I Stand with Komen

By now, I'm sure you have heard that the Susan G. Komen foundation has severed it's ties with the nation's abortion giant, Planned Parenthood.  While I wish I could be snarky and write a mean epitaph instead of the horrible name that is about anything BUT parenthood, I will refrain.

Join me in signing the petition to thank the Susan G. Komen foundation for breaking off supporting this murder machine by visiting I Stand with Komen.  You can also see them on Facebook.

In my own humble words, on my own humble blog, thank you so very much for supporting the cause of life.

Attention America

I found this on the Katie Pundit site and couldn't NOT share it. It has touched my whole family, not just me.

ObamaCare - Abortion Facts

This makes me so sick.  It's more of Bill Clinton and his "Definition of IS" fiasco.  It's fairly obvious that I'm pro-life and very Republican.  If this is a surprise, you haven't read much here, have you?

8 weeks old

And this is something very close to my heart.  I'm almost 27 weeks pregnant with a beautiful baby girl and I cannot imagine even contemplating abortion.  When I lost my son Michael, I was rent from top to bottom with pain and loss.  To purposely KILL my own child?  Incomprehensible.

Watch this video.  Think about the impact of ObamaCare on our future generations.  In fact, contemplate whether there will BE any future generations to matter.  Aldous Huxley, here we come.

Offended? Pope Condoms

The Catholic Church has been around so long, it's like the original butt of all bad religious jokes, excepting maybe the Jews.  Everyone has heard a joke that starts with "A priest, a rabbi, and a (fill in the blank) go out in a boat..."  Those usually aren't too bad.

People have even poked fun at the doctrines of churches: the "excessive" laws of Orthodox Jews, the rituals of services, the idea of symbol versus real presence.  Making fun of what you don't understand seems to be natural for most people.

But when the Pope tried to make our doctrine of open-ness to procreation in every sex act more understood by making the statement that  the spread of HIV and Aids in Africa should be tackled through fidelity and abstinence and not by condoms, more hecklers in a mean spirit come to the forefront.  And this in a society of extreme tolerance.  Tisk, tisk.

I'm not a Catholic scholar.  In fact, I'm a convert who is still learning about the Church, the rich history, and the 'whys' behind them all.  And maybe I'm looking at this with a skewed perception, but Pope Condoms raise my hackles.

A Dutch company is planning on giving away what they are calling Pope Condoms to make a point about STDs and unwanted pregnancies.


Uh, what point?  We are not animals.  Humans have the ability and responsibility to control our urges, sexual and otherwise.  Just as we (should) control our urges against porn, over-eating, drugs, pediphelia, violence, too much make up and cell phones while driving, we must control our sexual urges.  We are not animals.

Says the Pope: 

 "It is of great concern that the fabric of African life, its very source of hope and stability, is threatened by divorce, abortion, prostitution, human trafficking and a contraception mentality," he added.

Agreed.  Africa has a real problem with HIV and STDs.  

Agreed.  Something must be done.  

However, education, abstinence, and virtue are the keys to stopping this plague upon men.  And just as we in America, Canada, England, Europe, are NOT ANIMALS, neither are the men and women of Africa.


I am Catholic.  I fully believe that the sex act should be reserved for the sacrament of marriage and always be open to the transmission of life.  I believe that allowing the use of contraceptives is a step on the road to hell. 

"Just one wafer thin mint" says the fat man in Monty Python before he explodes.

Just this one "lesser of two evils" says some of the clergy.

I am now braced for your hate mail.  But realize this: Who is to say that these poor people actually would use condoms? If not before, then why now?

99 Balloons for 99 Days

What If... Daily Challenge

Maria challenges us to attend Mass daily and offer up all our communions so that no soul would go to hell for that day and for an end to abortion.

Why don't we start on June 25 and go thru July 4?

While I don't make daily Mass every day, I will dedicate myself to weekend Masses and a daily rosary. Please join Maria and I in our commitments. Visit her for more information.

Photo courtesy of this website.

The Elderly, or What I Want to Be...

I was spurred to thinking by a radio commercial with Joan Rivers tonight. It was an osteoporosis commercial where at the end, after extolling the virtues of strong bones and bone deep beauty, she stage whispers "Don't tell my plastic surgeon!".

Now I know that it's a joke on her and no big deal. But it got me to thinking on the natural beauty of an older face, older hands. And I realized that what I want to be when I grow up is... older.

I want wrinkles that have their OWN wrinkles. I want my skin to look and feel velvety soft. I want my facial lines and spots to reflect the good, happy life I've lived. I want grandchildren to call me some version of Gramma, Nana, Grammy and remember me with the fond softness I remember my own grandmothers having.

So when I went searching for photos to pair with this post, I was astounded by the fact that using Google image search I could not find ONE picture of a well-worn elderly WESTERN woman's face. Yes, could be I was using the wrong search terms, but it brought me back to Joan Rivers and her plastic surgery crack.

When did being old become verboten? When did it become a bad thing that should NEVER happen? And when it did happen, as it does, either surgically fix it or hide away in the nursing home, quick!

I don't know the median age of my readers and I what I post here is NOT meant to offend, but is this somewhat the fault of the baby boomers who wish to retain their youth forever? Or is this just the way it is and always has been?

And now this sends me thinking on two great posts I read recently about blogging being wholly narcissistic. Her Bad Mother and Suburban Oblivion both have great incites to this subject. So, does not wanting to show the frailty of age, but to remain in that ageless atmosphere of your favorite decade plug into this narcissism ideal?

So, when I grow up, here is what I want to be. See the velvety cheeks? The smile lines worn deep? You can also see that it hasn't been an easy road, but she's still around. Granted, I probably won't morph into an Asian by old age, but you get my idea, right?

PS - Did you see that Blogger now has a SIZE limit to how much photo stuff they'll host for you? Get thee over to Photobucket, I say... Image from CNET Asia Forums

The Misery of Planned Parenthood

No, I've never been there and I wouldn't send my worst enemy there. To reaffirm that belief, read this post over at The Dawn Patrol. And say a prayer or six for the women who believe that PP is the only option.

Thanks to Danielle Bean for posting of this travesty (that kind of sounds wrong, huh?).






Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

A Poetic Post for the Unborn

I've said it before and I'll say it again, so why not now? Abortion is murder. Abortion is wrong. Abortion is not acceptable for any purpose. Not ANY.

That being said, the air cleared, and my mind at (some) peace, please take a moment and read this post at Daring Young Mom. I wish I had written it.

Another Blog of Passion

I admit it, I have one more thing (for now) that I'm passionate about and it's rather multi-faceted.

• Breastfeeding for as long as you and baby want
• Drs are not FRIENDS but EMPLOYEES
• Drs DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING!

There. Now that I'm done shouting at you, take whatever you want from this post and live free.

I attended my monthly La Leche League meeting tonight and had a very good time. I'm working on becoming a leader (YIKES!) and I really like the meetings, the networking, the chatter, the helping others.

I know that many people think the only women who attend the LLL meetings are very crunchy granola, militant breastfeeding femi-Nazis, but that's not true. It's normal women like you and me and Jane down the street who want to feed our babies what God intended from the production device so supplied.

The support to breastfeed is coming back in force. More and more women are coming away from the 50's and 60's mentality that the only milk an infant should drink is powdered formula from sterilized bottles.

What LLL is really about is support. Take or leave whatever anyone at the meetings have to say about any topic - just choose what works best for you and your child(ren) and leave it at that.

It's late. I'm tired, and the screen is whirling around in circles, so I guess I'm done.

--The anti-abortion, breastfeeding, baby-wearing, modesty touting, pro-life, stay-at-home mom of 4, wife of a magnificent, loving man

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe commemorates the day that the Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Mexican Indian. On Dec. 9, 1531, Juan was hurrying over Tepeyac Hill, near what is now Mexico City, when a lady appeared. Tradition has it that the Virgin was dark-skinned and spoke to Diego in his native Indian language. Our Lady told him to tell the bishop to build a church where she stood.

But the Bishop did not believe Juan and required a sign. Juan Diego was directed to the top of a hill in mid-December to gather roses for the Bishop, upon Mary's direction. She instructed Juan to place the roses in his tilma, a poor quality cloak worn by the poor at this time, and not to show them to anyone but the Bishop. When Juan opened the cloak for the Bishop, fresh dewy roses fell out, apparently arranged by the hand of Mary herself. She also left for us an image of herself imprinted miraculously upon the tilma which should have disintegrated after 20 years. This year marks 475 years since her apparition and the tilma is still available today and defies all scientific explanations of its origin.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is called both The Protectress of the Unborn and Patroness of the Americas. The tilma features a true picture of Mary, as it was placed on the cloth herself. Visit this site for the miracle of Mary's Eyes as shown on the tilma of St Juan Diego.

In my time studying about this miraculous apparition, I have decided that I am being called to be more active in the anti-abortion movement. Please join me in a simple prayer:

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child,
who I spiritually adopt,
in danger of death by abortion.

Protectress of the Unborn

As you saw in my post just previous to this, abortion is on my mind so much lately that I know God is calling me to be more active in the war against this death culture. I read recently that Our Lady of Guadalupe is called the Protectress of the Unborn and found this magnificent picture.



Do be careful at this site. Although it is a wonderful and educational site, there are some very graphic pictures at the bottom of the referenced page.

Sanctity of Human Life Week - January 27-28, 2007

I was doing some research on Our Lady of Guadalupe for the upcoming feast day and learned that she is the protector of the unborn. I saw the most hideous photos that are still plauging my mind, days after my educational researching.

Abortion is something that I never much cared about until I had children of my own. How callous I feel now, that human life mattered so little to me until the age of 20. So when I received an email entitled The Sanctity of Human Life Week from Focus on the Family, I felt that I had to help get the word out to the public.

For all I know, about 2 people read this little scrap of writing that I do (and I most heartily thank you BOTH!) and it may be old news to them. But God is calling me to be more proactive in the abortion cessation movement and I'm going to start here.

Check out this site for more information, free resources, photos, church bulletin inserts, posters and more on The Sanctity of Human Life Week. I'll be posting more on this, I'm sure.

This is a picture of a sweet unborn at about 30 weeks in utero. Look at the beautiful smile.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.

-Mother Teresa

Saddam Hussein Sentenced

I was reading News of the Weird on Reuters today and came across something not so weird.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A visibly shaken Saddam Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity on Sunday and sentenced to hang at a lightning session of the U.S.-sponsored court that has been trying him in Baghdad for the past year.

It got me to thinking. Yes, my stance on abortion is very ProLife, but what about capital punishment?

The retaliatory portion of me says Heck Yeah, let him swing high! Yes, Saddam was a sadistic, evil dictator. He killed more than a million people, committed numerous crimes against humanity, committed genocide against the native Kurds, and numerous other heinous crimes during his tyrannical reign of terror.

But the compassionate, Catholic part of me says that all life is sacred. Many call this the "Seamless Garment" concept - where all life is sacred no matter what the conditions. God's own commandments say Thou Shall Not Kill. There is no unwritten "except when..." to that rule.

But in doing research on this very issue, look what I found:

The Church throughout her history has firmly held to the natural law principle that the state has the right to execute criminals who are a threat both to the innocent and to the harmony of society. One of the principal duties of the state is to protect the rights of its citizens from the unjust taking of those rights. The state itself is supposed to be subordinate to this same principle so that its citizens can feel secure that their individual, God given, rights are protected in every circumstance. When the rights of the innocent person are violated by those who transgress the law the state has the right to use whatever means are necessary and appropriate to secure the rights of its individual citizens and its society as a whole. Without the protection of the state, exercised according to the natural law, the innocent suffer and unjust aggressors prosper, order and harmony break down and freedom for law-abiding citizens is lost. In the Old Testament God speaks of this necessary order continuously. Capital punishment was even required by God to maintain the natural order and harmony of Israelite society. Jesus never once refuted this natural law precept which, as the Second Person of the Trinity, He created in the first place.

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image." (Genesis 9:6)

Pro-Life and Pro-Capital Punishment: Contradition in Terms? by Anthony Gonzales

I'm a convert to the Church and haven't been taught as a cradle Catholic has, but here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2267 says:

If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.

Does this not narrow the conditions under which a life can be taken? Have I fully muddled your thinking, too?

Consider this: Both Mother Teresa and Pope JP2 tried to intervene on the behalf of sentenced to death criminals. They are both prime examples of the belief in the sanctity of all human life, as well as an image of what Roman Catholicism is: lives living what they believe, daily.

So I guess the answer is, it depends upon your own personal interpretation. Does the Eye for an Eye principal of Hammurabi and Exodus pertain or does the all embracing love of Christ?

I know that it isn't over for Saddam. He will probably have appeals upon appeals before anything becomes final. So during that time, I will pray for him to approach God humbly for forgiveness and to sincerely repent of his sins.

ProLife

I've made a big deal about Advent starting this weekend. And with the coming of Advent is the birth of our Savior, Jesus. He entered the world as we all do, small, pink, helpless. His Blessed Mother cared for him much the same as we do now, feeding, clothing, changing, guiding.

Imagine how the scenario would differ if Mary were to have Jesus now? Would we all look upon her as a liar since NO ONE could ever have a virgin birth? Yeah, sure, we'd say. You're a virgin. And I'm a drag queen named ChaCha.

Would Joseph step up to the responsiblities placed upon him by impending earthly fatherhood, or would he show up on Jerry Springer claiming that he was never WITH Mary and she wasn't HIS baby momma?

Would Mary have considered abortion an option? Even in her time, there were women (and it was women who held this knowledge) with herbs who could have caused the baby to die and be expelled. Had Mary not felt the moving of the Holy Spirit in her mind and the peace God offered her mind, would we call her the Mother of All now?

Mary, Queen of the World is a Pro Life model for our world. Whether we remember her love of life in her ancient times or picture her in our world now, she is the example of welcoming to new life we need to follow.

My ramblings all lead to this: New Life is precious, whether 1 minute old or unborn as each has that holiness of spirit by virtue of being made by God. I have linked this blog to the prolifeblogs.com site to share my conviction that all life is precious and should be cared for as such. Take a minute and visit over there. Meanwhile, join me in saying the Hail Holy Queen prayer:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our Life, our Sweetness, and our Hope.
To Thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To Thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate, Thine Eyes of Mercy toward us,
and after this our exile show us the Blessed Fruit of thy Womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us O Holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.