tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58203984599928354412024-03-12T21:54:29.092-07:00Handmade for LifeBuilding a Culture of Life through the work of our hands...melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-68038128434880279862012-05-12T11:00:00.001-07:002012-05-12T11:00:47.671-07:00on mother's day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMBOeGQCR9ENiA8AQ-SJ9UrVX_s0QCjX7HIx5jjahyphenhyphenGaShZvFd8FZ-amsZbUIdx-RfgMKzlvF_T83mvtUZO9wlndJnjGCzQ2q0XJb8rxnAXbCsBInb7PlUw1p_dVbTQo-xuVbugM2Cp4G/s1600/IMG_4019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMBOeGQCR9ENiA8AQ-SJ9UrVX_s0QCjX7HIx5jjahyphenhyphenGaShZvFd8FZ-amsZbUIdx-RfgMKzlvF_T83mvtUZO9wlndJnjGCzQ2q0XJb8rxnAXbCsBInb7PlUw1p_dVbTQo-xuVbugM2Cp4G/s320/IMG_4019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">To breathe, to feel, to think. These are rights.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">To defend, to protect, to fight. These are duties.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Sometimes people get confused about what their rights are. Off and on, I see this simplistic and illiogical little sketch: "Don't like abortion? Don't have one," attempting to assert a woman's pretended "right to choose." I'm all for simplicity, but not for stupidity, and I just have to say (in the nicest way possible, of course) that this is the stupidest piece of preschool-level argument I've heard from anyone who fancies themselves a feminist. Let's follow the course it takes:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"Don't like child abuse? Don't beat your kid."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"Don't like infidelity? Don't have an affair."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"Don't like child p*rn? Don't look at it."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"Don't like rape? Don't rape anyone."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">See where this goes?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Some people will protest that these are totally different topics and can't be compared to abortion. They don't understand that about</span><a href="http://www.afterabortion.info/petition/Forced_Abortions.pdf" style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"> two-thirds of abortions in the US are coerced or forced</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> onto women. The act of abortion itself is a violence toward women and children that surpasses that of even rape or molestation. They argue about health care, but they don't understand that the abortion industry cares about women's health in the same way a pimp cares about the health of his prostitutes - it is only a means to a very lucrative end for them. In either case, women are used.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It's called "choice," but it's not. It's called "feminist," but half of the babies killed are feminine. That's not feminism, that's brutal murder. Slave owners fought for their "rights," too...and fancied themselves civil rights activists, also - but they weren't, and history shows the foolishness and cruelty of their position. And yet</span><a href="http://www.priestsforlife.org/resources/abortionimages/" style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"> the reality of abortion</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> makes even slavery look like a walk in the park.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">And yet women are still deceived, grasping at this "right" that reveals the very deepest identity insecurity. Being a woman isn't good enough - we must have the option to reject the very nature of what we were made for. And, oh, don't you </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">dare </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">tell me I was made for creating children! I was made for more than that!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Oh, were you? Then you, my dear friend, have a very sorry, skewed idea of what motherhood is - which is understandable enough, considering that many of us were raised in a time when our mothers also bucked this calling, so how are we to know any better? But it </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">is </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">a </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>very </b></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">high calling - some say the highest of</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">callings - higher than working in some office, higher than having your own business, higher than finishing some degree. And, yes, higher than that bucket list.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It is the gift of being able to mold and influence the very beginning of someone's life. It is the influence you have for the next generation, and every generation after that. The other stuff is good, sure - I like having a business, I love education - but these come far short of the calling of being a mother to as many kids as God will give me to raise for the future.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Humans breathe...feel...and think. </span><a href="http://www.abortiontv.com/Growth/HowUnbornBabiesThink.htm" style="background-color: white; color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Science shows that even the smallest of us do this</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. We were human before we were born. Toes, fingers, faces, at nine weeks gestation. I've seen it myself.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This very day, May 11th, was Mother's Day nine years ago. I was almost twelve weeks pregnant. During a long, devastating illness I woke up at four in the morning in excruciating pain, and realized we were losing our baby. Later that morning in the emergency room I saw him...he had arms, hands, and a little, tiny nose. He - yes, he - was no mere clump of cells, but fully human. The doctor said he had probably died two weeks earlier. He had been alive, but wasn't anymore.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I had never before known how human the unborn were. And it was Mother's Day. We named him Baruch.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">As humans, we breathe, we feel, we think. As mothers, we defend, we protect, and we fight. We hold monumental influence over the future.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We pursue the highest calling, and make no apologies.</span>
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<span style="color: #373131; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><i>originally published at <a href="http://copperlightwood.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Copperlight Wood</a></i></span></span>sacra vimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04873890064879355727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-28910521776878805912011-11-03T07:16:00.000-07:002011-11-03T07:16:26.363-07:00Progress?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
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<a class="entry-title-link" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/pQdv/~3/j4YD3PkVzjs/in-which-history-is-not-actually-march.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">In Which History Is Not Actually A March of Progress</a></h2>
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<a class="entry-title-link" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/pQdv/~3/j4YD3PkVzjs/in-which-history-is-not-actually-march.html" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><span class="entry-source-title-parent">reposted from <a class="entry-source-title" href="http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http%3A%2F%2Fheartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com%2Ffeeds%2Fposts%2Fdefault?hl=en" style="color: #2244bb; display: inline-block; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Common Room</a></span> <span class="entry-author-parent">by <span class="entry-author-name">TheHeadGirl</span></span></span></h2>
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The Toltecs in ancient Mexico <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/06/070612-tomb-child.html">sacrificed their children to a rain god</a>... presumably considering the exchange of their child's life worth the benefit (rain) to society.<br /><br />The Vikings practiced <a href="http://olemiss.academia.edu/NancyLWicker/Papers/835021/_Selective_Female_Infanticide_as_Partial_Explanation_for_the_Dearth_of_Women_in_Viking_Age_Scandinavia_pp._205-221_in_Violence_and_Society_in_the_Early_Medieval_West_edited_by_Guy_Halsall._Woodbridge_United_Kingdom_Boydell_Press_1998_paperback_2002" target="_blank">female infanticide</a> ~ apparently considering a daughter's life less valuable than that of a son. Better family life by killing a daughter...<br /><br /><a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/201012071305.html" target="_blank">Ancient customs in parts of Africa</a> (and sometimes still carried out today) demand the murders of undesirable babies (including some with special needs). These babies are counted as undesirable for the peace and and prosperity of their families or community.<br /><br />We reel at the ignorance and cruelty. We pat ourselves on the shoulder. <i>We're</i> too enlightened to even contemplate benefiting society by killing our children; <i>we</i> know it doesn't work like that.<br /><br />Or do we?<br /><br />A 1995 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that a little over 17% of women who might consider abortion would be more likely to do it if the fetal tissue (ie, their baby) could be used for medical purposes.<br /><br />A 1991 poll published in <i>Time</i> magazine found that 18% saw no problems with "conceive and intentionally abort a fetus so the tissue can be used to save another life."<br /><br />Those stats, and more like them, <a href="http://www.cogforlife.org/fetalvaccinetruth.htm#Encouraging_Further_Abortions_and_Research" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />A mother is supposed to protect the life of her child no matter what society's supposed "needs" are... and we are in a dangerous, dangerous position when we forget that.<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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</div>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-26362015097584362632011-10-27T16:46:00.000-07:002011-10-27T16:46:18.696-07:00Give Me Music and LifeIt is so heartening to stumble across pro-life shops while browsing on Etsy. Megan is the heart and talent behind <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartStrings4Life?ref=pr_shop_more">Heart Strings 4 Life</a> and donates a percentage of the proceeds to Pro-Life causes.<br />
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Her necklaces are made from up-cycled violin strings, hand braided (a tough task) and accessorized with various glass pendants. Beautiful Christmas present idea.<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartStrings4Life?ref=pr_shop_more"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsQ5x_kvak5BEWoNd3P1bEf7zwF1Z1_SMsg0WqqG7aBIzCMq3ult6IZhz_yENMy7q9PhVc0t3zIp7wCUIf3bi4pfhNbby7w-T69rLm-qsTJuXXzTVhFGR_bS70DCT_hvO1g40vfqETpV-/s320/il_570xN.261406015.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-24313689512676374712011-08-26T17:15:00.000-07:002011-08-26T17:21:46.946-07:00200 million<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 90, 90); font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div align="left">How much is 200 million? </div><div align="left">
<br /></div><div align="left">200 million pennies would fill 9 school buses to overflowing. If you wanted to count to 200 million, and you were really ambitious and didn't take any breaks to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom, it would take you just over 12 ½ years. But what does 200 million children look like?
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<br />Jesus’ heart was for children everywhere He went – blessing, defending, and loving them, and He calls us to do the same thing. When He called a little child to Him to stand among His disciples, He told them that they had to become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven, that whoever humbles himself like this child would be the greatest in the Kingdom…and the very next thing He said was "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:5)
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<br />Just a few verses later He says, "Beware that you don't despise a single one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father." (v. 10) Throughout the Bible, God is defending children and calling his people to defend the orphan. Over and over. God cares about the vulnerable enough to repeat Himself.
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<br />So, what does 200 million children look like? They look like what the entire population of the United States was in 1969. They look like enough kids to fill over 3 ½ million schoolbuses – and to give you an idea of how much that is, if you lined those buses up from bumper to bumper they would stretch over 20 thousand miles, or the distance from Barrow, AK to Tampa, Florida...five times.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Here’s the issue - In just this year, about 200 million is the number of children who will be despised throughout the world – they will either be left as orphans without a family of their own to love and care for them, or they will die as a result of an abortion. 200 million little lives with their own giftings, callings, and futures - image-bearers of the King who created them lovingly with a purpose – Who, if He were standing with them, would pick them up and say, “you look like Me.” But will they ever realize their calling? Will they know their Savior if that future is squandered on the streets of a third world country while they try to fend for themselves? Or what if they don’t even make it that far – if their life is snuffed out before birth because they were conceived in a society that deemed them inconvenient and expendable? Maybe you heard recently that 40% of pregnancies in New York City end with abortion – and for black babies, that number jumps to 60%. That kind of math is easy to visualize – six out of ten babies. These <em>are</em> “the least of these” that Jesus spoke of.
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<br />But He has not left them without defense. He calls us to do what He did – love, bless, and defend them. There have been pockets of His people doing this all along, but it hasn’t been enough, because somehow the numbers of unloved, uncared for, and undervalued children – image bearers of the King – have reached numbers that we can’t easily visualize.</div><div align="left">.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">The calling is out of our comfort zone, but now is the time for everyone who calls themselves a follower of Jesus to step up and say, “NOT ON MY WATCH! We will stop this injustice.” Many of us are probably already doing something – but we are being called to more, to stretch our comfort zone. Maybe He is calling your attention to something new that you haven’t considered before. Maybe He’ll call you to adopt, or to help another family with the financial challenge of adopting. Maybe He’ll call you to missions or volunteering at a pregnancy center. Maybe you’ll want to be involved in the <span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="http://www.40daysforlife.com/blog/">24/7 prayer vigils for the 40 Days of Life campaign</a></span>. Maybe you just know an apathetic voter who needs to be challenged. We allow God to move us in new ways, and suddenly an unfathomably huge situation has hope – because the situation is not too big for Him. 200 million children is a lot, but He wants to use His people to save them. Will we be a cruise ship, or a battleship?
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<br />Let your hands be strong! Don’t give up, don’t give in, and don’t be intimidated, because the task is ours!
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<br /><span style="font-family: 'courier new'; ">Oh Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their heart, You will incline your ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may cause terror no more. Psalm 10:17-18</span></div>
<br />We can say, "<strong><em>Not on our watch!</em></strong> We <em>will</em> defend the orphan, we will get on our knees and pray, we will open our homes, we will stop this injustice."
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<br />Look with me: We are all standing in a deluge. It's pouring down. Two hundred million raindrops are falling all around us. God has given each of us a teaspoon – not one of us can save them all, but each of us can catch some. There are clusters of people standing out in the storm holding out their teaspoons in effort to catch some of these drops before they hit the ground. They adopt. They work at Crisis Pregnancy Centers all over the world. They change diapers at orphanages, do foster care, contact their politicians, educate others about the issue and refuse to let the apathetic or the opposition around them go unchallenged. They are raising world-changers, offering financial support, being bold about the issues, seeking God for the best solutions for each situation. Many of these 200 million raindrops can be caught and given a new hope. Some will fall to the ground, lost forever. But will you hold your teaspoon out higher? Will you say, <em>Enough! The task is ours!</em> <em>We won’t be quiet until this thing is finished! </em>We will step into the downpour and extend our arms.
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<br />We will welcome the children in His name. And He will move through us, and the lives of those image-bearers will never be the same.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 90, 90); font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span style="font-size: 16px; ">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 90, 90); font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span class="Apple-style-span" >(previously published at <a href="http://copperlightwood.blogspot.com/">Copperlight Wood</a>)</span></span></div>sacra vimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04873890064879355727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-31505731273624596692011-04-05T11:30:00.000-07:002011-04-05T11:30:38.740-07:00Still here....I apologize for the neglect of the blog over the last several months. It really has been more than this busy mother can handle. Around the time of the birth of my newest baby, I tried to fiddle with a thing or two here and lost the entire template and organization of widgets and lists and such. I just let my head hit the keyboard in dismay and had to let it go. Oh, the hours it was going to take to reconstruct it all! It was such a mess that I temporarily took it out of the public eye until I could manage something respectable.<br />
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So... here we are. Admittedly, it's still a bit of a mess, but at least there's something basic to work on.<br />
Thanks so much for your patience and continued commitment to life!<br />
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Melodymelodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-40023759799606089462010-08-18T11:23:00.000-07:002010-08-18T11:23:49.980-07:00A Woman in Need...Let's Walk the TalkI've been following the story of <a href="http://tiredtwang.blogspot.com/2010/08/thank-you-for-your-generosity.html">Haley and Baby Brayley</a> over at <a href="http://tiredtwang.blogspot.com/">Waltzing Matilda</a>. Brayley has <a href="http://www.anencephalie-info.org/e/report.php">anencephaly</a> and is due to be born on September 1st. In spite of financial and medical pressures, Haley will choose life (as long as God wills it) for her precious daughter.<br />
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Her obstacles are great. Personally, she faces this pregnancy out of wedlock. Financially, she faces mounting doctor bills plus the question of how she will provide a dignified burial for her child. A search for an organization in the area that will help provide a plot, burial and headstone have come up short; so people are coming together to support her.<br />
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Charlotte at Waltzing Matilda has set up a <a href="http://tiredtwang.blogspot.com/">"Donate" button on her blog</a> and is facilitating that effort. Haley is also asking for prayers for the baby's father, Billy, who has supported her decision to honor Brayley's life.<br />
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Please support Brayley with whatever prayer or gift you can. We can talk pro-life all day long but really living it is something else entirely.melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-36118266174132161212010-08-07T12:14:00.000-07:002010-08-22T23:19:06.926-07:00parental notification...what's that all about?Forget about California's wild hubbub over prop 8. Here in Alaska the big vote is on Prop 2. Maybe you have something similar going on in your state.<br /><br />If a child has to have a parent's permission to get a tattoo, ear pierced, see an R-rated movie, or even -gasp!- take a Tylenol at school, isn't it a good idea for them to also need parental consent in order to have their uterus surgically cleaned out, effectively murdering their child and compromising their own physical and emotional health - perhaps for life?<br /><br />Did you know that most teens are impregnated by older men - statuatory rapists - and our current law in Alaska protects them? No, no, not the teens - I meant it protects the rapist. Funny, huh?<br /><br />Not a bit.<br /><br />Here's <a href="http://catholicanchor.org/wordpress/?p=958">an article that illustrates the scenario</a>. It's real life. Truly happened. One could even argue that there's more documentation of this than there is of our president's birthday (aw, that was too easy, I couldn't resist).sacra vimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04873890064879355727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-48490777330132815712010-07-29T16:08:00.000-07:002010-07-29T16:08:51.959-07:00Because we all need a little smile today...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsofkqd31GHAkCkQcMqJKbYj6LFLziatfaG1YMM4oV9G3q1YeON25Ec7ZhCDZceWVxgXXHOQK6esTAq_w_NWvT_7OFguyFfoxPPqEx1a1wy-vZJX91Tj0AckdhsFinAz1zAv1t3M6QdC9/s1600/il_430xN.160277567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsofkqd31GHAkCkQcMqJKbYj6LFLziatfaG1YMM4oV9G3q1YeON25Ec7ZhCDZceWVxgXXHOQK6esTAq_w_NWvT_7OFguyFfoxPPqEx1a1wy-vZJX91Tj0AckdhsFinAz1zAv1t3M6QdC9/s400/il_430xN.160277567.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/51340983/little-pink-dream-organza-ruffle"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Little Pink Dream - Organza Ruffle Florette Headband</span></a> made by HFL member <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/51340983/little-pink-dream-organza-ruffle">In Honor Of</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">pictured on:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A Precious Little Baby Girl</span> made by Her heavenly Father </div><div style="text-align: center;">(she's not for sale)</div>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-64367654732225074292010-07-07T12:26:00.000-07:002010-07-07T12:41:13.618-07:00ending abortion<span style="font-size:130%;">Do you have plans Saturday? This has an all-star line-up you don't want to miss!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><a href="http://endingabortion.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;">http://endingabortion.com/</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I confess I do already have plans on Saturday, like many of you might - but don't let that stop you from registering! You can watch the speakers later on your own time once you've registered. I've watched many of these speakers before and I was moved - and I'm still moving. :) I hope you are moved, too! </span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><em></em></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:Courier New;"></span></em>sacra vimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04873890064879355727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-84851077805451714102010-06-23T23:34:00.000-07:002012-01-18T22:07:06.521-08:00we can stop pretending now<span style="font-size: 130%;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgJsvmNAmHkIa3ZQgfBv88ofUCtYwZFMmgEfeHOKf4EY7mBUt4mSJbG6R8_EnI-Xg3RFt2vr5qqOCs8d-X80NKS8HPmdVmEkEaz8Vc30D1Bqdtv57ID0MQfG_Pv-fSZbTaTqQ3q0LvfVp/s1600/4D+ultrasound+1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486225391248608226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgJsvmNAmHkIa3ZQgfBv88ofUCtYwZFMmgEfeHOKf4EY7mBUt4mSJbG6R8_EnI-Xg3RFt2vr5qqOCs8d-X80NKS8HPmdVmEkEaz8Vc30D1Bqdtv57ID0MQfG_Pv-fSZbTaTqQ3q0LvfVp/s320/4D+ultrasound+1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;">First things first. This is not a G-rated post. So please preview this before leaving it open on your screen for your literate children to find. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;">And second...if anything in this post starts hitting home with you...I want to say </span><em style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;">Shame off you</em><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;">. This is a shame-free zone. Conviction and change, yes. Shame...can go to hell, where it originated. Because you are safe and loved here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;">On to business. I kissed my kids this morning. I always do that; they sit at the table eating breakfast and I go around and ruffle their heads and give them smooches. It's a good way to start the day. We smile, we're happy, life is good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;">The day is beginning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;">Then I opened the mail and read Abby's story.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;">I don't know Abby personally yet. You probably don't either...but you might have heard of her. Here's what I read:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 130%;">I was called into the room. I remember thinking that I was actually kind of excited to learn a new procedure, to witness a new technique. I thought it would be a good learning experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'courier new';"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 100%;">I got the ultrasound wand in place and I looked up on the screen and saw this perfectly formed baby. It was a full side profile - from head to foot.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Then I saw the cannula, the probe that is hooked up to the suction machine. All of a sudden, the cannula began to prod the baby in the side. The baby started to move. The legs started kicking.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 100%;">The arms started moving. It was like the baby was trying to find a place to go in the uterus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">At that moment I thought to myself, "Oh my gosh. I'm about to witness something horrible."</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Then the doctor turned on the suction and I watched the baby begin to twist and crumple through the suction. It was over in a matter of seconds.</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 100%;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">This was the end of a life. It was the turning point in Abby's. Do you know who she is now?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Abby Johnson used to be a Director at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas. But then she saw what she was promoting, and realized how she had lied to women just as others had lied to her...and now she's on our side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><em>Are</em> there sides in this? Must there be sides?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Oh, yes. There must be sides. There is no middle ground once you stop pretending and face reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I am not an advocate for showing pictures of abortions...unless you still think that abortion should be legal. Unless you think unborn babies should be disposed of like so much menstrual tissue. Unless you are still pretending that it's all okay...because it's not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">If you fall in that camp, you need to see the pictures. Now, don't be afraid - if you are so sure you are on the right side of this, then what do you have to be afraid of? Right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">If you're convinced you are on the right side of this, and that side is <em>for</em> abortion (even if that means "I-would-never-choose-it-personally-but-I-can't-make-that-choice-for-someone-else"), you can see the reality </span><a href="http://www.100abortionpictures.com/Aborted_Baby_Pictures_Abortion_Photos/" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">here</a><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">. You ought to know what you are advocating. You ought to know what women are being lied to about. You ought to know what our country is coming to. You ought to know.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><div>
But if you <em>don't</em> want to see the pictures, it is an indication that you already know that something in your heart does not match up with your professed beliefs. Shame <em>off</em> you...you can stop pretending.</div>
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We'll stop pretending this is about choice...because women are being lied to.</div>
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We'll stop pretending women have no other options...because there is no such thing as an unwanted child in America. For every aborted baby, there are at least five families who would love to adopt that baby and give him or her a loving home.</div>
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We'll stop pretending this is about women's rights. Because women deserve better.</div>
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We deserve the truth. We deserve to be respected as people who can face the consequences of our choices. We deserve to be empowered, not simply enabled. We are so much better than this.</div>
</span>sacra vimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04873890064879355727noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-89640251773626579612010-06-18T08:45:00.000-07:002010-06-18T08:45:19.942-07:00Autistic Salutatorian Inspires With Speech<img border="0" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNzY4NzU5MDczMTgmcHQ9MTI3Njg3NTkxODMyNCZwPTEyNTg*MTEmZD1BQkNOZXdzX1NGUF9Mb2NrZV9FbWJlZCZn/PTImbz**OWI5NTE4Yjc3MTk*ZWZmYWNlODg*NzdkODNhNmU*MSZvZj*w.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,124,0" height="278" id="ABCESNWID" width="344"><param name="movie" value="http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="flashvars" value="configUrl=http://abcnews.go.com/video/sfp/embedPlayerConfig&configId=406732&clipId=10935769&showId=10935769&gig_lt=1276875907318&gig_pt=1276875918324&gig_g=2" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt.swf" quality="high" allowScriptAccess="always" allowNetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="344" height="278" flashvars="configUrl=http://abcnews.go.com/video/sfp/embedPlayerConfig&configId=406732&clipId=10935769&showId=10935769&gig_lt=1276875907318&gig_pt=1276875918324&gig_g=2" name="ABCESNWID"></embed></object>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-893486125934795652010-06-13T23:18:00.000-07:002010-06-13T23:39:12.352-07:00I won't apologize<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">A five-minute-read that will add fuel to your fire and ammo to your artillery: </span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">A funny thing happened to me the other day when my wife and I had, thank God, another baby (a boy). Many of my friends didn't seem all that happy for me. Sure, they went through the motions of smiles and congratulations. But it was evident that many thought me insane. Why would a young man and his wife ruin their lives with eight children? Who could afford the Jewish day-school bills? Didn't we want to live life a little, and not just be burdened with kids?</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">It got downright surreal when a European film company, pressed me, while my wife was in labor, to finish shooting a segment that had an urgent deadline (I obviously told them they were insane). And the next day, I was mildly criticized by a Jewish organization which was supposed to be hosting me for a lecture for having to cancel on them because the lecture clashed with the baby's [curcumcision].</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">I don't mind that the world doesn't really love babies, just that it pretends to. It's time we got honest about our priorities. Most people get a new car every two or three years, but one or two babies through the life of their marriage is plenty. You can get drunk on an airplane, laugh hysterically with your mates, and still not really anger people. But if you dare bring a crying baby on board you will be given malicious looks as if the little thing is a package that ticks. If you walk your dog along the street, people will stop you to tell you how cute he is. If you walk down the street with a baby, you might find a woman or two who coos, but for the most part, you'll be utterly ignored.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Indeed, the contempt shown to parents of many children is the last acceptable prejudice in our society. As a father of a large family, I find myself apologizing wherever I go, as if I committed a crime. The frequent and loaded stares from scornful onlookers imply that the famine in Africa was caused by my selfish insistence on overpopulating the earth. Long ago my wife and I discovered that few hotels were prepared to accommodate so many children, even if we took three of four rooms, which is why we bought an RV for travel.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">How strange to live in a world where loving children casts one in infamy. Having a family with many children implies a backwardness and primitivism that is deemed unbecoming in the developed countries of the West. Large families, it is thought, exist only among religious weirdoes or the teeming hovels of the Third World.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Rich countries, by contrast, prefer to increase their standard of living rather than the number of the living. Looking at Western birth rates for the year 2001, the United States averaged only 14.2 births for every thousand Americans, and the birthrate among white Americans is so low that the United States will soon lose its white majority. Indeed, one can go for days in a wealthy city like Manhattan without encountering a single pregnant woman. Riches and children have become inversely proportional such that the more of the former, the less of the latter.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Hence, the high birth rates of extremely poor African nations like Uganda – at 47.52 births per 1,000 – or Niger with 50.68 births per 1,000, are deemed to be prime causes and indicators of their penury. The abundant fertility and unconstrained sexuality of these countries confirms the unspoken Western mindset of these country's inhabitants as being just one step above savages. Contraception has become a synonym for civilization.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">A Christian mother of six once wrote to me, "I find it troubling to worry about getting pregnant again ... because I don't want to face the criticism of friends and family. Why do people not see children as a blessing?" A fair question which deserves a fair response.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Why is it that even many synagogues today are not children friendly? Why are people impressed that Jay Leno owns 20 motorcycles, but disgusted that some religious families choose to have 10 children?</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Let's not finesse the response. We all know why. A world that has lost its innocence has trouble appreciating beings who are innocent. A world that has become selfish has soured to the idea of leading a life of selflessness. A world that has become grossly materialistic is turned off to the idea of more dependents who consume resources. And a world that mistakenly believes that freedom means a lack of responsibility is opposed to the idea of needy creatures who "tie you down."</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">They can go fly a kite.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">By just looking at my children, I become more innocent. By loving them, I become more noble. By spending my money on them rather than myself, I find transcendence. And by being a father and liberating all of the love in my heart, my spirit soars free. I work hard to support a large family and I give up no pleasures in doing so because my children are my foremost pleasure.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">I am often asked by women dating men how to tell whether they are marriage material. I tell them, "See if he enjoys children." A man who loves children is playful. He will spend his life joking with his wife because he loves to see her laugh, and will flirt with her because he loves to see her smile.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">There was a time when husbands and wives worked hard to ensure they could afford the blessings of a large family. Today, the higher your earning bracket the fewer children you have, but then we always knew that many turn money from a blessing into a curse.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Before he died, the Lubavitcher Rebbe launched a campaign asking parents to have one more child than they originally planned. It is a campaign that a dwindling Jewish community should revive as it continues to disappear.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Courier New;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Courier New;">- Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, 2006</span>sacra vimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04873890064879355727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-64494523638942749102010-05-26T10:05:00.000-07:002010-05-26T10:05:19.670-07:00No Arms, No Legs, No Worries...Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs. That doesn't stop him from living a life of joyful gratitude. And from making it his passion to share a message of hope. Watch this video to be inspired and to see your life a little differently; and then visit his <a href="http://www.attitudeisaltitude.com/">incredible website</a> for more.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre;"><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gc4HGQHgeFE&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gc4HGQHgeFE&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></span>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-61523361761033573922010-05-22T10:45:00.000-07:002010-05-22T10:45:45.726-07:00Woman Conceived in Rape is Grateful for Life...Just another reminder that there are always two lives to consider in the decision to choose life or abortion.<br />
Deborah Morlani, pro-life speaker and mother of five, defends Cardinal Oullet's stand in defense of those conceived in rape and talks about her own mother's decision, at the age of 16, to defend the life of her child:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4iC1A8tb-f-5_C3zvmWttyyXWGSJrleMgL3P24hwm-_KhND_8-3cSqfvX2PoFNF4wf5rDSymCxwsQC40zXDGjcizzD-4lVbu7xHPkq9ucIxsZE75UqLBf4_QjwJ3g-PY5IcL0_cOSpCs/s1600/Deborah_Morlani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4iC1A8tb-f-5_C3zvmWttyyXWGSJrleMgL3P24hwm-_KhND_8-3cSqfvX2PoFNF4wf5rDSymCxwsQC40zXDGjcizzD-4lVbu7xHPkq9ucIxsZE75UqLBf4_QjwJ3g-PY5IcL0_cOSpCs/s320/Deborah_Morlani.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">"When she found out she was pregnant there was no doubt in her mind that I was her little baby and she was going to keep me and ensure that no one hurt me like she was hurt. She always felt very protective of my life while I was growing in her womb and throughout my childhood..."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">"My mom made a doll named Suzie for me shortly after I was born and I still have her to this day. This little 12" handmade cotton doll has meant a lot to me over the years; she reminds me that I was a baby worth loving no matter how I was conceived. She reminds me that babies are worth loving, no exceptions."</span><br />
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Morlani has made it one of the missions of her life to defend the lives of babies, like her, "who were conceived in rape and to work toward ending the discrimination and hatred aimed toward us."<br />
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Read the full article here and do pass it on: <a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/may/10052005.html">Woman Conceived in Rape Thanks Quebec Cardinal for Abortion Statements</a>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-39704996680903315582010-05-11T09:39:00.000-07:002010-05-11T09:39:30.815-07:00Raquel Welch takes an honest look at sexual freedom...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHkcAws6COpRJeCh1wfdM8woU5sPw5kvh61zUmc1IB5M4dg5SaWCPi4FrGHNBuYw1yZFvBO5U7FvbByAnUWenpUK2qP6nqvds4Fv-VgDhAvK0ERzHNj4C4ixBR9dru1_GATMFJrem_iBP/s1600/Raquel_Welch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHkcAws6COpRJeCh1wfdM8woU5sPw5kvh61zUmc1IB5M4dg5SaWCPi4FrGHNBuYw1yZFvBO5U7FvbByAnUWenpUK2qP6nqvds4Fv-VgDhAvK0ERzHNj4C4ixBR9dru1_GATMFJrem_iBP/s320/Raquel_Welch.jpg" /></a></div>Raquel Welch, an award-winning actress and American sex symbol, has penned the following article for the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/05/07/welch.sex.pill/index.html?hpt=C2">CNN Opinion</a> website discussing the pros and cons of a sex-saturated culture. Without knowing her specific position on abortion, I would definitely classify this as a "pro-life" article as she strongly recognizes the importance of family, children and the importance of limits to sexual freedoms.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/05/07/welch.sex.pill/index.html?hpt=C2">(CNN)</a> </span></span></b></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> -- Margaret Sanger opened the first American family-planning clinic in 1916, and nothing would be the same again. Since then the growing proliferation of birth control methods has had an awesome effect on both sexes and led to a sea change in moral values.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And as I've grown older over the past five decades -- from 1960 to 2010 -- and lived through this revolutionary period in female sexuality, I've seen how it has altered American society -- for better or worse.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On the upside, by the early 60's The Pill had made it easier for a woman to choose to delay having children until after she established herself in a career. Nonetheless, for young women of childbearing age (I was one of them) there was a need for some careful soul searching -- and consideration about the long-range effects of oral contraceptives -- before addressing this very personal decision. It was a decision I too would have to face when I discovered I was pregnant at age 19.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even though I was married to the baby's father, Jim Welch, I wasn't prepared for this development. It meant I would have to put my career ambitions on hold. But "the choice" was not mine alone to make. I had always wanted to have Jim's babies, but wasn't at all sure how he would react. At the time, we were 19-year-old newlyweds, struggling to make ends meet. But he was unflinching in his desire to keep our baby and his positive, upbeat attitude about the whole prospect turned everything around. I have always loved Jim for how he responded in that moment.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">During my pregnancy, I came to realize that this process was not about me. I was just a spectator to the metamorphosis that was happening inside my womb so that another life could be born. It came down to an act of self-sacrifice, especially for me, as a woman. But both of us were fully involved, not just for that moment, but for the rest of our lives. And it's scary. You may think you can skirt around the issue and dodge the decision, but I've never known anyone who could. Jim and I had two beautiful children who've been an ongoing blessing to both of us.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Later, I would strike out on my own, with my little ones, as a single mother to pursue a career in the movies. It was far from ideal, but my children didn't impede my progress. They grounded me in reality and forced me into an early maturity. I should add that having two babies didn't destroy my figure.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But if I'd had a different attitude about sex, conception and responsibility, things would have been very different.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One significant, and enduring, effect of The Pill on female sexual attitudes during the 60's, was: "Now we can have sex anytime we want, without the consequences. Hallelujah, let's party!"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It remains this way. These days, nobody seems able to "keep it in their pants" or honor a commitment! Raising the question: Is marriage still a viable option? I'm ashamed to admit that I myself have been married four times, and yet I still feel that it is the cornerstone of civilization, an essential institution that stabilizes society, provides a sanctuary for children and saves us from anarchy.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In stark contrast, a lack of sexual inhibitions, or as some call it, "sexual freedom," has taken the caution and discernment out of choosing a sexual partner, which used to be the equivalent of choosing a life partner. Without a commitment, the trust and loyalty between couples of childbearing age is missing, and obviously leads to incidents of infidelity. No one seems immune.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As a result of the example set by their elders, by the 1990s teenage sexual promiscuity -- or hooking up -- with multiple partners had become a common occurrence. Many of my friends who were parents of teenagers sat in stunned silence several years ago when it came to light that oral sex had become a popular practice among adolescent girls in middle schools across the country.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The 13-year-old daughter of one such friend freely admitted to performing fellatio on several boys at school on a regular basis. "Aw come on, Mom. It's no big deal. Everyone is doing it," she said. Apparently, since it's not the act of intercourse, kids don't count it as sex. Can any sane person fail to make a judgment call about that?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Seriously, folks, if an aging sex symbol like me starts waving the red flag of caution over how low moral standards have plummeted, you know it's gotta be pretty bad. In fact, it's precisely because of the sexy image I've had that it's important for me to speak up and say: Come on girls! Time to pull up our socks! We're capable of so much better.</span></span></span></div><!--EndFragment--> <br />
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</div>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-88298385910985765642010-05-03T10:27:00.000-07:002010-05-03T10:27:00.732-07:00Aborted Fetal DNA in vaccines linked to Autism?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyL2A2nxYxJzPEaKZYkKMZVTlX154E_N_VQ18Dy_cNb2EKW5iIepuCO2HDzRL5GfRaKJKd9lNa_UHqBcQGaKZ8AnzBn6x0l7lmYVdjI5pCLLc6hCPGFdMYPE_BFNk_P56joPNCGMy-e4/s400/26094201.jpg&imgrefurl=http://redpillreich.blogspot.com/2008/04/cdc-loses-data-linking-vaccines-to.html&usg=__UQmBOArDuZijI1oJ8wzIEUG0nNk=&h=335&w=275&sz=13&hl=en&start=1&itbs=1&tbnid=tBpImsmb89nHwM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=98&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvaccines%2Band%2Bautism%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_SkrWAeacVYkq1MHtp6zBg8YYHgbRrKP9MfN757PfBeLcm872YVaBY9FhB-QKKPYYcbg4X4s0uWmzhKNqyue8BCXCBJNIZkG2oRjF1-ufvw2NNd8fEV01AdGwZza-4o-mPPIHYiYm80T/s320/26094201.jpg" /></a> </div><br />
In Febuary of 2009, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123445313976177691.html">denied awarding damages</a> to three families who believe that vaccines caused their children's diseases. They are only 3 of 5,000 such families seeking restitution from a government program that exists to compensate people injured by vaccines. The very existence of the program proves that these injuries do happen. However, government studies say that the dramatic increase in cases of autism is not linked to vaccinations.<br />
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The foundation of these case against vaccinations was the use and potentially harmful effect of mercury. But others are saying that this is the fundamental reason that the families lost their cases; that mercury is not the cause of the disease. There still remains a strong connection between vaccinations and the rise of autism, they say, but Mercury is not the culprit.<br />
Studies conducted by the <a href="http://www.lifenews.com/nat6272.html">Sound Chose Pharmaceutical Institute</a> indicate that the link is not mercury but rather <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">residual DNA from aborted babies</span> used to make certain vaccines.<br />
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We already know that embryonic stem cell research has been an <a href="http://handmadeforlife.blogspot.com/2010/02/embryonic-stem-cell-research-failure.html">abysmal failure</a> . Not only has it been shown to be ineffective but also damaging to patients. Is this further evidence of the same?<br />
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Pro-life activist and blogger <a href="http://www.jillstanek.com/">Jill Stanek</a> thinks so: "That virus-laden DNA of aborted babies could be wreaking havoc on the DNA of healthy children is completely plausible."<br />
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Moral objections to vaccines created using aborted fetal cell lines have been raised for many years although not loudly enough to affect main stream users. Many parents are frightened by the risk of disease from a failure to vaccinate and override their moral objections for the health of their children. What many do not know is that effective, safe and morally acceptable forms of these vaccines are available in other countries but not approved by the ethically compromised FDA. When enough people refuse to participate perhaps someone will think the effort worth it.<br />
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Do we now have a health concern to add to our moral objections?<br />
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For further information about how many of our vaccines are tainted with the cell lines of aborted babies, please visit <a href="http://www.cogforlife.org/">Children of God for Life</a> .melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-41921665481075554132010-04-29T20:11:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:11:42.435-07:00HFL Artist Walks for Life...<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/elizabethknoxdesigns">Elizabeth Knox</a> is a mother, artist and a pro-lifer who walks the talk. Literally! Please take a moment to read about her latest effort and find out how you can help her support life.<br />
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<tr style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><td style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Hello Friends!! <br />
<br />
My name is Elizabeth Knox and I am participating in an important event in my community. The Carolina Pregnancy Center of Washington, North Carolina is having its annual Walk for Life and I am asking neighbors, friends, and family to sponsor me. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Would you please be one of my sponsors?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />This non-profit ministry served nearly 1000 clients and nearly 5000 students last year! Many of the teens, women, and men are facing difficult circumstances and need the emotional support and practical assistance offered free at the Center. The Center serves clients in 2 locations, Greenville and Washington, North Carolina.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />If you would like to participate with me by being one of my sponsors, I would really appreciate it. Sponsorship is for the event, not per mile, and any gift you give is tax-deductible.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />EVERY DOLLAR RAISED HELPS:<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />*Teens hear the challenge of sexual abstinence through the “Its Great to Wait” program in the public schools.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />*Pregnant women hear the truth about all their options, while counselors pray they will choose life for the child.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />*Young moms-to-be prepare for birth and parenting challenges.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />*Young women & men earn vouchers for baby items through our parenting classes.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />*Struggling women find emotional and spiritual recovery from an abortion through the “Mended Hearts” program and the P.A.L.M. one-day healing conference.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />*Clients hear about the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />My goal is to raise $1000 to help these families in need! I know I have set my goal high but I am very passionate about this.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />If you would like to sponsor me, please send me a email - lizzy_h_03 [!at] yahoo.com. In the email specify if you would like your commitment of $10 or more to be billed to you by the Center and your address. If your donation is under $10 or if you are making a larger donation and prefer not to be billed, please send a check made out to the Carolina Pregnancy Center to Elizabeth Knox, 113 E. 12th Street, Washington, NC 27889. <br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />I appreciate all your support! <br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />God Bless,<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Elizabeth Knox</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">*************************</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">In addition to her pro-life work, Elizabeth also dedicates her time to supporting research for Trisomy 18, the condition which took the life of her newborn daughter, Lilly. You can read more about her journey <a href="http://www.trisomy18.org/site/TR/Events/General?pg=fund&fr_id=1070&pxfid=2830">HERE</a> .</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQDgP2d5bc0oK1ubOdM4dCSs3uszpV3y5LLvio_5ntvKX-FzKoHkXfcndHr7utLcXW7UOlaHNboTxqc4o4arcr-YpXyCeZBCh_esVM-PF6D7iZ8W2Txz9qA8LXRRn6WjNVQXts7tsxp9L/s1600/1070.576757136.custom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQDgP2d5bc0oK1ubOdM4dCSs3uszpV3y5LLvio_5ntvKX-FzKoHkXfcndHr7utLcXW7UOlaHNboTxqc4o4arcr-YpXyCeZBCh_esVM-PF6D7iZ8W2Txz9qA8LXRRn6WjNVQXts7tsxp9L/s320/1070.576757136.custom.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mommy love and misses her very much!</span></div></div></span></td></tr>
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</tbody></table></span></div>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-37241361290982594542010-04-26T18:33:00.000-07:002010-04-26T18:33:23.879-07:00Guilty...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_334318073"> </a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/39765180/boutique-baby-newborn-infant-0-3-month?ref=sr_list_6&ga_search_query=hflteam&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=6&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCggjODOsMcR77ZiNhtQLu5_v2gkOXZFHRXSyE7WlXKLVrWItDU2jgg1eQBIhPcX66TtKOFN19wyQxHbwGGXenFgO2fpRA5JsHN0mqvr50ngMRQF_VcuSGoS5sgUdqUM-1wniO8SUpEVq/s320/il_430xN.120233045.jpg" /></a> </div><br />
I confess. I have been guilty of some serious blog neglect here. My only defense is that I am busy (and very sick) walking the pro-life talk. I'm pregnant for the 7th time (my 6th ended in miscarriage) and even though I've finally entered the 2nd trimester, I continue to be very sick.<br />
<br />
I keep wondering what the problem is. Is my body chemistry out of whack? Do I have some underlying illness? My SIL thinks I'm having twins. Twins? I'm on Zofran and it's really only taking the edge off. I asked my midwife: "What's wrong with me?" She said, "Nothing dear, you just have a healthy pregnancy."<br />
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Oh, if only I could bypass pregnancy and just have the baby! Come to think of it, I'd rather bypass labor, too. I don't want to be pregnant. I don't want to go through childbirth. I'm uncomfortable, sick and exhausted.<br />
<br />
And whiny.<br />
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This really is the point where I can see into the mind and heart of the pro-aborts. I used to be one before I became a mother. And now that I'm a mother, I know the pain of a mother's sacrifice. I certainly will never minimize another's. I also know that it's not all about me. This is 100% my pregnancy. But I cannot claim <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">any</span> percentage of my child's life. It is all his or hers. There is no natural right that I have to shorten that life. There is however a moral obligation as a mother to care for and protect my child.<br />
<br />
I am suffering. I am weary. And I am guilty. Guilty of many acts of selfishness. But this child is bathed in innocence. And will not suffer for my guilt. My reward for protecting the life of my child will be the unspeakable joy that he or she will bring to my mother's heart and the satisfaction of having given the best (and yes, the worst) of myself for their well-being.<br />
<br />
The blog is lagging because of my current struggle. I hope you all hang in there and overlook my lapse. I'm guilty. But I'm very busy growing innocence.melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-25846779168762707822010-04-21T15:41:00.000-07:002010-04-21T15:41:06.219-07:00China enforces one-child rule with mandatory sterilizations...The Chinese government once again demonstrates gross violation of the natural rights of the Chinese people.<br />
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<blockquote><!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "American Typewriter Light";">"Doctors in southern China are working around the clock to fulfil a government goal to sterilise — by force if necessary — almost 10,000 men and women who have violated birth control policies. Family planning authorities are so determined to stop couples from producing more children than the regulations allow that they are detaining the relatives of those who resist..."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "American Typewriter Light";">"Zhang Lizhao, 38, the father of two sons, aged 6 and 4, said that he rushed home late last night from buying loquats for his wholesale fruit business to undergo sterilisation after his elder brother was detained. His wife had already returned so that the brother would be freed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-line-height-alt: 11.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "American Typewriter Light";">Mr Zhang said: “This morning my wife called me and said they were forcing her to be sterilised today. She pleaded with the clinic to wait because she has her period. But they would not wait a single day. I called and begged them but they said no. So I have rushed back. I am satisfied because I have two sons.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-line-height-alt: 11.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "American Typewriter Light";">Thousands of others have refused to submit and officials are continuing to detain relatives, including elderly parents, to force them to submit to surgery. Those in detention are required to listen to lectures on the rules limiting the size of families." (</span><span style="font-family: CourierNewPSMT;"><a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7099417.ece"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "American Typewriter Light"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Read the full article here</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "American Typewriter Light";">)<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment--> </blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 11px;"><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On a somewhat related note, there is increasing concern that acceptance of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">voluntary</span> sterilization brings a host of difficulties to individuals, families and communities. Is there any strength to this claim? Here are a couple interesting articles submitted by the Couple to Couple League clarifying those concerns:</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://ccli.org/nfp/contraception/tubal.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tubal Ligation: Some Questions and Answers</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><a href="http://ccli.org/nfp/contraception/vasectomy.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Vasectomy: Some Questions and Answers</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
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</span>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-73755824274882885852010-04-15T08:18:00.000-07:002010-04-15T08:18:04.608-07:00For those who have no voice...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://liveaction.org/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJv1fDZSO0H_J3967QmN0qeLIlgxA9nonlRsQ_GlQvdcz7l8agfBMYVa3ITGfkMIX78pdF8WyvGW607lsvRSVBTMuSmGVGdM2HcvGgUHuud8vcaUb7ajrlp27wRcVW6BUBV458MzLwmyJ/s320/voice-300.jpg" /></a> </div>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-10732178164211724342010-04-09T20:46:00.000-07:002010-04-09T20:46:57.053-07:00Sunshine and Cocoa...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Check out this gorgeous treasury created by Shannon at Baruch's Lullaby featuring many HFL members. Three more days to comment and click and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=94709">support your team</a> !</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1K5lBur10_EUTs53EscubwTvKaihWbdeT4F7lQ6kpncoE8cu-eP2XJ3EmPwMPyMMhgUNiWJK1HDT29lVZ8-1v1bs9ySRL09k2JxzCfUG5XP_f3LOWxKuw_5ldWZpyKV_d2Vt9fR6-_rq/s1600/Picture+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1K5lBur10_EUTs53EscubwTvKaihWbdeT4F7lQ6kpncoE8cu-eP2XJ3EmPwMPyMMhgUNiWJK1HDT29lVZ8-1v1bs9ySRL09k2JxzCfUG5XP_f3LOWxKuw_5ldWZpyKV_d2Vt9fR6-_rq/s400/Picture+4.png" width="297" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17585445">Homegrown Wool Yarn -- ShadySideFarm</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40375236">Tiered Skirt and Peasant Blouse Set Size 2 -- JoyfullySewnDesigns</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34915368">Natural handmade exfoliating soap -- Swan Mountain Soaps</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32950324">Mineral Eye color -- Mum Mum's Crafts</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42732667">Paper Stack Destash -- Klow</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23094951">Double Minky Baby Blanket -- Sewmelody</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22884022">Purple and white beaded bracelet --DHElegance</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40577488">Chocolate Brown Cotton soap saver -- Prairie Cottage Rose</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42793286">Yellow Rose Matted Fine Art photography -- BellaRosaPhoto</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42725393">Mother of Pearl Butterfly, pearl and flower necklace -- KippysSoMature</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-4765558096984910432010-03-29T07:57:00.000-07:002010-03-29T07:57:45.858-07:00Last Minute Easter Gifts...I just did a Handmade for Life search on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> with some last minute Easter basket stuffing in mind. To search for Handmade for Life members on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> just type <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=HFLteam&search_type=handmade&ref=auto">HFLteam</a> </span></span> in the search field. Here are some sweet finds from my search today...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">**HFL members...Please remember to tag your Etsy listings with our team tag so that we can all find your items more easily!**</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42612554"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnuoMtGhKtDy_jOM_-WSq3R7-PItHqEMilqysekRzdfaYGhjUam4Tckxg36JkbsuhRs-i4P3ypcX1FrxQVOz8S0JpeDWoVdvqBoxgU1PSdzXU0n_6B0Z5ba8l6em9150uyT1Uo0PVNjS3/s320/il_430xN.129940578.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42612554">Wire Wrapped Beaded Crystal Pearl Bobby Pins $11</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43024555&ref=sr_gallery_24&&ga_search_query=HFLteam&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=9&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYN9w15nbiHhOY7L0JF_MtL9y_yrm9jDY8BtN8l9umqGzKslJmA6UlW2wssA3spMec2J4ypdIBUj2izRNd9lvv8se0woGI_vVfjzv3igStjyQJvr51Eys1nKFquIlSayjC-fptCduHAZh/s320/il_430xN.131348372.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43024555&ref=sr_gallery_24&&ga_search_query=HFLteam&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=9&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title">White Easter Bow with purple and silver cross $5.50</a> </div>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-14687580133800645892010-03-22T09:26:00.000-07:002010-03-22T09:26:15.077-07:00It's time to become an activist...Congress has narrowly passed the monstrous health care bill. Obama wins. Babies lose. It seems to so many that our representatives have turned a deaf ear to the will of the people and pushed through legislation that is so objectionable to so many.<br />
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It's easy to pass the blame to corrupt government officials. After all, many of us did <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> vote for this administration. But the fact remains that most Americans <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">did</span> in spite of the fact that Obama was incredibly clear about his strong pro-abortion agenda. Remember his promises to Planned Parenthood? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf0XIRZSTt8&feature=player_embedded">"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act."</a> It took him a little longer than he expected but he's now making good on the heart of that promise.<br />
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Most Americans voted for this administration. Americans elected the men and women who worked so tirelessly and shamefully to push through this bill which is so damaging to our freedoms on multiple levels. You and I may not have been among the number to cast our votes that way but we cannot completely reject responsibility unless we are confident that we did everything we could to stand up in defense of life.<br />
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I know that I did not do everything I could have done. I am a busy mom who often allowed my discouragement to serve as an excuse for inaction during the last election.<br />
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What we are seeing now is the practically irreparable damage that can result from just <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">one</span> election cycle. The result of too many Americans lamenting the state of things from their living room couches. We tend to shy away from being "activists" leaving that label to those a little bolder than ourselves. But every American is charged with great responsibility since we are a free people and bear the burden of choosing our representatives. We have no worthy excuse to exempt ourselves from that activist role.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">"I know no safe depositary of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power." --Thomas Jefferson to William C. Jarvis, 1820</span><br />
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Midterm elections are rapidly approaching and we must make ourselves heard. If you do not know when your primary elections are taking place, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">find out</span>. Some are only weeks from now. If you do not know who is running in your primary, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">find out</span>. Find out immediately and do what you can to help with last minute campaigning for those who will truly represent the ideals of freedom. Many corrupt incumbents are powerful and have access to your tax dollars to fund their campaigns (a true outrage). Their opponents must hope and pray that a literate electorate will look beyond a glossy mailer to find the best candidate.<br />
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The fight over this health care bill is not over yet. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/22/health-care-reform-fight-shifts-congress-courts/">State governments are preparing to fight on a local level</a>. Let your local politicians know where you stand. Lend your support. Voice your opposition. Raise money. Knock on doors. Let your love for life and country overcome your distaste of politics.<br />
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Whatever you do, please get off the couch. America needs you.melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-46840419189395266682010-03-17T10:28:00.000-07:002010-03-17T10:28:09.550-07:00Send Flowers, Support LifeAt <a href="http://www.faithandflowers.com/default.asp">Faith and Flowers</a> , you can send someone a gorgeous floral arrangement and support a Culture of Life at the same time. Faith and Flowers will purchase ad time with <a href="http://www.VirtueMedia.org/">Virtue Media</a> on a quarterly basis using profits from their flower and plant sales. Here is just one of many beautiful selections...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoUQv5PTpmokqj28Ed-iEp60LoDqOFAuEI02tg0dKz9xr3hXy4GJNubl_X-jrok_QriSJMxlpOBtWEV4PXBuZKPXj9X7v0IY1CbFhEm0uuMuQH6CypE72XrSAxF6je77LU8e1jRj6SYO2/s1600-h/flo-01103-lr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoUQv5PTpmokqj28Ed-iEp60LoDqOFAuEI02tg0dKz9xr3hXy4GJNubl_X-jrok_QriSJMxlpOBtWEV4PXBuZKPXj9X7v0IY1CbFhEm0uuMuQH6CypE72XrSAxF6je77LU8e1jRj6SYO2/s320/flo-01103-lr.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.faithandflowers.com/cart/index.php?p=product&id=1671&parent=79">Beauty and Life </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"This gorgeous, timeless beauty of spray roses and godetia with pale blue blossoms reminds of the wonder and glory in all God's creation 'which rightly gives Him praise."</div>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5820398459992835441.post-23193671764340615462010-03-16T13:06:00.000-07:002010-03-16T13:06:47.281-07:00New Life and The Pain Scale...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D-suyr4Z_HS2CFHNq79fmilkOjQbGpUyocnpavgvXHxWEwGdPCgwTbmGHXrlUZv3JC3W1EiBchDIBRvjDuEG-3ySAuo_k12S0VkYi6t7VMraoTNmX_N6f69hhllHNR3CPQdtR3w1FkWj/s1600-h/pain-management-chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D-suyr4Z_HS2CFHNq79fmilkOjQbGpUyocnpavgvXHxWEwGdPCgwTbmGHXrlUZv3JC3W1EiBchDIBRvjDuEG-3ySAuo_k12S0VkYi6t7VMraoTNmX_N6f69hhllHNR3CPQdtR3w1FkWj/s320/pain-management-chart.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">If you've been to a doctor or hospital within the last 20 years or so, you've likely been confronted with this cute pain scale indicator. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"How badly does it hurt with Zero being not-at-all and 10 being the worst pain you've ever felt?"</span> I never get the answer right because I've been through non-medicated labor 5 times (one of which was back labor with a tailbone fracture). Everything else in life is clearly a 5 or lower when compared with labor so my real, but occasional, medical issues are dismissed because I'm perceived to be in not enough pain. My frustrated husband lectures me every time: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"Why don't you tell them how bad it is? Isn't it bad?"</span> Of course, but that pain scale keeps me totally honest. No injury, illness or surgery I've ever had holds a candle to labor pain.<br />
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In spite of that, I still sit here thinking that I'd rather go through labor twice than suffer through these weeks and weeks of 24-hour pregnancy sickness. My average labor is 3 hours long. Fast and furious. Multiply it by two...equals six hours of terrific pain. Contrast that with endless hours, days and weeks of perpetual, debilitating sickness. Tough call.<br />
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There's no question that pregnancy and childbirth are a true cross of motherhood. There are some mothers who love pregnancy. I am not one of them and go into survival mode for quite a while with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"Help me, Jesus"</span> constantly on my lips. It is a time when I get a glimpse into how I might be different without my Christian faith. I hate this suffering and know that without a firm belief in the sanctity of each and every life at every age, I might give in to the weakness of this Culture of Death.<br />
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Motherhood is itself an act of sacrificial love. We embrace a life of service and self-donation or we spend our lives bitterly trying to escape the cross that we barely consented to. We give these painful moments gladly in love to our babies or we spend our lives resenting their intrusion.<br />
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What would I give in love to this child? Would I be strong enough to choose this path of suffering if it was optional? What good can I make of it? If I lose this child <a href="http://mamaslittleditty.blogspot.com/2009/07/saying-goodbye-to-matthew.html" style="color: #008040; text-decoration: none;">as I lost my last</a> , would I be grateful for this difficult but short time that I had to spend with this hidden treasure?<br />
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My love for my unborn baby is very similar to my love for the Lord. Passionate but imperfect. I desire a union of perfect love but love of my own comfort and preferences seem to constantly present a stumbling block.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Dearest Little One,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">I will love you even when I am sick. I will love you even when you are sick. Because love is not an emotion but a choice. Love is not about comfort but about joy in service. And I choose to give my life for you as our Lord gave His for me. Help me, Jesus. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Love forever,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Mommy</span></span>melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08677295427283294982noreply@blogger.com1