From Joan Lowry Nixon's Book...

At the moment your life began,
everything was there that would
make you the special person you are.
Already God knew whether
you would be a boy or a girl,
what color hair and eyes you would have,
and how tall you would become.
And at the center of this life was your soul,
which was created with all the joy and glory
of God's love, because He wanted you.

Originally, this book was selected as an answer to the *bigger picture* of the "Where did I come from?" question for our adopted children. As you can tell from this excerpt, it answers that question and teaches all of our children about their irreplaceable worth and value, which is true of all life.

Lessons Learned

CB spent yesterday afternoon pouring liquid "bubble stuff" on the driveway and skating through it. Finally, after many panicked warnings about splitting her head open gentle reminders to stop, CB was kindly asked by her tired-of-repeating-herself mother to sit and think about why that behavior was not such a good idea.

"Well," I asked, "What did you think?"

"It's not safe," she answered. "You could slip."

"And what else?" I continued.

Looking very seriously at me, she added, "And then...you'll fall and crack your head open."

Well, I thought, at least I know she was listening.

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N busied herself with the books in the cryroom at B and H's choir practice last night.

"Look at this man," she declared, "he's wearing flip flops."

Looking up from my reading , I responded, "That's Noah and those are sandals. Do you remember him?"

Her puzzled stare beckoned me to continue.

"He built a big boat and filled it up with every different kind of animal you can think of."

"Ooooh noooo,"she said as she passed down her three year old judgment, "I bet he got in BIG trouble for that!"

Big Girls, New Rooms, Webkinz Mania

Closed Until Further Notice

In today's ruling, the PP clinic was denied its request to open while the investigation of its approval process continues. You can read the full story here.

Channeling Jason Alexander

It's been a rough week on the ark. The kids have been busy every night of the week after school. We've had numerous doctor and dentist appointments. Homework has been a bear. And occasionally, I catch sight of this good-looking guy walking through my bedroom in the wee hours of the morning. (I think he might live here, but I'm not sure).

So this morning, it seemed appropriate to treat myself to a pumpkin spice latte (decaf, of course). I rarely opt for anything from this over-the-top coffee shop, but this morning, desperation won out over sensibility. I went through the drive-thru, accepted up my liquid pick-me-up from an overly enthusiastic employee and drove off to drop CB at preschool.
Once it seemed my coffee had cooled, I raised the paper cup to my lips and in a private toast took my first sip...only to find that I had been gypped. Sure enough, my cup was filled to its grande rim with hot chocolate (which is also probably pretty good, but that's not my point). Dejected, I turned a one-eighty and headed back to give my peppy coffee hostess a piece of my mind. Until, this image crossed my mind, and I had to laugh aloud at myself. My blogging-mommy, novice computer geek gave me no more right to lose my cool than those of more *celebrity* status. I mean, what kind of example would I be setting for my two youngest in the back seat.

Not a very good one.

So, I pulled through the line again, graciously accepted an apology and the correct drink and drove home; hoping I could find that funny clip playing in my head to share with this story.

Science lesson gone horribly wrong

Tonight, as the three little ones and I sat under the fading sun at soccer practice, I noticed the moon had already risen. What a great opportunity, the overenthusiastic teacher in me decided, to point out the moon while the sky is still blue.

I called out excitedly, "Hey guys! Who can find the moon?!" Each of the little girls scanned the sky and quickly responded, "I do!" Then little N added, "But it's such a small moon, Mama." Not wanting to let a teachable moment pass me by, I answered, "Yes, it is. It's called a half-moon." CB, listening intently to my explanation, turned to N and I and with concern and said, "You mean someone CUT it?!"

I briefly tried to explain that it was still there, but it was dark and unable to be seen; thus continuing my science lesson. She looked at me quizzically and I thought for a second before offering, "Or maybe someone cut it." Satisfied, she wandered off while I, left with my failed lesson plan replaying itself in my mind, decided it was a good thing I'd never been offered a science teaching job.

Travel Snacks

I spent this morning at the dentist's office for an always enjoyable six-month check-up. Relying upon the kindness of friends, I was able to venture off for my appointment unaccompanied. As I sat in the waiting room the first few minutes, I was on alert. Why?

First, because that's the status quo for my entering into any type of professional office space where (when I go WITH young'uns in tow) I'm ready at a moments notice to: apologize, keep one eye on the wanderer, another eye on the climber and still a third eye (yes, I must have it here somewhere) on the one who is nonchalantly emptying the contents of my pocketbook on the floor; all while staring longingly at the golden gateway back to meet with the doctor, teacher, dentist, etc...
And, second, I was getting ready to go sit in the dentist's chair, 'nuff said.

Normally, in such situations, I whip out my rosary and roll the beads gently between my fingers, urging calm through my meditation. Today, however, there was an "Everyday with Rachael Ray" magazine at my fingertips (which I'd never seen before) and I was, don't forget, alone. There was a cover story featuring Road Trips and the best snack foods to pack in the car. "Great!" I thought, until I turned to the page featuring fajita-style roll-ups with dipping sauce, of course and vegetable and cheese shish-kebabs. I had no problem with the *highly original* homemade popcorn and frozen juice boxes, but I really thought Rach wouldn't have left me hanging. It's no problem to conjure up Doritoes and M&Ms, but without taking along a sous-chef, there must be something else on which to feast.

Any "yum-o" suggestions?

Sweet Reminders

As previously noted, my just-turned-three-year-old, N, has been undecided on a number of things lately. Not the least of which has been her attendance at pre-school, which started a week ago today. So today, with little fanfare, I dis-enrolled her from her two morning a week pre-school class. I really appreciated everyone's comments and emails. As she is my fifth to enter school, I find myself taking a much more laid back approach to her rush to academic achievement. Last year, CB, (at the age of almost four) was barely ready to start a one hour, once-a-week class. Now, in that short span of time, she greets me brightly each morning with, "Do I have school today, Mama?"; reminding me evermore to cherish the fleeting time I have with these little ones.

Thanks, CB, I needed that.

Ready to start the the day!

Share your favorite recipes...

Have you ever visited the Gooseberry Patch website or used one of their many tasty cookbooks? Well, the ladies at Gooseberry are at it again! They're already planning next year's autumn and Christmas cookbooks and they need your help! If you have a recipe (including a story about what makes the recipe near and dear to your heart) submit it here for a chance to have it included in one of the new cookbooks and (if included) to receive a free copy of the book!

Tomorrow

Pl*nned P*renthood will NOT be opening their doors.
Eric Scheidler writes:

That's what we've been praying for these past 40 days, and those
prayers have been answered. But the future is very uncertain. I'll
try to explain briefly.

Planned Parenthood was asking Federal District Judge Charles Norgle
to issue an injunction that would have required the City to let
them open for business WITHOUT concluding the investigation into
PP's dealings with the City.

Judge Charles Norgle listened to arguments from PP and the City for
an hour, and decided a full hearing was required.

The hearing has been set for Thursday at 10 a.m. That means that
Planned Parenthood will not open until Friday at the earliest.

One important point to keep in mind:

The question here is not whether PP can ever open. The question is
whether their opening can be DELAYED while an investigation is
concluded into the allegations raised into wether PP defrauded the
City.

That question may be settled Thursday after a full hearing. 

Thanks to SC Mom for the heads up about the feast day of St. Robert Bellarmine, patron saint of canon lawyers, celebrated today-September 17th. A powerful intercessory for the upcoming hearing in the courts!

St. Robert Bellarmine, pray for us!

Obviously, People

High school students in CT lost a little common sense today, which for high school students (if memory serves) doesn't leave much left.
Physics teacher and stickler for attention to detail, (Units, people, UNITS!), David Couch, who had been a teacher there for 35 years, just passed away in Germany. He was scheduled to return and teach part time.
Even if you didn't attend Immaculate High School, you knew this teacher. He was the one whom freshmen feared as urban legends about him filled the hallways of the upperclassmen. He was tough-that was for certain. Whether out of fear, or perhaps out of hard work(okay, it was definitely fear); he demanded his students perform to the best of their abilities. He expected nothing less from us, nor we from him. He taught us to expect success of ourselves and of others at a time when teenage angst readily clouded most things positive.
Rest in peace, Mr. Couch. May St. Peter meet you with a truly original joke about your name.

Showers of Generosity

posted by guest blogger-Dawn

Wow! Where do I even begin? The Community Baby Shower was a great success! As most of you know, things move pretty quickly when it comes to the Families Against Planned Parenthood campaign so, when a friend of mine from church suggested this idea to me, I quickly passed it on. By the time we got the final “thumbs up” we had only 4 days to make this idea a reality. Yes, you read right, 4 days! But, as we know, with God all things are possible. Several women from our Mom’s Group at Holy Angels quickly volunteered their time and talents and, within 48 hours, we not only connected with the organizations who we planned on benefiting but we also had done a PR “blitz” to the local faith community and parish schools.

So, this morning as we set up empty playpens adorned with pink and blue balloons, we had no idea what kind of response we would receive. Would anyone respond to our call to help women and families in need? How many playpens would we fill? We quickly found out that the answers were YES and MANY! Here’s what the generous and caring people of our community donated with only a few days notice – 120 packs of diapers, 56 boxes of wipes, 30 baby blankets, 70 baby toiletry items, 70 outfits and onesies, 48 items of baby food and formula, 62 baby care items including bottles, pacifiers, feeding supplies, etc., as well as a crib mattress and bedding set, baby monitor, floor gym, and a $50 gift card for a local maternity clothing store! I can not tell you the gratitude of the women who were there working on behalf of the 3 organizations who will benefit from these donations. Which, by the way, are Project Gabriel, the Pregnancy Information Center , and Catholic Charities. What a blessing these items will be to so many mothers and babies!

One particularly touching moment today was when a woman who stopped by to drop off her donation said to us that she was once in need of this type of help and people reached out to her and now she wanted to donate and give back so others could be helped in the same way. You see, unlike the option of abortion, the choice of reaching out in love simply lends itself to an increase in love. It comes back around. And, unlike PP, these organizations don’t just provide a one time service and then wave you out the door. They are here to help for as long as they are needed and to provide pregnant women and new mothers with not only material assistance but with counseling support and spiritual encouragement. God bless these great people who work tirelessly to help women say “yes” to life under difficult circumstances.

So, I humbly say THANK YOU to all who gave so generously on such short notice. Today was proof that when we, those who value the sanctity of ALL human life, combine our prayers with action great things can, and do, happen. I also want to say thank you to the following people for making this baby shower possible…

May I add...Way to go! Dawn and all who helped in this effort. You have spoken your faith in the loudest way possible--with hands and hearts of humble servants. May many be blessed by the work you did today in the name of Christ.

Indecision

N decided she didn't want to go to pre-school on Thursday. There was no real *episode* so to speak. As she just turned three in July (and we were waffling about whether to send her or not) it took me only a split second to decide to keep her home that morning.

Once we were in the car, however, it seemed a much more pressing choice needed to be made.

N: Mama, when we get home, can I have my sippy cup?

Me: Sure, we'll fill it up with apple juice as soon as we get there.

N: I don't want apple juice. I want water.

Me: That's fine.

N: Why can't I have apple juice?

Me: (my patience fuse growing shorter) You can have apple juice, I just told you that. You said you wanted water.

N: Oh yeah, I doooo want water.

Me: (thinking the discussion has finally ended)Okay-water it is!

After a few fleeting moments of silence, she called out from the back seat:

N: But if I don't want water, can I have apple juice?

Sigh.

Pleasant surprise

After the un-pleasant surprise last night, it was so sweet to wake up to this award from Therese at Aussie Coffee Shop. Thanks, Therese! I big-red-puffy-heart your blog, too!


And to share the love...a few of my favorite daily reads...goes to:

Denise at Life in Fitzville -- great writing from another mom to many!

Becky at Wild At Heart Family -- genuinely nice, kind words spoken here--every.single.time!

Cathy at The Mouse Says -- funny, insightful, and honest. She writes just like she talks and I love her blog for it!

Jena, at Preparing for Rain -- how could I forget (must be the 6 kids or something...) but my *namemate* is a wealth of adoption ponderings and always enjoyable to read.

There are lots of others, too, but I start my day with you guys!

Clinic Update

Well, Aurora's friendly new neighbor PP, is now suing the city. You can read the article here.
FYI, the disclosure in the newspaper referred to in the article, ran in the Chicago Sun Times (not the Aurora-Beacon News) which would be the paper most people in, you know, AURORA read.

Tough Break

Say, for example, there was something you really, really wanted. You thought about it incessantly, maybe even went the extra mile to bring your plan to fruition. Perhaps you prayed for it-all.the.time. And then, when everything seemed to be going your way, it fell apart-in an instant.

Not that I know anything about that, but...if it was me, I might be tempted to throw the adult-sized equivalent of a toddler temper tantrum; hypothetically speaking, of course.

Of course.

So last night, when my husband called to say that after the Boy's football game they were making a detour to the Walk-In Clinic because (contrary to what they told me) it seems it IS possible to get hurt on the junior high gridiron. Later still, when the phone rang again, the conversation went as followed:

The Captain: The good news is that your trips after school are going to decrease...

Me: But...

The Captain: The bad news is the Boy actually broke his elbow. He'll be out the rest of the season.

So the Boy, after all his hard work and dedication,who was a starter for the 8th grade team-as a 7th grader, who was averaging 5 tackles per game, who practiced three nights each week and played three games per week was, in an instant, issued a seat on the sidelines. You can imagine how he must have felt. I did, or so I thought. Instead of wallowing in the blow he'd been dealt, he's making plans to attend at least one practice per week and be present to cheer on his teammates at the rest of the games. No whining, no complaining, no temper tantrums of which to speak.

Quick think of the first word that comes to mind when you think of a 150lb, 12 year old, sweaty, dirty, linebacker?

I've got one for you---graceful.

In order to understand...

Why would I bother to write about the ongoing local struggle to keep PP out of our community? There are many reasons, some very specific to the PP organization while others are more simple and recite a soliloquy about the dignity of all life.

Having a dear friend who recently gave birth to a stillborn baby with Trisomy 18, I can see why someone might decide that termination is less of a "burden" for themselves and their spouse and children. The reality is though, as Christians, if we truly believe that God is the author of life and it is His divine will as to when a life begins and when a life ends, it is not about what we decide is a "burden". To paraphrase speaker and author Christopher West, if Grandma's suffering is a burden, we can wait for her to die a natural death or help the process along. The end result is the same thing-Dead Grandma. The same could be said about saying "goodbye early" to an unborn baby whose future may contain suffering or poor health, except in this country one is legal and one is not.

Many blessings come from the lives of children who have genetic and chromosomal abnormalities. I have another dear friend with a beautiful daughter with Down Syndrome and another a son with Down Syndrome. I don't suppose they would have chosen this "burden" for themselves, but I also can't help but wonder if, looking back now, would say, "Gee, I really wish I'd had that abortion." Another mother wrote about her "Wonderboy" here and the joy his life, while not the *norm*, has brought her and her family.
It is a grace from God for a parent and family to endure a difficult pregnancy, stillbirth or disabled child, but it is also a gift-one that we shouldn't think so flippantly about throwing away.

Just so you know where I'm coming from.

"When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit."
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American Feminist, 1873
Source: Feminists for Life

Pro-Life Baby Shower Coming Saturday!!!

In a lukewarm attempt to show the proportion of one's pro-life stance equaling the number of children adopted, the question, "How many children have YOU adopted?" has been the mantra of the pro-life opposition. It seems the pro-abortion crowd movement has birthed a new sibling (particularly when the pro-lifer in question HAS one or more adopted children) for this question, "Why don't you spend your time and energy helping the children who are already born?" After emitting a loud sigh, I spent a few moments thinking about the protesting pro-lifers I know. Far from the "religious zealot circus freak show" label firmly in place by the PP contingent, these are just your average hard-working, concerned citizens, who when they aren't busying themselves with their protest shenanigans are:

• coordinating efforts to bring food and shelter to the people (predominantly women and children) of our community at the local shelter and food pantries
• acting as foster parents for days, weeks, months and sometimes years to care for children who, if all goes well, will be reunited with their birth family
• organizing small groups in their churches, in their neighborhoods to minister to mothers and provide support and encouragement through their childbearing and childrearing years
• adopting a child or two (or nine--Hi Mom!) in order to give the child and the birth parents a chance to become the person God calls them to be
• babysitting for young, single mothers while they finish their college or, perhaps, high school degree
• mentoring, loving, giving, donating selflessly of all the time-talents-and-treasures they have been given--rather than take the easy way out for themselves and demand that women "in trouble" have abortions to avoid having yet one other person to help
  

And just because this life-affirming lifestyle allows for so much "me" time, these people, who devote their *extra* time to "extremist" protest activities are busy preparing to help--AGAIN!

Read more about Saturday morning's "Jericho March" here and the concurrent pro-life baby shower to assist three local crisis pregnancy centers here. For more information or questions, leave a message in the comments below.

***If you are not local to the event, but would like to donate, you can do so here; and, as always, continue to pray that a culture which affirms life--in all its stages--will start right here, in Aurora, Illinois, right now.***

It's Y2K all over again!

Based on their use of the Ge'ez calendar, Ethiopia is just now celebrating the new millenium. You can read more about the celebration here.

Happy New Year!

What's all the fuss?

As women, what legacy do we wish to leave our daughters? Is it one of strength and courage? One of pride in our authentic femininity? Or is it the lies that PP attempts to spread to women throughout the US?

Our society can be measured by the extent to which it reveres women with the respect and dignity they deserve. PP is not freedom for women, not by a long shot. At its best, it provides a most foul form of birth control; at its worst, it aims to devalue and degrade that which society has for years revered most-its women.

May God's mercy rain down on us.