Walk for Life--San Francisco 2013

I have marched several times in Washington DC when I was attending The Franciscan University of Steubenville and living just outside DC after graduating. We have been in CA for 4 Roe vs. Wade anniversaries now. Chris has worked every single one with Immaculate Heart Radio, and I never wanted to take on the crowds and craziness with young children all by myself.

This year, my sister-in-law who lives between us and San Francisco, was available and we figured out a workable way to attend. After looking into many different options, we decided trying to hop on one of the many parish buses would be our best bet. She found a bus that still had spaces near her place, and we signed up last minute.

The bus ride was fun, and the girls were as thrilled as if we were riding a roller coaster. In fact, when we arrived back at the parish parking lot after the event, Kayla had a small meltdown because she wanted to keep riding the bus.

Our bus arrived in San Francisco fairly early, so we had some time to kill before the Rally and Walk started. First stop: Find Chris and say hello. We easily found him under the large CATHOLIC RADIO banner, and took a few pictures to commemorate the event and the fact that we were all there. Perhaps next year we'll be able to actually attend the event as a family and walk together too.

I made Laura D. get in another quick picture with Kayla and Elise too

The event started near a plaza that had two sets of playground equipment, so we made a stop there for awhile with the girls. They loved it. Next, Laura D., the girls, and myself met up with my mom and little sis, Shannon who arrived on a bus from my hometown several hours away. We ate our lunch with them on the plaza and took lots of pictures.

We listened to some speakers and the Walk began shortly after. There were reportedly 50,000+ people there (you can read the recap here on Walk for Life's website. It will likely be completely ignored by the mainstream media, but we were there, by the thousand, and we walked for LIFE. They started the rally with the singing of the National Anthem. I cried the whole way through, saddened by our country's choices as a nation. But the event made me proud that even though our voices are continually stifled by the media and government, we were there and there was no denying in the flesh that there are many who still stand for LIFE and we're never giving up. Ever.

(just a few of the 50,000+ people who were there with us)

(leaving the event afterwards)

Just some shots of the city--it was a beautiful day.

Thanks for all your help with the girls, Nana, Aunt Shannon, and Auntie Laura "Tambourine"!!! You guys were the best!

Respect Life-what that means to me

I think it's rather easy to consider yourself "Pro-life", but it's not just something to tack on a resume to make you look 'more holy' and hope that no one actually asks you about it.

The Catholic Church established October as "Respect Life month", and I found a brief description at avemariapress.com: "The month of October is Respect Life Month. When we hear "respect life," most of us immediately think of the pro-life movement to end abortion. This is a key cause to support during October (and all year round!). But Respect Life Month is also meant to remind us of the issues of capital punishment, euthanasia, contraception, and respect for those with disabilities.
September 28 begins the 40 Days for Life campaign that coincides with Respect Life month and ends on November 6. The three components of 40 Days for Life are:

Prayer and Fasting
Peaceful Vigil
Community Outreach"

It is true that there are so many different and yes, controversial "LIFE" issues. I love it that the Knights of Columbus are out collecting money in cans for people with mental disabilities this month. I also love it that people are organizing prayer vigils at abortion clinics. The girls and I were able to make it to one in Sacramento this past weekend. It was beautiful and prayerful. I arrived a little late, but joined in with the Rosary that was being said peacefully to end abortion and change the hearts of those inside. The Rosary was followed by a Chaplet of Divine Mercy and then there were some speakers. One of the speakers was a former abortionist who is now a Pro-life doctor. Several women who changed their minds and chose life also spoke. It was beautiful, and the abortion clinic ended up closing down for a portion of the day. Praise the Lord. Click here to see some great images of the Pro-life Rally in Sacramento.

Kayla and I had made some small and simple signs the day before. She helped me find pictures of babies to paste on and she used rubber stamps with a picture of a baby and the phrase "Oh Baby" to decorate as well. Kayla proudly brought her own little baby doll and walked around like a little mommy, bouncing her baby, and cuddling her close.

As far back as I can remember, my Mom took us down to a local abortion clinic and we prayed to end abortion. I was actually born on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, so I have from a very young age been grateful that my parents chose life. There were some times in my childhood where money was really tight, but I am and will always be eternally grateful to the family and friends who helped and supported our family and to my parents for choosing life even when it may have seemed like a hard choice with all the monetary pressures.

Chris and I have had our own set of struggles with money. We weren't too worried when we got pregnant with Kayla because well, she was the first, and we had at least a year of both of us working full-time leading up to her birth. Elise, on the other hand, was a bit more stressful. When I saw the positive pregnancy test, my first thought was not a happy one. It was something to the effect of "We can't have another kid yet. We don't have enough money right now!" Of course, 5 seconds later, I was telling myself that things would be fine. We would adjust our budget somehow and God would provide if we placed our trust in Him.

Yes, Elise, you were and always will be the RIGHT CHOICE. Our lives are infinitely better because of you, and we love you so very much. We aren't raking in cash, and we don't own our own home yet, but we have two beautiful little girls whose lives are so much more precious than any of the material things that we don't have. We love you, Kayla Cecilia and Elise Marianna! Your lives are precious to us and in a world that advocates for "choice", I can honestly say that there is indeed a right and a wrong choice here, and we chose the RIGHT ONE: YOU!

Can I have my cake and eat it too?...

Yesterday is the day that the Church has established as Mary's birthday. September 8. All the Saints have a feast day, but Mary has a bunch of days that celebrate her because, after all, she is Jesus' mom. Mom's have a pretty important job. The first being the most important; bringing a child into the world.

Have you ever wondered why God made it so darn difficult to bring a new life into the world? I mean, think about it. A woman carries a baby inside her for 9 months. That would be like an entire school year. We've all been through a school year and know how LOOOONG they can seem to be. Pregnancy is no easy walk in the park. But that's not even the whole of it. We could get graphic with the labor and delivery aspect, but we'll just be content with using the word 'graphic' and assume that we all know that labor and delivery is certainly not easy. And then the child is born, and your job doesn't stop there. Now you've got years of teaching, disciplining, nurturing, loving, and providing for that child. Being a parent is by no means easy. But I think God made it difficult because things that are easy tend to be less fulfilling. The things in life that require sacrifice and hard work are generally the things that make us feel the most satisfied and fulfilled in the long run. Note that I said in the long run. Certainly some things, like eating a carton of ice cream in one sitting, might give you a short term satisfaction, but you'll be feeling less satisfied later when you have a belly ache and feel the need to run a marathon to work off the calories you just ate.

So let's talk about abortion, shall we?

Did I totally blindside you with that one? When we were celebrating the birth of Mary yesterday, I had a thought: "What if Mary had chosen to have an abortion?" I mean, she said "YES" to God, but she didn't really know what she was getting herself into. The angel never told her that she was going to be pregnant 5 seconds later and thus would be facing possible public scrutiny since she was not married. He never told her she'd be traveling to Bethlehem when she was full-term and having her baby in the comfort of a...stable??? With animals and no family around to help out. She didn't even know for sure that Joseph would stick with her. He could have chosen to leave her too. Mary had, by definition, a teen, crisis pregnancy.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

I think God knew that very well that years down the road, the world would be struggling with the issue of abortion in a huge way. I think that is part of the reason that He came to a young girl, a teenager, and asked her to be the Mother of God. And I think that was part of the reason that He came to her with the question before she was married to Joseph. Sure, she was saying "Yes" to something pure and holy, but the rest of the world didn't actually know that, so she was subjected to the same feelings that any pregnant teenager would have. Fear, uncertainty, anxiety, doubt. But she didn't just take the easy way out. She kept her child, and she faced all the scrutiny and pain that went along with it.

She knew how precious life was, and she knew that His life had a purpose. That's part of the reason I don't buy into that "it's my body, it's my choice" thing. It's a life, and one that is vital to the lives of so many others. That baby could find the cure for cancer, or be a loving husband/wife/priest/nun/aunt/uncle or a missionary to Africa, or a future president. If you're not sure the point I'm trying to make here, think "It's a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart. So many lives are touched by just one life. And yes, it is a HUGE sacrifice to bring a life into the world, crisis situation or not, but it is SO WORTH IT! We have to let God be God and realize that even though the pregnancy may have been "unplanned" in the eyes of the world, the life was always planned by God. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you...." -Jeremiah 1:5

Ok, so I know most of you were expecting cake. We DID make Mary a birthday cake. We used the recipe for this cool rainbow cake from my friend Kate's website. Kayla thought it was pretty awesome. Ours did not look nearly so cool as Kate's, but it was colorful, and Kayla LOVED putting the sprinkles on top.

Kayla also got to blow out the candles on the cake for Mary. She especially liked the star candles (Mary, Star of the Sea, Pray for us!).

And to drive home that point about each life, touching so many others... Here are just 3 of the lives that touch mine in a significant and truly incredible way each and every day.