the front seat of the car was clearly delighted by this bit of aggression. He said, "Ooh, this is a violent group!!! You attacked me! I'm going to call the police and put a stop to this!" And he did call the police all the while continuing his harassment. I was told that this wasn't the first time that these two men have come to cause trouble at the abortion mill, that they are well known by many members of our group. But there was someone far more powerful who was also very present at the abortion mill that day, someone who would see to it that no harm would come to those who were standing up and praying for the innocent lives of infants who meet their demise at that house of horror.
I had been honored to hold the icon of Our Lady of Walsingham, the work of subdeacon Henry Shirley, and when Redemptorist priest, Fr. Jim White, came and stood beside me, I asked him to lead us in praying the rosary. Soon there were 30 voices united in prayer and the sounds of antagonism were drowned out, and the embittered men, finding that they were ignored, left. At that moment, while holding the icon of Our Lady and praying her rosary, I felt firmly and completely protected by the presence of the Blessed Mother, and was pleased with the speedy departure of those tormentors which was brought about through our Lady's intercession. Before we could complete the rosary, Fr. Gregory had arrived and our Moljeben began.
The police did arrive during our prayer service, and as it turned out, the men with the megaphone were in violation of several laws including blocking traffic and the use of amplification without a permit. Our Lady had shown us that with her protection, the protection of the one who has crushed the serpent's head, there is nothing to fear and we will continue to confidently and boldly step out in service of our Lord in any way He happens to call us.
Our Lady of Walsingham by Henry Shirley
"Most holy Theotokos, save us! O Mother of God, our queen and our hope, the refuge of the abandoned and the intercessor for those who have gone astray; the joy of all who sorrow and the protectress of the needy; thou seest our poverty, our affliction and misery. Help us who are weak; feed us who are hungry; intercede for us with thy Son and our God, and may He deal with us as He pleaseth. For we have no other hope, no other intercessor, no other consolation except thee, O Virgin Theotokos. Protect us beneath thy veil, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen." ~from the Moljeben in Supplication for the Victims of Abortion
"In 1984 children playing near a dumpster in Milwaukee discovered the
remains of aborted babies whose bodies had been dumped by the driver of a
courier for a bio-hazard waste company. When police questioned the
children, they simply replied that they had been playing with the
"Little People"-26 unborn children who had been aborted at the Milwaukee
Bread and Roses Women's Health Center. The bodies of these aborted
babies were buried by compassionate pro-lifers at Holy Cross Cemetery.
Four
years later, on September 10, 1988, approximately 1,200 more aborted
children were buried at Holy Cross. The bodies of these babies were set
out for trash pick-up on a loading dock of the Vital Med pathology lab
in Northbrook, IL, and they were retrieved by Citizens for a Pro-Life Society and the Pro-Life Action League.
These
"Vital Med" babies included hundreds of unborn children aborted at two,
now closed, Milwaukee clinics: Summit Women's Health Organization and
Metropolitan Medical Services." ~from Pro-Life Wisconsin website
Across the nation, on September 14th, the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children, pro-life advocates gathered at cemeteries to pray for the millions of innocent lives that have been lost to abortion. Here in Milwaukee, about 200 people gathered at the children's section of Holy Cross Cemetery in front of the gravesite where over 1200 aborted babies have been buried, to listen to speakers, to sing and to pray, and to grieve together over what might have been, indeed, what should have been.
Pro-life clergy including Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz from Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop Donald Hying, Fr. William Kurz, SJ, and Lutheran Pastor Reverend Mark Knappe, some of whom had been present to assist with the burial of these babies, gave moving statements about the evil of abortion and the value of life. Leaders of several pro-life organizations including Pro-Life Wisconsin and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society spoke about their memories of finding these aborted babies. Most moving was the tearful testimony shared by Laura Brown from Silent No More Awareness Campaign about her own abortion and the pain she endured since that horrific day when her baby died. The excruciatingly painful stories of life ended too soon were unbearable to listen to. Tears were freely flowing from nearly everyone's eyes.
The 40 Days for Life Campaign begins on September 25th and runs through November 3rd. Won't you please sign up to prayerfully witness to the sanctity of life in your area? Until the day that all of the abortion clinics are closed, and abortion is no longer a scourge in this country, we cannot rest. We must all pray and work together to bring about an end to abortion, and to bring healing to those who have suffered from the effects of this murderous action.
"O God of Justice and Mercy, send your healing graces to the parents of these aborted children. We pray for their conversion, and the conversion of the staff and abortionists who killed these little ones. May they come to know your truth and your love. And please, O God, bring an end to the injustices of abortion." ~Citizens for a Pro-Life Society
I recently spent some time helping a friend organize his magnificent library of books, which includes a large historical section, when he came across the book Letters to Jackie, Condolences From a Grieving Nation in the stacks. Knowing that I love to read personal letters, and having enjoyed it very much himself, he handed it to me and invited me to read it. I am so grateful for that invitation because this book was fascinating! And despite the fact that this was not the type of book that I typically read, that is, a spiritual book, I found that I was compelled to frequently stop and prayerfully ponder what I had read more than I would normally do with most spiritual reading.
According to author Ellen Fitzpatrick, Jackie Kennedy received 800,000 condolence letters in the two months that followed President Kennedy's assassination on November 22nd, 1963, and within two years that amount reached over 1.5 million. Most of the letters remained unread until 2010 when Ellen Fitzpatrick began to sort through them for this book. After choosing 250 of the 200,000 pages of letters that are still stored in the National Archives to include in this collection, she then began the work of contacting the letter writers and includes a brief biography of each of the people who took the time to pen a note of sympathy to the former First Lady. The result is a timely look at the compassionate heart of the American people.
Included in this collection of letters are the stories of the poor, the racially oppressed, veterans of war, widows who could personally empathize with Jackie's loss, those who voted for JFK as well as those who did not, those who loved him because of his Catholic faith and those who disliked him because of it, the elderly, the sick and even children.
Here is a segment of my favorite letter. It was written by an 8th grade student at a Catholic Grade School in California:
"Dear Mrs. Kennedy, ...On the morning of November 22nd, our school of 750 pupils were at a requiem Mass for all the deceased of parish. At the beginning of the Mass, we were told that our beloved president was shot. I tried to tell myself he would be all right but somehow I knew he wouldn't. I tried to control myself as I had to play the church organ but the tears wouldn't stop. The slightly damp keys were hard to play but I offered it up that the President might live. Though we didn't know it then but while 750 children with tear-streaked faces and slightly reddened eyes were receiving Holy Communion, the 35th President of the United States went to his eternal reward in heaven...."
Each letter is deeply touching, the writers sharing their personal experience of what President Kennedy had meant to them as well as how the loss of his life had caused them deep grief. A common message was that of gratitude for the strong and brave countenance that the First Lady maintained during her entire experience of national and personal grief.
With the presidential elections only a few short days away, it seems like the perfect time to look back upon this tragic and important time in American history and to recall that regardless of the outcome of this election we are all united as Americans, we all share a common love for our country, and we are all created with a deep capacity for love and goodness.
In light of the upcoming election, I urge you to read these brilliantly written columns by Archbishop Listecki and Bishop Hying regarding the importance of voting for a candidate that will uphold the dignity of life and the value of religious freedom which can be found at these links:
The Respect Life Committee at Christ King Parish in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin recently sponsored a fabulous two-part lecture by their associate pastor, Fr. John Burns, and Bishop Donald Hying called "Time for Life"
Fr. Burns' segment was titled: Living Faith/Generous Love and in his talk he shared insights on how to speak to others about the value of human life.
Fr. Burns said that the foundations of the pro-life movement are faith, hope and love; these are the pillars of our proclamation of the Gospel of life. God loves us and wants us to be happy, we live in hope when we set our sights on that happiness that God desires for us and we arrive there by faith. Real love counteracts the human tendency to focus on ourselves.
The greatest human fear is to be alone, there is a fear of loneliness which is why death is so fearsome. The Good News (Gospel) that we proclaim is that in Jesus Christ death is overcome. The core of our proclamation has to be the loving insistence that each and every person is loved by God. Look in their eyes and let them know that God loves them personally. So many people don't know that they are loved. Proclaim by witness and our own conviction that heaven is real, that we will overcome this valley of tears. Remind people that we will truly be fulfilled in heaven.
He spoke about the importance of being a living witness to the Gospel in joyfully living out our lives. When we successfully do this, we will attract others to the faith. He used Cardinal Dolan and his joyful personality as an example of this attractive living.
He said that sacrificial love, the love of parents for their children, applies to everyone. Love is not about being happy; it's about living at the center of my being. And who is at the center of my being? Jesus. Jesus Christ showed us how to love and let us know that we are all loved. He shared a frequent example used by Fr. Robert Barron in which he compares the beauty of a rose window to the spiritual life. Jesus is always at the center of the window and all of creation is rightly ordered around Jesus.
To be pro-life is to be true to the Gospel, the Good News. The laity are called to a secular vocation. We bring God into the world in places where priests and bishops cannot go. We are to be a leaven in the workplace, in the home, among our friends and family, and thereby cause a lifting of the human heart. That's pro-life; to long desperately to help each and every person to live their life as best as they possibly can, ordered to Jesus in heaven.
The theme of Bishop Hying's talk was the Dignity of the Human Person.
Bishop Hying said that when God looks at a human person, he looks into a mirror and sees Himself. Through Jesus, the sinful human person has been redeemed, their dignity has been restored to what God intended which is a greater dignity than that with which they were originally created. In the kenosis, the self-emptying of Jesus, we see the dignity of the human person.
He recited his favorite scripture passage, the kenotic hymn from Philippians 2: 5-11:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped at, but rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He explained how the foot washing on Holy Thursday, the Institution of the Eucharist and the crucifixion are all really the same event. Through them we learn that we receive greatness when we give ourselves away as a sacrificial gift.
He said that power, disconnected from love, is demonic. Had Jesus accepted the temptations of the devil in the desert, he would have been using his divine power for himself. But he didn't do that; instead, he used his powers for the good of humanity. His power is completely wrapped in love, and through Christ's love we become adopted children of God.
The Christ event becomes a door in which we are invited to stand in the middle of divinity. The point of going to church is the divinization of the human person. We were made to be like God. That doesn't mean that we are God but that we are drawn to a deeper awareness of Him and His desire for unity with us. If I don't believe in God then I have to be my own god. How exhausting is that! If I am god then I always have to be right, to have all the answers, to know everything, to do everything and to be everything to everyone.
God is more humble than we are. We discover the humility of God in the mystery of Christ. The Lord of the universe humbles Himself to become sacramental bread and wine, to put himself into our hands and at that point we can do whatever we want with Him. Humility is a balance between our greatness and our weakness. We are made in the image of God but we are nothing without Him. Humility is knowing who we are and accepting that dignity with which we have been created.
I had signed up to pray at the local abortion mill as part of the 40 Days for Life Campaign along with several other members from my parish's Respect Life Committee. When I arrived at the house of death, I had a raging headache, and although I was determined to offer that suffering up for the intention of closing the abortion mill, I confess that I was still less than enthusiastic about standing on the street for an hour of prayer and would rather have crawled into bed with a cold cloth on my head.
My friends and I were soon joined by another group of pro-life vigilers; in all there were nine of us standing in solidarity, quietly praying the rosary. Shortly after we began to pray we were shocked into alertness by a man shouting some "choice" words at us about choice. By the time we reached the last decade we noticed a big, burly man hurrying toward us from the gas station across the street and we were prepared for a tongue lashing from yet another abortion advocate.
Pastor and Mrs. Hull
But that's not what we got. Instead, we heard these beautiful words loudly and boldly proclaimed: "I commend you for what you are doing!"
"I believe that sins like abortion, same-sex marriage and government-mandated health insurance for birth control are the work of the devil. They kill, steal and destroy life! Life is more valuable than gold! I was created in the image of my Daddy! I was created for life! I get cussed at and criticized and I love it because it's all for Him and I know that one day I will go home to be with my Daddy forever and He will say to me 'Well done my good and faithful servant.' My Daddy didn't give 85% of Himself to me. He didn't give me 99% of Himself. My Daddy gave 100% of Himself to me when Jesus died on that cross and I am called to give 100% of myself back to Him! I don't work in my ministry for money, I trust that He will provide for me and I trust that He will provide for all of human life because He is our Daddy and He loves us!"
Then He invited us to join hands and pray with him. Together we prayed for the sanctity of all human life; we prayed for the doctors who work at the clinic, that they would turn from their deathly work and refuse to perform another abortion; and we prayed for the employees who work inside the abortion mill, those people whe were created to be good and holy by our Daddy, but who have allowed their hearts to be filled with evil.
When Pastor Alvin left, we prayed our final decade of the rosary for him and I realized that my headache was completely gone. I was so filled with inspiration and joy that there was no room for pain within my body.
I thank God for brave and outgoing people like Pastor Hull who make it their life's mission to give back to God and to save souls. His bold witness and encouragement is contagiously empowering and uplifting. What a joy it is to give ourselves 100% to our Daddy, the Creator of all that is good!
I didn't sleep well last night and when I finally did succumb to the heavy lids and the deep breath of sleep I didn't want it to end and it was difficult to wake up at the 4:30 AM alarm. A kiss good bye from my husband at 5 AM as he left for work didn't draw me out of bed, either. What seemed like a short time after Paul left, I was vaguely aware of the sound of one of my children pouring cereal in the kitchen, but I was never fully aroused by the noise. It was ten after six when my daughter came into my room, already fully dressed for school, and, surprised to find me still asleep, quietly asked me what was going on. With her words I finally woke up, jumped out of bed shocked that I slept so late and feeling a bit panicky that I would have to rush to get ready for the day.
As I groggily stumbled into the kitchen, I was greeted by my son, Joe, who showed me a post on his facebook wall that startled me into a wide awake state. A young girl with whom he is acquainted wrote: "Just found out that I'm pregnant. Fifty 'likes' and I'll keep it." My son was horrified that this girl could be so flippant about the life of her baby and wondered if this wasn't a hoax. Sadly, the status only had two "likes" at the time that Joe came across it, so I challenged him to not only "like" it, but to share it and encourage others to "like" it so that the young mother would see that life is valuable to many more than fifty people.
Joe decided that he would wait to try to determine the truth as to whether or not she was really pregnant or this was simply a bogus post for attention before he would get drawn into the controversy in a public way. He wanted an opportunity to speak with her individually. I am praying for him today that he will have that chance to talk one and one with her, and that God will give him the right words to say to impress the sacredness and value of life upon her heart, including the sacredness and value of her own life.
I work for the Women, Infants and Children Program and often meet women who are scarred by previous abortions. It was just a few weeks ago when I met a woman who was pregnant with her fourth child. She told me that it took her a while to realize that she was pregnant because she didn't believe that pregnancy was possible for her anymore. She said that she had been in an abusive marriage and when she became pregnant with her third child, she chose to abort that baby. Afterward, when she felt the time was right, she and her husband tried to conceive again, but couldn't. She blamed herself for her infertility, thinking that God was punishing her for killing her baby, and she suffered horribly from the effects of regret. Upon discovering her current pregnancy she was overjoyed to learn that she really isn't infertile and that God was giving her another chance to mother a newborn into this world. She was determined to make the most of that chance and to be the best mother she can possibly be by starting right now to take good care of herself and the new life growing within her.
Why is it, I wonder, that so many women need to learn the hard way, through sorrow and tears, that abortion is a decision they will long regret? Why can't they see than an abortion doesn't just kill their baby, but that it kills part of their own souls as well? How many dead babies does it take until abortion is no longer the facetious topic of a facebook status and an everyday reality of our world?
Please consider taking some time to join in prayer for an end to abortion at this year's 40 Days for Life Campaign in your local area, which begins on September 26th and runs through November 4th. To learn more about how you can help increase awareness for the sanctity and value of human life and to help save the lives of the unborn, please visit this link.
"Daughter, when I'm making a holy hour, I am happy!"
~My deceased aunt Monica to my cousin Martha when she would tease her mom about her frequent holy hours and say "Mom, I think you're just keeping a happy hour!"
A spiritual practice that is highly recommended by the Handmaids of the Precious Blood for the Oblate Candidates is offering ten minutes of silent thanksgiving after every Mass for the gift of the Eucharist. Last Lent, in an effort to increase the prayer in my "prayer, fasting and almsgiving" I decided to take that ten minutes to 45 minutes, in other words, I stayed in church after daily Mass until I had to leave to go to work. I quickly came to love that silent time with the Lord and now, nearing the end of the Easter season, I continue to remain in church long after Mass is over.
My daily holy hour has become an occasion of great joy. Most days after the last person leaves from daily Mass I am alone in the darkened church, just me and Jesus and nobody else. I love that! Other days I am joined by the janitor who is lovingly cleaning the church. With the exception of praying the Stations of the Cross, reaching up to touch the marble feet of Christ before I journey to each succeeding station, my prayer is silent, wanting to be able to hear the voice of God speak to me about His will for my life and not wanting to miss it when He softly whispers those words I long to hear... "I love you." On my way out I light a candle for a friend or two, bless myself abundantly with holy water and my day begins in the most perfect way imaginable.
Thursdays are the exception, however. On Thursdays a small crew of volunteers stays behind to clean the church giving God their own gift of love by keeping our place of worship beautifully clean. I watch as a woman replaces burnt out votive candles, another dust mops the floor around the altar and the women whom I fondly call the "Call to Action ladies" dust the tabernacle. Their work is valuable and I am a bit envious, especially of those whose job it is to dust the tabernacle-I think of what an honor it must be to caress the golden box that holds our Lord! But the chatter on Thursdays is often loud and so I have decided to take my holy hour elsewhere on that day.
So on Thursday mornings I drive across town to the abortion mill and have just enough time to pray the rosary before work. I consider this to be a holy hour just as valuable as my time in church because here I am honoring Christ who resides in the tabernacles of women who don't realize that they carry God within their wombs, women who don't realize that God who created all life is also living within all that He has created. At the abortion mill I join several other people who are praying for the sanctity of life, working to save babies from the horror of abortion. I stand side by side with the deathscort who returns my smile with a sneer and look out at the drivers who stare or shout vulgarities from their cars as they pass by on their own way to work. Here I am publicly witnessing to my love for Christ that has been nurtured in those silent holy hours. And I leave my Thursday morning holy hour at the abortuary feeling every bit as fed by the love of God as I do when I am in a silent church praying before Christ in the tabernacle.
Today, however, when I arrived at the abortion mill, I was alone in my prayer, there were no other pro-life witnesses on the sidewalk. The mill was still closed and so I stood alone on the sidewalk, rosary in hand, silently praying. Soon a car pulled up and I recognized the woman inside as one of the abortion mill workers, one who is known to be a Wiccan and whom I have heard berating and belittling and swearing at those who pray outside of the mill. She didn't get out of her car, but just sat there where she was parked. I could feel her looking at me and it made me very uncomfortable. So when I finished my rosary, I went inside of my own van to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
Just as I was nearing the end of my time of prayer, two beautiful, model-perfect women showed up and tried to open the door of the clinic but found it locked. I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to speak with them. So, I left the comfort of my van and asked if I could help them. They looked a bit puzzled so I told them that the Women's Care Center across the street was already open and they would be happy to help them with a free ultrasound or anything else they might need. One of the women told me that it was ok, she had an appointment at the mill. So I told her that I would pray for her and her baby and she thanked me. As I got back in my car to leave for work, I saw the abortion mill staff arrive and open the clinic door for the women.
This was the first time that I ever summoned the courage to attempt to counsel anyone outside of the abortion mill and although it didn't seem to appear that my efforts met with success, I hold on to the hope that my prayer resounds within their hearts. I may never know the good that my words might have done but I thank God for prodding me to get out of my van and speak them.
Today, during my holy hour, I didn't hear God whisper His love for me. Instead, he inspired me to whisper love to Him through my words of concern for His precious daughter and her baby. I pray that she accepts His love and brings another one of His beautiful children to life.
"Mary recaptures woman's vocation from the beginning namely, to be to humanity the bearer of the Divine. Every mother is this when she gives birth to a child, for the soul of every child is infused by God. She thus becomes a co-worker with Divinity; She bears what God alone can give. As the priest in the order of Redemption, at the moment of Consecration, brings the crucified Savior to the altar, so the mother in the order of creation brings the spirit which issues from the Hand of God to the cradle of the earth. With such thoughts in mind, Leon Bloy once said: "The more a woman is holy, the more she becomes a woman."
All day long I listen to pain and hardship...girls barely fourteen-years-old try to hide wombs ripe with fresh life, young mothers worn down from trips back and forth to the NICU to visit their babes born too soon, homeless families working to put the pieces back together-trying to re-establish roots, and mentally ill women bearing the torment of depression, anxiety and schizophrenia trying to comfort crying, frantic toddlers who would push the limits of patience in the most sane of mothers. They share their stories-sometimes timidly and discreetly, other times with a loud brashness that makes me back away and tremble to be near them. And it doesn't matter how many times I've heard these types of stories before, it still feels raw and fresh and painful every single time the suffering breaks open in my presence.
And then the chimes ring...the chimes that signify a new life born in the hospital. Another baby is brought into the world, gulping the oxygen of life, crying from the pain of breaking through the waters of the womb into a life that holds no promises of wealth or success or happiness. But still, those chimes, they stop me in my tracks and fill me with hope and joy. Because I know. I know that each life born into this world is a gift, a miracle of cells multiplying and increasing to hold the presence of God and carry Him forth into the future. And it won't be long before that new life is gently carried into my office by a mother filled with awe over the responsibility that has been placed into her unworthy hands. And that new life will smile and gurgle and then peacefully fall into slumber, and that's all it takes to change my perspective from sorrow and frustration to elation over the goodness of God and the great gift of new life.
Every baby born is hope for the world.
Every baby born is a needed gift.
And I thank the Lord for every baby born.
Let the chimes ring out! Alleluia!
"Master, who came that we might have life more abundantly, we ask You to enlighten the minds and hearts of those blinded to the truth that life begins at conception and that the unborn in the womb are already adorned with Your image and likeness; enable us to guard, cherish and protect the lives of all those who are unable to care for themselves. For You are the Giver of Life, bringing each person from non-being into being, sealing each person with divine and infinite love.
Be merciful, Lord, to those who, through ignorance or willfulness, affront your divine goodness and providence through the evil act of abortion. May they, and all of us, come to the life of Your Truth and glorify You, the Giver of Life, together with Your Father, and Your All-Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen."
(Photo from Ash Wednesday prayer service with Archbishop Listecki-my sons Justin, Joe and John are standing to the left of the Archbishop)
The Holy Spirit has been moving me to spend more time praying for the sanctity of life outside of our local abortuary. The above prayer is part of a prayer service that was lovingly held by Fr. Gregory Madlom and Deacon Henry Shirley from St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church in West Bend, WI every Sunday afternoon during Lent at the abortion mill in Milwaukee as part of 40 Days for Life. I was so honored to participate in some of those prayer services. Fr. Gregory and Deacon Henry would fully vest and perfume the death-filled air with the sweetness of incense while chanting the entire 30 minute prayer service. It was a beautiful plea and public witness for the salvation of the lives lost and for an end to abortion.
A few weeks ago Jack and Mary and I ran over to the grocery store for a few things and as we were leaving a woman came out from between some parked cars and she asked me if I could help her. She said she was homeless and she asked for some money. Her teeth were black and her hair was greasy and her clothes were worn and she seemed as if she was mentally unstable. She told me that she was diabetic and needed food and that she was so cold. Mary and Jack were very frightened by her and Mary said I was the bravest person she knows because I calmly spoke with her and gave her $5.00. Later, my husband wondered if she just went into the liquor store to buy some beer with that $5.00 and I replied that there are an awful lot of times when I could just use a beer, too, so if that's what the money went for because it was what she most needed, then it was ok with me!
At one of my most recent prayer vigils at the abortion mill I realized that standing on the edge of a busy street holding a "Pray for an end to abortion" sign is a lot like being homeless and asking for a handout. You are so vulnerable standing there with the deathscorts sneering at you and people swearing at you as they drive past. And then one of my favorite quotes by Bishop Hying came to my mind:
"When we, like the saints, set the sail of our life to the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit, we will find ourselves doing things that we could never have imagined, witnessing to Christ in ways that seemed beyond our abilities and engaged in works of evangelization, charity and service that seemed impossible. One thing is certain. When we give our lives over to the Holy Spirit, nothing will ever be safe or dull again. We will find ourselves blown out to the deep water and then Christ will bid us to get out of the boat."
And as I stood on the edge of the street I thought, here I am blown out to the deep! It's an awfully scary place to be! There's nothing to do here but hold onto Christ and trust! I have no idea what in the world I am doing as I stand there and pray but I know that I have to be there!
It brought me to realize that those who are homeless and whose entire days are made up of begging to meet their needs are the ones who are really brave. It's difficult to ask for help and to let strangers see your need, exposing yourself to the many rude comments of those who see in the beggar just a useless and wasted life. How similar that viewpoint is to those who work in or favor the abortion industry. For them, life is not valued but instead is scorned as having little use.
So I pray for more brave souls to stand up for the value of all life-for the homeless, the helpless, the disabled, the unborn, the tired, the lonely, the lost, the forsaken, the elderly, the downcast and despairing, the weak and the sick. All of these suffering souls bear the wounds of the Lord; they are walking crucifixes in life's long journey. His fire burns somewhere deep within their souls whether they are aware of it or not. May we never allow any human person to feel that they are a "non-being" because of our lack of love and compassion. May we all allow the Holy Spirit to "blow us out to the deep" in His service.
"Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him." ~Mark 2:4
Each day as I spend a few early morning moments in prayer with the daily readings before I attend Mass, I pick out one line to reflect upon throughout the day. Some days that line becomes more meaningful to me than others and the words of scripture with which I have prayed come back frequently as a gentle reminder of God's presence in my life. Yesterday's gospel reading from Mark contained one line, "open up the roof" that seemed to make a particular impact upon me.
My weekends are usually unbelievably busy and this weekend in particular was exceptionally packed with activity. Within our family schedule we had seven basketball games which included my required 8 volunteer hours in the concession stand all to be managed around the weekend work schedules of my husband and I and our three oldest sons and our son Justin's Confirmation retreat, a funeral,a birthday party and the seasonal chore of snow removal. Sometimes it is really difficult to get everyone where they need to be when we are scattered into so many places at once and even with four drivers in the house we still only have two cars so our busy weekends end up being a combination of divide/carpool/conquer!
And somehow, in the midst of all that chaos, I was able to open my roof and allow God to find his way in and to make a profound impact on my life.
On Friday afternoon I raced from work to the funeral of Pat Jakus, a friend of mine from Roses for Our Lady. Pat was such a beautifully holy and energetic woman who always gave her all for God and even the way she died was a testimony to the joys that God offers to those who love Him. Pat was a lector at her parish and last week while offering her service as a lector during a funeral Mass at her parish, she proclaimed this beautiful passage:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~Romans 8:38
Then she looked over to the priest, offered a big smile, and as she proceeded to climb the steps to the choir loft she suddenly felt tired and out of breath. She sat on the bottom step, rested her head against the wall and died while the choir was singing "Alleluia."
What a beautiful way for Pat, or for anyone, to die! Clearly Pat lived her life with her roof wide open and so even in her death it was easy for Jesus to find His way into her heart.
Later that night, with thoughts of Pat and the funeral still working through my mind and heart, I was serving up hot dogs and popcorn at my son Jack's basketball game while two teams were battling it out on the court. The sounds of shoes squeaking, fans cheering and coaches calling out plays were ringing through the air. The plays that the coaches call are usually the names of college basketball teams, but at one point I was sure I heard a coach call out "God's will!" Maybe it was just my over-tired imagination having it's way with me at the end of a long day but I thought whether or not that was actually what the coach said, "God's will" would be the perfect name of a play for shouldn't we all plan out every action of our lives with God's will as the ultimate playbook behind our movements? And so the words that I imagined the coach to say became a reminder to me to keep my roof open at all times to allow the will of God to reach me.
I was feeling a bit of sorrow that I wasn't able to convince my boss to let me have Saturday morning off from work because there was a big pro-life rally planned in our Archdiocese and I had really wanted to attend, as if I didn't already have enough going on this weekend! So when I awoke on Saturday morning and opened my email, I found a message from our local 40 Days for Life leader inviting early arrivals to come pray at the abortion mill as there was word that a 14 year-old-girl might be coming for an abortion today. I wanted to open my roof and respond.
My oldest son John was my designated car-pool ride to work, so he and I left home early so that we could spend some time praying at the abortion mill before I would have to leave for work. We arrived at the abortuary at 7:15 AM dressed for the arctic tundra as the temperature was only 16 degrees outside. (Hard to believe that it had been an unseasonably 60 degrees just a few days before!) When we arrived we were the only ones at the clinic but we were soon joined by a woman and three men holding signs. Just before we left, three clinic employees arrived ready to begin the work of death. All morning while at work, my heart remained in those frigid temperatures outside the abortion clinic praying for that young, pregnant girl and all of those affected by abortion including those three employees who seemed so cheerful about beginning their work day. And I prayed, "Dear God, open the roof of the hearts of the abortion mill employees and those seeking an abortion to allow the light of Your love and truth to enter in!"
It seems so strange to consider the differing locations of a beautiful funeral, a rowdy basketball game and a desolate place of death as places where God's will can be heard and acted upon equally and yet this weekend I found it to be very true that it really doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing, if there is joy and love in our hearts and a desire to please the Lord, He will always have His way with us and it is His will that will be accomplished in all things and all ways if we only open our roofs to allow it.
On a monotonous morning at work with moms and babies and toddlers in and out of my office listening to my shpeel about iron rich foods, the importance of breastfeeding and how to deal with a picky eater, I was stopped short by a four-month-old baby with a smile from here to eternity. I was going on and on telling mom about how gastro-esophageal reflux is the diagnosis of the day and every baby has it; it's just a fancy word for spit-up and yes, it's messy, but her baby will outgrow it, and as long as he gains weight, he'll be just fine. This little guy was certainly gaining weight and appeared to be very healthy, but it was that smile and that laugh...THAT LAUGH...that really made my day.
Every time I opened my mouth to speak to mom, which was often, baby would laugh and smile. And I would stop talking to laugh and smile back at baby. And mom would smile and laugh along and then comment on how her son thought that I was talking to him instead of about him. And the three-year-old sister was busy playing with my pink barbie doll Volkswagen Beetle with the sunroof, trying to figure out how she could get inside of it instead of just simply push it around the floor. (Which, by the way, every toddler who comes into my office attempts to get into the car by sticking their foot into the sunroof and then into the side door. It really is quite amusing!)
Our entertaining visit was nearing an end and mom was getting up to leave when she mentioned that she needed to send for a copy of her daughter's birth certificate which she had misplaced and then casually let it drop that she couldn't get her family into a homeless shelter without it. For the first time I noticed the stressed look on her face. I asked her if she was staying with family and she vaguely answered "No. Just around." I invited her to sit down once again while I gave her all of the information that I had for emergency shelter, food, clothing and baby items, which always seems so inadequate when what I'd really like to do is stay with her and help her resolve all of her difficulties. I offered her my prayers and best wishes and she was on her way.
But her baby stayed on my mind. His exuberant smile and laughter must be such a blessing to his mother whether he spits up or not. I recalled the days when my children were babies and how the days at home could drag on forever-there was always a dirty floor that needed cleaning, a pail of diapers that needed washing, toys underfoot, temper tantrums raging (usually mine!), and loneliness for adult conversation. But when my babies would smile and laugh, it made all of the troubles so worth it! There's no denying that the mother in my office had some serious problems, but for a little while she was able to put those troubles aside and laugh with her baby. How blessed that mother is to have such a joyful little son and how blessed we all are by the precious gift of life that only God can create.
40 Days for Life begins today. Will you fast and pray to save the life of a precious little baby who can bring happiness and sunshine into this often lonely and difficult world?
Last week Matthew Archbold wrote a post at the National Catholic Register titled: Obama: Kill Babies or I'll Hurt the Poor. In his post, he rightly asks us to watch, pray and write to our legislators over the recent work on the part of the Indiana legislation which passed a bill to defund planned parenthood. The following passage made my stomach turn with the awful truth of his words:
"The Obama administration’s Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to Indiana threatening to withhold billions in federal Medicaid funding for low-income people if the state doesn’t agree to fund Planned Parenthood. Just think about that for a second. Let the horror sink in. Sometimes it takes a few seconds for it to really wash over you.
Got it? Yeah, the Obama administration is saying the federal government will hurt the poor unless Indiana agrees to fund the killing of babies.
Is Planned Parenthood entitled to taxpayer money? Think about it, the federal government if forcing a state to send taxpayer money to a private entity.
So when someone says to you that the Democrat Party is for helping the poor, make sure you correct them by explaining to them that the Democrat Party is about funding abortion first, even at the expense of the poor."
As someone whose profession it is to help the poor and vulnerable, to not only assist them in coping with the daily challenges of raising healthy children, but also to refer them to other private and government agencies and medical care from which they might benefit, I find the fact that the very money that could be used to help improve their lives would be withheld in favor of abortion to be unconscionable!
In my work at the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Clinic I was recently reviewing the revised policies for Nutritionists. When I came across the following state policy about reporting child abuse I did a double take:
Inflicting serious physical harm on an unborn child, including the risk of serious physical harm caused by the habitual use of alcohol beverages, controlled substances or controlled substance analogs, exhibited to a severe degree. ( Wis. Stat. § 48.02(1)(am))
In other words, if I, as a nutritionist, suspect or am told by a mother-to-be that she uses drugs or drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, I am to report her to the authorities, which of course, makes complete sense. But, if that same woman would tell me that she aborted her baby so that she could continue a lifestyle rife with drugs and alcohol, there would be no reporting necessary; just a reminder and encouragement to live a healthy lifestyle with some resources to help her do so, a handful of WIC checks for healthy foods and be on your way. I know this question has been asked by many before, but how is abortion not considered to be the most severe form of child abuse?To me, and to many others, I know that the answer to that question is obvious, so why is it that our government doesn't agree and will even strong arm their way to keeping abortion legal with unfair legislation that hurts the poor instead of helping them?
Keeping the hope alive that someday all of the efforts by pro-life groups and agencies will overcome the death culture in American society takes great faith. But push on we must. I am quite grateful that at my own parish, a long overdue pro-life committee is being established and I am proud to be a part of it, bringing right to life issues to the forefront and encouraging others to assist in the battle to end abortion. Little by little, we will overcome the ugly forces of death that keep the killing of innocent lives an acceptable law in our land, and we will see the day when the cold-blooded murder of babies is once again illegal and, please God, non-existent.
Until that glorious day becomes reality, I am grateful to have found the following prayer on Kee's Little Hare blog and I've printed it and posted it at my desk at work and pray it daily. When I am dealing with clients who struggle in their motherhood and feel that ending the life of their child is the only way to cope with their problems, the words of this prayer give me comfort in knowing that we are all in God's hands and every whispered prayer on behalf of women in crisis can go a long way toward helping them to give their child the gift of life and to work to be the best mother they can possibly be.
Prayer to save a child from abortion
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I come to pray for every mother who is today considering the termination of the life of her unborn child.Grant her the courage and grace to persevere, so that the child already living, will be born safely. I pray also that those who support, encourage, promote or perform abortions may be granted a conversion of mind and heart.Finally, I pray for all those who have been hurt by the tragedy of abortion.Eternal Father, I offer you the most precious Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Masses celebrated throughout the world today, in atonement for our sins, and for all the sins of abortion in the world. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen.
(Pictured: Archbishop Listecki at Affiliated Medical Services in Milwaukee on Friday April 15th.)
I'm not entirely certain that my Lenten resolution to devote all of my prayer, fasting and almsgiving to the pro-life cause bore much noticeable fruit or saved any lives, but I have to say that this year for the first time in a long time, I stuck to my Lenten resolves better than any previous year, so maybe this was a sign from God that He would help me be true to my sacrifice if the cause was worthy enough. On this solemn and holy day where we see the source of all life suffer and die for our lowly humanity I take a look back at my pro-life efforts this Lent and share some wonderful links that moved me and kept the fires of sacrifice stirring in my soul...
My heart was quickly moved to make my Lenten resolutions on behalf of so many innocent lives lost when I received Fr. Don's email about his experience at the abortion mill. I knew that I could no longer sit back and let others act on behalf of the innocents; I knew that I, too, must take a more active stand.
Despite my best efforts to put together a group from my parish to participate in 40 Days for Life, it was my husband and I and one friend who stood outside the closed abortion mill praying the rosary on a chilly Saturday evening early in Lent. At my next visit to pray at the abortuary, there were only two others praying there. Despite the fact that Dan Miller, who tirelessly works for life and organized Milwaukee's 40 Days for Life campaign this Lent sends out daily emails that led me to believe that no matter when I went to the clinic, I would find a crowd of people praying, my own experience had proved this to be a lonely experience.
I was blessed to help promote and attend a pro-life spaghetti dinner which raised funds for the Women's Care Center which helps women to keep their babies and it was here where I finally met Dan Miller, who I now place near the top of my personal heroes list. For forty days with only a few off, this man stood at the foot of the cross, loving and praying for those affected by abortion-the babies, mothers, and abortion mill employees-with the goal of shutting down the abortion mill. He had great success with 28 lives saved!
Meanwhile, in the blogosphere, my heart was moved and lifted by this beautiful video which I found on Beth's blog, Credo Catholic.
And it was Beth, again, who linked to this heart-wrenching pro-life story on an AMAZING blog- Barefoot and Pregnant-What a Woman in Crisis Really Needs. It's a must read for inspiration and like the above video, it has spread like wildfire around the blogosphere! I highly recommend that you take the time to read Calah's personal story.
Throughout these forty days of Lent, I continued to write about how the pro-life cause was moving me and how I was able to live my beliefs though my work at the WIC Clinic. All of my Lenten efforts, all of my daily living and all of the inspiration I received through personal encounters with others who work for the pro-life cause and through the world of the blogs, have become my own way of the cross this Lent, climaxing in my presence at the foot of the cross on Good Friday morning.
Every Good Friday for the past few years my family and I attended Lauds at our parish and then spent the remainder of the morning gathering all of the donated food that was placed around the altar during Holy Thursday Mass and taking it down to our parish food pantry. This year, I broke that family tradition and together with my sons, John and Joe, I went to Pro-Life Wisconsin's Stations of the Cross. The weather was perfectly fitting for Good Friday-cloudy, damp and cold with intermittent showers, which made the journey to the abortion mill feel truly sacrificial.
After praying the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary and the stations of the cross inside the church, the group of about 100 people walked the six blocks to the abortion mill while chanting the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It was clear that the abortion workers (known as death-scorts by Dan Miller) were ready for us, all standing outside in their orange vests, one of them videotaping us as we arrived. As Dan led us all in praying the joyful mysteries of the Rosary, my sons and I kept our eyes on the door to the abortion mill-Hell with Doors, according to Dan. The death-scorts were smirking and denying the reality of God. Someone called out to a couple as they were walking into the clinic, asking them to turn around and take the help that was offered at the Women's Support Center which was just across the street, which was promptly and sadly greeted with the "finger sign" by the young woman entering the abortuary.
At 11:00 AM, when the rosary was over, my sons and I had to leave to attend and help at the Good Friday Service at our parish, so we weren't able to walk back with the pro-life group with which we arrived, but I felt that our time there was well-spent, standing at the foot of the cross with the babies who were suffering their own crucifixion, standing among the death-scorts who mocked and jeered like the Roman soldiers, and standing with others who love the Lord and long to serve Him by standing up for the sacredness of life, all of which is made in His image.
I learned a lot this Lent. I learned that sacrifice is most beneficial when it is used toward a greater and specific good. I learned that I am more brave than I had ever believed myself to be. I learned that although pro-life efforts can seem lonely and difficult, we are never alone in the good that we do and we can stand up to the most obscene words and gestures with the gentle power of prayer. And, perhaps most important of all, I learned that life does not need the protection of prayer and personal witness during the forty days of Lent alone, but that pro-life efforts are always in need and I will continue to put forth the best I have to offer long after the Easter season is ended and into forever, until abortion is a long-forgotten memory on the face of this earth.
addendum: I just received the following email from Dan Miller and was amazed to read about what happened after my sons and I left "Hell's Doors" yesterday. Prayer is SO powerful and God is SO good!
Day 45 – 4/22/2011 – Miracle on Farwell
Dear 40 Days for Life supporters,
Warning! Are you sitting down?! You need to sit down before you read this. Today at approximately 11:15am, the abortion mill lost all its power. As amazing as that is, that’s not even the part you need to sit down for.
More than 100 people showed up today for Pro-Life Wisconsin’s Stations of the Cross. We can’t thank you enough for taking the time out of your busy schedules to join us in prayer and public witness on this most Holy Day, Good Friday. When we arrived at ‘Hell with Doors’ around 10:30am, we started in right away with the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. We had already prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries at St. Rita’s, so we thought we would mix it up a bit down at the mill. Juggling a Rosary, a bullhorn and the pro-life reflections was not easy, so I fixed my eyes on another vigiler’s Rosary to keep count, wishing I had a third hand. When we were done with the Rosary, another vigiler felt compelled to recite a prayer honoring the Face of Jesus. Within this beautiful oration was an exorcism prayer. As I was no longer on the bullhorn, I was free to float around when suddenly I noticed that the police were in the area. They were not there for crowd control –they were directing traffic because the traffic signals were completely out. I checked the neon sign in the window of ‘Hell with Doors’, and sure enough, it was out as well. Clients started streaming OUT of the mill in a pretty steady flow. When I was able to sneak a peek inside I could see all the lights were out inside the abortion mill! I don’t know about you, but if I were any of the women inside that place, I would not be sticking around for an abortion by candlelight. As the women streamed out, we said, “This is a sign from God that you should keep your baby! God has a plan for your baby! Go home! Love your baby! Have a wonderful Easter!” One young mom smiled and nodded in agreement with our statement! The ‘deathscorts’ were very busy doing damage control, scoffing at our divine implications.
Ok, ok, ok. I guess the Doubting Thomases out there may still find it hard to see the hand of God at work here, but here’s the part that may convince even the Doubting Thomases and the part you should be sitting down for. Every building, street light, traffic signal on Farwell, as far as the eye could see, was without power, save one, whose lights were burning brightly amidst the darkness. That building was the Women’s Care Center.
Regular readers will know that I have committed myself to offering all of my Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving to the pro-life cause this year in the hopes that my meager efforts might save a life, and our God of wonders might just have given me that opportunity today.
Last weekend when I busy promoting Roses for Our Ladyat the pro-life spaghetti dinner to benefit the Women's Support Center here in Milwaukee, I had the good pleasure of meeting Mary Gilpin, the director of the Women's Support Center. She gave me a stack of her business cards to share with my clients at the WIC Clinic.
When Sharonda came in with her son Demetrius (not their real names, of course!), we had a lovely visit. This was the last time that Demetrius would come to the WIC Clinic for benefits since he would soon be five years old and WIC benefits end at that time. Demetrius was just a pure joy, smiling constantly and playing quietly while Sharonda and I talked about his health and eating habits. As the appointment was ending, I asked Sharonda if she had any other concerns today. She said, "Yes, actually, I do. I might be pregnant."
She went on to tell me that she has five children, Demetrius is her youngest (four sons, one daughter-just like me!) After he was born she had her tubes tied feeling that her time for having more children was over. She has not had a pregnancy test yet because her doctor told her it would be too early to tell for sure, but the worry is that because of her tubal ligation, this pregnancy may be ectopic, a danger to both mom and baby. She is praying that if she truly is pregnant that her baby will be in the uterus where he belongs and thus allow her to happily welcome another little one into her life, expected or not. But, her doctor advises abortion if baby would truly settle in her fallopian tubes.
In looking at WebMD to find out more about ectopic pregnancies I learned:
"Although there have been a few reported cases of women giving birth by cesarean section to live infants that were located outside the uterus, this is extremely rare. The chance of carrying an ectopic pregnancy to full term is so remote, and the risk to the woman so great, that it can never be recommended. It would be ideal if an ectopic pregnancy in the Fallopian tube could be saved by surgery to relocate it into the uterus. This concept has yet to become accepted as a successful procedure."
And with further snooping around the internet I found this story about a miracle baby that did survive an ectopic pregancy. This line left me gaping in amazement-the odds of delivering a full-term baby from an ectopic pregnancy is one million to one.
I asked Sharonda if I could share a resource with her, a place that could give her help, support and guidance regardless of the result of this possible pregnancy, and Sharonda very gratefully took a card for the Women's Resource Center and told me that she will be giving them a call.
Please join me in prayer for Sharonda...
God of wonders, God of life,
hold Sharonda and every expectant mother in your arms with the warm embrace that only Your love can provide. Offer her the reassurance of knowing that the risks and difficulties that come with motherhood are always more than incredibly worth it and that Your love will help her to overcome each and every trial which comes her way. Bring every bud of life growing within your daughters to full fruition. Be with the doctors who assist women in high-risk pregnancies,help them to use any and all medical advances that will save those precious babies whose early lives are at risk. Lord, you know that I am not an expert in medical care and can rarely find the right words to comfort others, but I thank you for the opportunity you gave me to share a pro-life resource with a woman in need. Sharonda and her little one are in Your hands Lord, do with them as You will. I trust in your mercy. I trust in your love.
