Bitter and Sweet

Our youngest grandchild.  Thank God his parents are pro-life!

This week my friend Marianne and I traveled by car to Washington, DC to attend the 2014 March for Life. Not to say we were determined, but Marianne calculated the miles she had driven at 2,163.6. What a great compatibility test a road trip would be for a couple considering marriage.  At the end you will either love or hate each other. Thankfully this trip endeared Marianne to me. Her passion for life both encourages and challenges me in my personal commitment.

Nurses for Life:  Carol, Jocelyn, Marianne

We were happily sailing along on our journey when we began receiving winter storm warnings.  The closer we got to the DC area the worse the conditions. Thankfully we finally arrived at our destination in Alexandria, VA safely albeit a bit frazzled.  Poor Marianne, I kept yammering away about how beautiful the snow covered mountains were as she did all the treacherous driving.

Supreme Court Washington DC

All other plans except the actual march itself went out the window.  We hunkered down in the warmth and safety of "Winter Wonderland" or the condo of friends Zach and Jocelyn Winter. This brother and sister are an awesome testament to their faith. Their hospitality is much appreciated.

Jocelyn sporting a bright red nose!

In spite of the deep freeze in Washington, the turn out of marchers did not seem to be terribly deterred. The scores of young faces were most encouraging. Among the 600,000 walkers, the majority were under the age of 25! Thank God, this IS the pro-life generation. They are equipped with the benefit of proven science, that abortion stops a beating heart as early as 22 days after conception.  There is no denying the fact abortion stops a beating heart.  Abortion ends a life.

The only part of me not covered!

My husband and I love animals. No animal should be mistreated.  It does concern us when more emphasis is placed on prevention of animal abuse than the torture and death of the human animal. Is the human race not valuable enough to be equally protected and preserved?

Welcome home bouquet from my precious husband!

We also agree with protecting and preserving our environment.  The Lord has given us a beautiful world to live in and we should value it.  It is heartbreaking when we are more concerned with throwing away plastics and such but don't think twice about destroying and discarding a human baby.

One of the arguments of the pro-abortion activists is that the pro-life side does nothing to help prevent pregnancies or offer help for those in a crisis pregnancy. Pregnancy help centers are in every community in America.  Help is just a phone call away. There is no basis for this argument either. There are thousands of mothers who are begging for the blessing of a baby. Choosing abortion denies the right of a child to live and have the family we all hope for. Adoption is an unselfish act of love for a child. Abortion is cruel and selfish.

There is a lot of rhetoric being tossed around these days. Like reproductive rights. Of course everyone has the right to reproduce.  We do certainly have the right to decide what we want to do with our own bodies. Oh wait. What about those pesky Threat of Harm laws?  We do not have the moral right to destroy the life of another.

The point of execution in this country is also debated.  No doubt egregious errors are made and falsely accused have been executed.  Even the guilty that have chosen to break laws punishable by death, still have the court system to defend their cause.  The unborn do not.

This is a moral obligation of everyone-particularly those of us professing the Christian faith. If the Christian community walked the walk, abortion would be virtually non-existent. We are called to defend life.  We are also called to defend, protect and provide for widows and orphans. Not only are we to educate and promote abstinence we are called to forgive and restore.

The medical profession too often place unnecessary fear in expectant mothers.  They are often advised to have tests to determine if the child should be allowed to carry to term. Let's try to wrap out heads around that one.  Who of us is perfect?  What if another person felt we were too flawed to deserve to live? Where does it end?  There is talk of post birth abortion. Is this not the definition of murder?

I do not easily share my abortion experience. Whether my child could have survived or not I will ever know. I will forever live with the regret of my choice. If opening my heart to my deep pain of loss helps another in their healing or saves a life, it is worth it. The trip to DC was bitter and sweet.  The weather was bitter cold. It was a sweet joy to see so many young folks fighting for life.  It was a bitter pill to see a few opposing life in graphic self defacing manners

One person can make big difference in abolishing abortion without changing the laws of this nation.  Take a public stand.  Make sure every person knows you are available to help with any crisis pregnancy. We can be the pro life generation!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.  Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.  Psalm 227:3-5

Hurting? Contact us at:

@conceptsoftruth.org

www.nationalhelpline.org

Broken

 

"Fire and Ice" by Joe Coker

I just had a mini conversation with one of my many zany nephews.  If God intended us to like the cold, He would not have made us Southerners.  I do not like cold. I do like my Southern comfort. I do like to whine, obviously.

Forgetfulness is still flourishing in our house.  I meant to bring in the glass bird feeder knowing full well it would burst in the sub zero temperatures. Those minus digits that should never raise there ugly head here in the south.

You guessed it.  I forgot.  I was reminded when I noticed a beautiful red cardinal sitting on the deck shifting stares from the broken feeder to the back door.  I did not feel too badly about the feeder.  That was all my doing.  I did feel sorry for the birds’ disappointment at the loss of a food source.  I have heard it said the reason we don’t have babies after a certain age is that we will put them down and forget where we left them.  I don’t doubt that reasoning.  I cannot be trusted with caring for a simple bird.  Or so it would seem.

A light bulb was broken off inside of the entry way fixture. I would confess the culprit but I don’t recall. We kept meaning to fix it, but forgetting.  I told Dan I had found a great technique on DIY.  He has heard this too many times from me to not be skeptical.  One night while frozen in and Dan where he could not stop me, I decided to give it a whirl.  I sliced off the end of a potato. Holding my breath I gently (and prayerfully) slid it over the end of the broken bulb.  With a few turns it came right out.  I am so thankful I did not get electrocuted.  Even better, I avoided an “I told you so.”

 

Whew!  It worked!

Dan has been putting in a lot of hours at a local mens' shelter. He loves it. The only draw back is his concern over what mischief I may get us into while he is away.  The shelter is a wonderful ministry.  The founders have done an outstanding job in organizing it.  They hold true to, “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat a life time”.  We humans are a fragile race. But by the Grace of God and help of others, what was broken can be mended. There are many similar ministries in our area. One housed in a beautiful old home feeds countless families.

Today we enrolled in a disaster relief program.  One of our friends shared how her house had been totally destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.  She was so grateful for a team of disaster relief volunteers who showed up to dig out and clean up her home.  It made the brokenness and sadness of her devastating loss more bearable.  She was not alone.

I am thankful I have the luxury chattering about trivial things like bird houses and light bulbs. My heart is full of gratitude that I have food, shelter and love.  May we always remember to share all three—especially Love!

 

Beautiful Jackson House Mission

Brokenness takes many forms. Tomorrow is “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.”  As we join together to honor life and the lives of our children lost to abortion, we ask for hope and healing to abound. We pray for  all who are broken to allow Him to comfort and heal your hearts.

The beautiful photo "Fire and Ice" by our friend Joe speaks volumes.  Even midst the worst of storms, there is always that glimmer of Hope.

 ……a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.  Psalm 51:17

New Year 2014

Josh, Meg and Connor clearing drive for Mom~

We rang in the New Year with family again this year.  Our granddaughter Megan was born on New Year's Eve thirteen years ago!  Time certainly does pass quickly.  This year's celebration moved from it's traditional Dallas/Ft. Worth area to Virginia.

Dr. Son with much loved wife, mother and daughter in law, Becky.

With her Blue Ridge mountains and rolling hills, Virginia is a beautiful state. She along with her bordering states of Washington DC and Maryland boast a rich history of our young country.  As my daughter in law pointed out as, you could imagine a patriot, musket in hand taking cover behind the miles of hand made stone fences.  Equally the Potomac River evokes a greater appreciation of early defenders of our country. We viewed these places from the warmth of our vehicle. They had no such luxury against the bitter cold.

Imagine.

Some of the grand kids wanted to go ice skating--outside.  When we arrived at the rink, they decided maybe watching "Frozen" the movie was a better idea.  Thank you Lord! :)

Connor always the helper,helped Dad pick us up at the airport!

One of our outings took us to the National Harbor on the shores of the Potomac. The view was so beautiful I decided to walk along the waterfront.  The bitter cold quickly forced my retreat back into the warmth of the Gaylord. As the grandchildren participated in a scavenger hunt, we sat and enjoyed the view with a warm cup of cocoa. I fear I would not have fared well as a minute man.

Dr. Son, Toben, Joshua, Haley, Megan, Me and Papa D with Lily in front with "Gingy"

Baby it's cold outside!

A new year always calls for reflection.  We ponder the old year and make plans for the new. It would be wonderful if we could leave all the negative things behind us.  If we could somehow pass through a miraculous portal that erases the past with a clean slate for the new. The only hope for such transformation is through forgiveness and love granted from above.

Play dough with Lily and Joshua.  

I have a gift of saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time.  It is not purposeful. My heart is in the right place. My brain just doesn't always connect with it. There is often a total disconnect in my communication skills. Even haltingly auditing my words they still fail me.

Happy 13th Megan!

Rather than what we cannot change, we revel in the joys of life.  The celebrating of birthdays.  Walks with grandchildren. Watching grand babies take their first steps while another is preparing her wings for flight. Hugs from children and grandchildren are more precious than gold!

Youngest and oldest...Toben and Haley

Poor kid has nothing to play with.  

Baby Toben!  Would you ever guess he is the baby?  :)

When the first ice storm hit this winter, we lamented as to why we did not retire to a tropical paradise. The reminder came soon with a photo of our youngest grandchild.  Without prejudice, he is undoubtedly the most beautiful grandchild ever--at least not since the one before him. Sharing special moments with these precious ones is incentive to cope with frigid temperatures.  Well, at least for a minute!





You crown the year with your bounty and your carts overflow with abundance.
Psalm 65:11