How Would You Like a Nun Hug!

Former Planned Parenthood head talks about nuns and gets nun hugs! Really sweet.

Confession of a Former Abortion Provider

Most pro-lifers have heard the name of Abby Johnson, the Planned Parenthood manager who left the business after running the sonogram machine during an abortion. Pray for Abby. (And thanks, John, for sending this!)

Monday, May 02, 2011

I never had the honor of talking to Dr. Bernard Nathanson. But someone told me once that he asked Dr. Nathanson about his remorse after performing thousands of abortions. Many of us that have once been in the abortion industry are frequently criticized for our public “lack of remorse.” Dr. Nathanson explained to this man that if he actually allowed himself to feel the depth of his remorse, he wouldn’t be able to live with the pain. I would say that is pretty accurate for most of us who have once lived and walked in those hallways of evil. I’m not sure my heart would take the pain if I really allowed myself to feel what I had done.

Have you ever watched one of those crime shows where they interview a prisoner who murdered someone? I recently saw one about a man who had killed a young woman. He had since become a Christian while in prison and the remorse for the life he had taken was so evident. He could hardly even talk about her. It was difficult for him to maintain his composure. Well, imagine that type of remorse times thousands and thousands. We were serial killers of the worst kind … we killed children.

Is Fighting Dissent Effective? You Bet Your Sweet Bippy!

Cardinal Newman Society reports 29 Catholic colleges expunge Planned Parenthood from their websites.
See here...

I'd Like to Be a Better Friend -- Like Chesterton

One of the things I admire most about G.K. Chesterton is his incredible gift for friendship. It's a testimony to his love for his fellow man that he could be friends with people with whom he disagreed 180 degrees even on moral values. I don't have that gift and can't even imagine doing it!

I remember as a young mom with a toddler and a new baby playing bridge with casual friends. I met the wife at a government training course we both attended. We had gotten together at each others' homes several times for dinner and bridge, but never talked about anything serious, just chitchat. We happened to go out together the week of Roe v. Wade. What a week! I was devastated by the decision! I remember crying over the fact that I lived in a country where it was legal to kill babies. Our little daughter was two and a half and our new little son was six months old. The babies being murdered were no different than my own little ones. How could anyone kill them? Well, in the course of the evening with our friends, Roe v. Wade came up and this couple extolled the brilliance of the decision. I felt physically nauseated by the conversation and went home saying to Larry, "I never want to see them again." Perhaps they felt the same way. They never called us and we never called them.

I should have been prepared for their attitude. They had told us one evening they didn't want any children. She had her career to think of and they liked to do things like ski. I've never seen anyone ski with a baby on board. But I was still in shock by their attitude. At 25 I couldn't imagine anyone believing killing babies was a "solution" to a problem.

Perhaps it's not surprising that a young mom nursing an infant would find it difficult to hobknob with people who believe it's okay to kill babies. But I wonder sometimes whether Larry and I could have had an influence on that couple. How many similar opportunities have I missed? If I were a better Christian and friend, one who truly loved others and tried to see them as God does, perhaps things would have been different. Would there have been opportunities to "debate" in the classical sense, to raise Socratic questions about the nature of life? I'm not sure I could have done it then. (I'm not sure I could do it now for that matter.) I was in too much pain over child-killing and I saw them as part of the pro-death culture. Beliefs have consequences after all. But would things have been different if I loved them enough to be a faithful friend?

In the end, love is action and the most loving thing we can do for others is to pray for them and witness as we can. So even now, 40 years after that friendship ended, I can still pray for that couple and hope they came or will come to see the wonder of creation especially babies waiting to be born, the visible reminder of the Lord's Incarnation.

I think I'll pray to Chesterton for his intercession that I might be, like him, an apostle of common sense and also a true friend to everyone I meet, especially those committed to evil. After all, they need true friends the most and many of them are blind, not malicious. As Chesterton said of Shaw, "The truth is, of course, that Mr. Shaw is cruelly hampered by the fact that he cannot tell any lie unless he thinks it is the truth." One could certainly say that about many people in today's crazy world!

If Abortion Were Up to the States Its Demise Would be in Sight

Those who know the history of abortion realize it was on the way out prior to Roe v. Wade. After the first flurry of states passed it, the pro-life movement began making big inroads. And some states were absolutely sick of the carnage. New York voted to repeal its two-year-old abortion law in 1972. Thanks to elitist country club Republican and population control advocate Nelson Rockefeller, the abortion cabal had a guaranteed veto. And then in 1973, an oligarchy of five men in black robes imposed child killing on the entire country through all nine months. But God will not be mocked and the battle continues. If you aren't working in your state to do whatever you can to resist the murder machine, you are missing the boat. You can have an impact. Here are some actions around the country. And they are only a fraction of the faithful resistance to evil. Babies waiting to be born need your help! Don't let them down. Pray and work!

Texas Senate Approves to Ultrasound Before Abortion Bill

Indiana looking to cut abortion funding

North Carolina Gov. Perdue Signs Unborn Victims Legislation

Personhood bills introduced, gains traction across U.S.

Virginia's novel approach to ending abortion

If You're Pro-Life, Ya Gotta Love Sarah Palin!

Palin: ‘I choose life’ over glamorous White House Press dinner

The Sad End of a Playboy Playmate

Mummified body of former Playboy playmate Yvette Vickers found in her Benedict Canyon home

As I read this, I couldn't help thinking what a sad ending it was, but not really surprising. She apparently had no family or friends close enough to wonder why they hadn't heard from her in days, weeks, and months. I know plenty of stories of elderly people who fall and can't get to the phone, several in my own and my husband's families, but all were found within 24 or 48 hours because family came checking. Just goes to show, if you're going to be somebody's cast off playmate, you better hire a companion!

What's the fastest growing form of education?

HOME SCHOOLING! See here...

And how do home schoolers measure up against their more traditionally educated peers? Check out the results here.....

Home schooling isn't for everyone, but it is certainly a great option for those who choose it. I homeschooled my youngest two, one for a year and the other for five. I had so much fun with the kids. We did things they could never have done in regular school including taking our books to the beach when school started. Tara went back to regular school after a year and I continued with Jamie. Our routine included running the monthly preschool program (Nature Detectives) at a local nature center. We always planned the program together. One particularly successful one was on bird migration. Jamie was a migrating snow goose. The kids spread corn on the floor to attract a migrating bird and in came the snow goose for "an interview." Jamie designed her own costume (art) and wrote the dialogue for the interview (language arts). She also led the craft with the kids. All this at age 8 or 9. A grandmother came over after we finished to tell me, "It was the cutest thing she ever saw." Other programs included one on Native Americans where she played "Little Firefly" with a doll papoose on her back. Another time we talked about the harvest when she was "Farmer Jamie."

We also did cooking day every 4-6 weeks and made 15 to 20 meals for the freezer while we listened to a book on tape. I think I liked home schooling more than both the girls. I remember it fondly!

Divine Mercy, Suffering, and My Brother John

Yesterday, on the Feast of Divine Mercy, I visited my younger brother John who is living in a nursing home in Ellicott City, MD.  John reminds me of the blind man sitting on the side of the road, who hears that Jesus is passing by and calls out over and over, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And that's why I'm writing this blog post...to ask for your prayers and help for my beloved brother.

John, a retired Baltimore County policeman, had a stroke two years ago at the ripe old age of 54. Wlhat a shock to all of us in the family! Unfortunately, he wasn't found for six or seven hours so he missed the "golden hour" when doctors can administer clot busting meds and minimize the worst effects of a stroke. John suffered significant damage as a result, and his left side is almost completely paralized. He also later developed a condition called Tranverse Myelitis (TM) that attacks the myelin around the spinal cord. Before the TM struck he was living at home with help and would come visit us every four to six weeks for four or five days both to give him a change of scenery and give the major care givers a break. But now, the level of aid needed is more than anyone can handle, although we still hope he will improve enough to go home.

But another complicating factor hindering a return home is Medicaid. I don't know all the details, but they are now taking every bit of his pension to pay for the nursing home and they want his condo too. But if they take John's condo he has no place to go if/when he improves enough to go home. So John's oldest daughter and one of my sisters are working with a lawyer who specializes in Medicaid to try to get a Medicaid waiver to let him keep his condo. Two of my sisters share caregiving by being at the nursing home every weekday. Since John is getting no therapy, they do it. And when I was there yesterday Larry and I became the therapists of the day helping John practice walking (four corridors worth) and exercising his bad arm and hand. Hopefully he will get more professional therapy, but apparently Medicaid has a limit. To complicate things further, John is in chronic neuroligical pain which is apparently one of the most difficult types to control. We are looking at several opions including an implanted electric stimulator. But right now, he gets little relief. I'm edified by his patient, uncomplaining suffering. The only time he mentions it to me is if I ask a direct question. What a role model!

At present, since Medicaid takes every cent John has coming in, we have been looking for alternate ways to cover his other bills: cell phone, insurance, lawyer fees to protect his rights, mortgage on the condo, etc.. It's amazing how many miscellaneous expenses there are. Some family members are making a monthly donation and others are helping as they can. But we all know how expensive medical care is.

An organization called Ravens Roost 97 is organizing a fundraiser for John to be held at the Arbutus Town Hall (1349 Stevens Ave., Arbutus, MD 21227) on Sunday, June 12 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Cost is $25.00 for adults and $10.00 for children which includes beer, sodas, and food (grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken with sides). There will also be entertainment: a DJ and karioke, a Chinese auction, a home made quilt auction and a 50/50 raffle.

If you live in the Baltimore/Washington area I'd love to see you there. If you can't make it but would like to make a donation you can mail a check made out to Ravens Roost 97 designating in the memo "for John Schneider." Mail it to Ravens Roost 97, C/O Jim McCain, 1102 Elmridge Ave., Baltimore MD 21229.

As a side note, John has always been a hero of mine. He's a natural story teller and can hold all of us spellbound describing his experiences on the force. And he's the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back. He rescued me and Larry not long before he had the stroke. If you're curious about how click on the first link below.

A Personal Story About John
Please Pray for John

Of Just War Theory and Killing Children

Well, we've killed Bin Laden and the man reaped what he sowed. He was a guerilla leader who murdered in the dark targeting innocent people all over the world with his terrorist attacks. I'll pray for the repose of his soul today, but it's hard to shed any tears over the just punishment of a terrorist leader who was a legitimate military target.

But then there is the news out of Libya about the murder, yes I use that word deliberately, of Gaddafi's 29-year-old son and his three children, Gaddafi's grandchildren, all under the age of twelve. NATO targeted the upscale Tripoli neighborhood where they live attempting to assassinate Gaddafi who escaped unharmed. Several other people were wounded in the attack.

Since when, under just war theory, may civilian neighborhoods be targets?  To see a BBC video of a group of clergymen praying over the bodies, including the bishop of Tripoli, Giovanni Martinelli, go here.

Pray for the poor people of this warring nation. We had no business going in and there's a good chance the end result for the people of Libya will be worse than before.