The Morning Center

So.

You may not know that I am passionately, outspokenly pro-life.  I believe that the life of a baby in the womb is sacred.  I believe that, as Christians, we ought to be protecting that defenseless life, every opportunity we get.  I am violently opposed to abortion for any reason at all, be it rape or incest or whatever.  27% of European women die due to abortion.  I have never, ever heard of a case where it was necessary to kill the unborn baby to save the life of the mother.  Never.  

That's why I'm sharing about The Morning Center in Memphis, TN.  

The Morning Center is in a competition for a $50,000 grant that would enable the center to outfit a van to become a mobile center to travel to downtown Memphis and provide FREE prenatal and maternal care for women in Memphis. Pregnant women will have an alternative to feeling like Planned Parenthood is the only place they can go and that abortion is the only answer.

This is a revolutionary idea.  

Imagine low-income or needy women being able to receive good prenatal and maternal care on the streets.  

Imagine!!!

The thing is, they will only win this grant by having the most votes from people like you and me, and by you sharing this with every single person you know.  

Right now, there is a very militant group of women who have heard about this and are trying like gangbusters to keep The Morning Center from winning.  They have mobilized their anti-life, anti-baby friends and are voting against The Morning Center.  Yesterday, we were in first place.  Today, we are behind by 600 votes.  

Listen, The Morning Center deserves this money.  If the idea of a mobile van for medical care takes off, imagine how many other cities will jump on the bandwagon.  Imagine how many women can have access to the care that they need to ensure a healthy pregnancy!! 

Planned Parenthood does not provide prenatal or infant care with the hundreds of millions of dollars in tax money they receive every year.

Let's help The Morning Center!!

They need at least 1000 votes today.

You can go to this link and you can vote every single day until October 31st.

But they can only win with the most votes.

I know I don't have millions of readers or thousands of followers and fans, but I feel passionate about this.  And I want to try to set you on fire with my passion.  

PLEASE tell every single person you know to go to this link and vote once a day for the next week! PLEASE send this link to every single person you know and get them to vote every single day! PLEASE add The Morning Center to your prayer list!

You will be helping to save lives of women and babies if you check this out.

PLEASE help thwart the plan of the enemy to kill our babies!!!!

PLEASE help me to help The Morning Center to win this contest and to win people over for Christ!!!!!

Here is the link:

The Morning Center

You can share this on your Facebook page.  You can share this on Twitter.  You can make up flyers and pass them out.

I believe in this cause.  I believe in The Morning Center.

Do you??

Right Now

Here's a few questions I answered just to give you a peek into what's going on right now in my world:

Outside my window.... it is still dark and almost 6:20 AM.  I'm a morning person, big time! I got up at 5:40 AM this morning.  Sometimes I wish I could sleep in!!

I'm thinking.... about the curriculum I just ordered for my girls on Ebay.  It was ridiculously cheap and in great condition.  I didn't even know you could get curriculum on eBay! Ha, shows you how much I know!!

I'm thankful for....the comfort we live in and the relative ease of our lives, comparatively speaking.  I'm deeply grateful that it was God's will for me to be born where I was born, in the era that I was born in.

In the kitchen....it's a bit messy! Dishes need to be done and counters need to be wiped down.  I'm going to be making my fabulous gluten-free pancakes in a couple of hours.  We top them with tons of REAL butter and jam.  My favorite jam is organic strawberry!

I'm wearing....the long black maxi dress I slept in.  A little secret: yes, I wore the dress yesterday.  And yes, I sometimes sleep in what I wore! I'm an Honest Mama!

I'm creating....My Plan of Attack for tomorrow, which happens to be Grocery Shopping Day.  I won't be going to Costco tomorrow like usual, I'll stay in town and shop.  The budget for these next two weeks is pretty slim.

I'm wondering....what's on the menu tonight for dinner! Yes, I do struggle with the Making of Weekly Menus, which would probably help me immeasurably every night! I used to make weekly menus very often, but since our grocery budget has shrunk by half, it is pretty hard to make a menu! Sob sob sob!!!

I'm reading....I just finished "In My Hands" by Irena Gut Opdyke. It is the true story of a Holocaust Rescuer living in Poland during World War 2.  It was gripping and horrifying and heart-wrenching and thought provoking and it incited me to be deeply thankful for many things I take for granted.  It is starkly graphic at points but almost clinically so, and not given to too many details during the very short graphic parts.   I'm also reading "Gentian Hill", a very old book which I cannot remember who wrote it! It is gorgeously and beautifully written about a young girl in late 1700's in England.  She is a ten year old girl and she lives in a very small town on the edge of the sea and I highly recommend it!!

I'm looking forward to....Grocery shopping.  I love to see my children's faces when I bring home the bounty! I'm looking forward to getting the new curriculum in the mail.  Does fantasizing about a tall, creamy, frosty, luscious coffee drink count as something I'm looking forward to??

I'm learning....how to be more consistent. This is a never-ending struggle for me.  I'm learning how to try to be a better Christian even when I'm hormonal.  I'm learning that it is no fun to drive a van that has at least 2 rather serious things wrong with it that need to be fixed.  I'm learning to love my husband's work car that hasn't got any power steering and the speedometer is unplugged.  In fact, I plan on begging him to let me take him to work so that I can drive his car today instead of the van!! I'm prepared to use bribery!!!

Around the house....all the little mice are snugly snoozing in their beds.  Pennie is nestled cozily in her crib, dreaming of chocolate muffins and holding Mama.  Daddy needs to wake up very soon.  It is very quiet.  I love this time of day.

A favorite quote of the day...."We bring delight to the Lord when we find joy in our role as a Mama."  

One of my favorite things....just one??? Hmmm....Pennie laying on my chest, with her hand on my cheek, and I can rub my face in her soft blonde baby hair.  I can hold her for as long as I want.  She wants to hold me lots these past couple of days because she has a tiny cold. To me, this is pretty close to bliss.

Okay, it's your turn to answer these questions! 

Yielding

Yesterday, in "Springs in the Desert" I read the following passage.  It is so interesting because, each time I read this book after a long absence from its pages, I find that the passage is just what I need to hear to comfort, encourage, incite, stir up, speak to, or calm me, as needed!

So I read this yesterday, October 22, and it really knocked me for a loop! I was set back on my heels, and the arrow shot from my Saviour's bow hit deeply into its mark! It spoke so perfectly and intrinsically to what I'm wrestling with. For that reason, I wanted to share it with you.

    "It may seem a very terrible thing for the soul to yield itself wholly and unreservedly to the will of Christ.  'What is going to happen? What about tomorrow? Will He not put a very heavy burden upon me if I yield, if I take up the yoke?'  Ah, you have not known my Master! You have not looked into His face! You have not realized His infinite love for you! Why, God's will for you means your fullest happiness! Christ's will and your deepest happiness are synonymous terms.  How can you doubt that your Lord has planned for you the very best thing?"
    "The admiral that goes out with his fleet under sealed orders does not know what is in the packet; but he goes out prepared to do the will of the government of his country.  And although it seems to you that you take from Christ the sealed packet of His will and know not what is in it, yet knowing Who He is that has planned your future, you can step out without realizing all that it means, just as you take His promises.  The value of any promise depends upon the promiser, and so it is with His will.  Whose will is it?? Whose yoke is it?? 'My yoke', says the gentle, loving Jesus.  'Take My yoke upon you.'  To take His yoke is to accept cheerfully His will for us, not only in the present moment, but for the whole future that He has mapped out." Passage written by Mrs. Charles Cowman
   
    "Surrender your will to God.  He will never take advantage of you."   
                               Evan H. Hopkins

    '"I dare not promise, Lord", I cried

"for future years close-sealed.

Surrender is a fearful thing~~

I long~~but dare not yield"

How clear and swift the answer came!

"I only ask of thee

a present of thyself for time

and for eternity."

An easy thing to make, a gift!

My fears found swift release.

I gave myself to Him and found

understanding, and peace."'

Bertha Gerneaux Woods 

Reminiscing

Today marks the two year anniversary of Olivia Caroline's flight to Heaven.

I've been contemplating this post for quite some time now, as I looked at the calendar, and as I marked the approach of this day.

I remember that day, and that trip down to the doctor. I recall hoping, straining, begging God to not let this be happening again.  I would have done anything not to hear those shattering words.....

She's dead.

I had to use all of my mental reserve not to become hysterical on that table, in that dim, still room.  I remembering whispering, "please God, not again!"

I remember like it was yesterday.

Oh, how I wish I did not.

I found this letter recently.  It was written in May, exactly 3 months to the day after they were born.  Pennie was born first, at 9:30 AM, and then, 12 minutes later, Olivia was born.  I wrote this letter out of a place of devastation and intense grief.....emotions which I prayed I would never have to feel again.

I recall the day I found out I was carrying twins.  I was 4 1/2 months pregnant.  It was the biggest and most stunning surprise of my life! I was over the moon with joy and excitement! I walked out of that office sobbing, carrying a long strip of tons of pictures of my identical twin girls!!! I'm quite sure my feet never touched the ground after that day.....

A few days later, my girls and I went to Target to register, because alas, I needed LOTS of stuff!!! I remember two pairs of tiny, precious white suede boots.....the matching Boppys covered in green and red apples....the socks....the diapers.....

Alas, it was not to be. And my feet came crashing down to earth.

And I'm still, these two years later, trying to become serene with God's plan, His sovereign plan, for Olivia, and ultimately, for me.  I want so badly to be reconciled to His will.  I want so deeply to be okay with His decision.  He is a good God.  He is so kind and merciful to me! I have so many blessings that I am entirely unworthy of and do not deserve, but He has given them to me of His free will and His lovingkindness.  I want so strongly to be focused on thanksgiving.....I want so badly to stop wanting to have twins again, in that place in my heart that feels cheated, and maybe a second set of twins will redeem that feeling....

But friends, for me, thanksgiving is a process.

A painful, rending, difficult process.

So, finding this letter is a part of my process.  Seeing the scrapbook page I  made for The Babies is a reminder.....

Please permit me to share excerpts from this letter with you all....and please pray for me as my will and God's will become one.

"Olivia, you will always be in my heart.  You will always be in my thoughts.  I will never, to my final breath, forget that I carried two lives, two halves that made a beautiful whole.  I will forever cherish those months spent holding you, nurturing you in that secret place.  I will try to gain some sense of comfort in the fact that you were in the most loving place when you died......I will never forget feeling you move with your sister, side by side, curled up together, two halves of the same shell~~and your heartbeats, perfectly in sinc~~music~~ music to my ears, joy to my heart! I will remember those days till my dying day, and beyond too.....Olivia, your sister Pennie, your twin, brings me so much joy!  I notice sometimes that I almost crave her, to hold her, to inhale all of her sweetness.  She fills the place in my heart that is hers.  She fills that place, yes, and that place even overflows at times.  Though she does not fill your place in my heart, I am trying to give that to the Lord and let Him fill it.  It will always be your place.  I will be looking forward to seeing you someday and finally easing the ache that your death has left in the very depths of my being.  I know that the phantom pains in my other arm, the arm that was designed to hold you, I know that those pains will be gone on that day when we are reunited.  I know I can look at Pennie, your mirror image, and catch a glimpse of you.  Now you dance for Jesus! Now you behold the face of God! How wondrous! How unfathomable! How glad that makes me! So...dance and sing and twirl and fly, baby girl!" Written on May 20, 2011

Thank you for reading my blog and praying for me and supporting me!!

Good Questions

A gal who follows my blog usually does this fun link-up, and I love to read posts like this from other bloggers, but I don't usually link up because it's just too difficult to go through all of the hoops on my computer!

Still, I decided on the spur of the moment that I would answer these random questions too.  They're just fun and a variety of subjects, and maybe I'll do this just for my blog readers every week!  It's kind of a good way to get to know someone too!

So:

1: Do you ever indulge yourself, and if you do, how do you do it?

This one is super easy for me: I get a coffee drink at my favorite local place! Unfortunately, I have done this much more than I probably should!! Good stuff!

 2: Have you ever wanted to take a cooking class, and if so, which one?

Truthfully, I have never wanted to take a cooking class.  I adore coming up with my own recipes and I have so many that I've made up.  I might have wanted to take a cooking class early on in my marriage, if I even knew such a thing existed, because I was a very clueless cook, but time and error has corrected that! (Plus, I think my husband's prayers early on helped too, so that he just didn't have to eat Hamburger Helper anymore!)

3: What makes a good citizen?

A good citizen is someone who lifts up and follows the Constitution of the United States, who is a watchman at the gates, who takes care of themselves without government intervention of any kind, and who advocates, even crusades, for government to mind their own business.  

4: Do you see the political advertisements out there now, and does it affect your vote at all?

Oh yes, I see the advertisements, and no, it does not affect my vote in any way, shape or form.  We are firmly committed to our candidate and believe in him explicitly and so, lies and bull crud and things of that nature do not sway me!

5.  What have you seen lately that makes you wish you were a kid again?

Hmm....what HAVEN'T I seen that makes me want to be a kid again!!?? When I was a kid, we stayed out barefoot all day long and knew we were supposed to come home when the streetlights turned on. There were awards given at school for those who did a great job and for those who strived in their work and deserved it and earned it. We could go to the candy store and pick out any candy we wanted and they were all wholesome and so good.  Gas was at least $3 less expensive per gallon.  You could do anything you wanted on your own property without permits, regulations and caps.  Cars were made so much safer and you could actually choose whether you wanted to wear your seatbelt or not.  Air bags weren't even a thought in the 70's and early 80's when I was growing up! I could go on and on about a ton of things that were so much better back then, but I won't!

6:  What is your least favorite cliche'?

"Scarce as hen's teeth"! Truly, cliches don't really sit well with me.  I'm just not a "pithy saying" kind of gal!  And most of the popular cliches don't even make sense!

7: How much of your Christmas shopping have you gotten done?

Oh, this one is EASY! Nothing.  Zilch.  Nada.  And we're not likely to be doing a whole lot of Christmas shopping this year at all.

8.  What random thought would you finish up with?

 Chronic Depression is one of the most horrible ailments ever.  Especially for those around you.

Alrighty, that's it.  I won't be joining the link up, but answering those questions was fun!

My Life

I decided to post some pictures of things that make me happy, sort of like my own version of the take-a-pic-a-day that everyone's doing in BlogLand.

This post also satisfies my need for just randomness too!

So, here we go!

Love this girl.

Walking.

Miss Spontaneous!

Hey....Just What I Always Wanted!

A Pretty Flower Down the Block.


These are some of the pictures my girls took over the past couple of months and I think my girls are pretty good photographers.  We'd like to get each of them a camera of their own, and I think they are going to add that to their Birthday and Christmas lists.

Thanks for looking at our pictures!

October

Can you believe that it's October already??

I can't.  

Today was ripe with clarity, and the intense golden glow of the sun as it moved toward the horizon sharpened my senses and touched everything with light that made the trees and the grass seemingly come to life.  The sharp glow of the sun almost reminded me of that first taste of sparkling cider, and how the tiny bubbles would dance and burst on my tongue with such joy.....

As I drove around doing various errands today, I noticed how Fall is already taking the city by surprise.  I saw the changing of the seasons in the fiery, ruby red burst on the tips of hedges and in the veil of amber and flax-colored drama touching the trees.  I was strangely pleased to hear the dry crunch of fallen leaves under my feet as I walked on the vibrant, emerald grass.  And I was captivated by the slight sting of the cold morning as I woke up before the sun, thinking of the comfort and warmth my favorite blanket would give again, after being missed all summer.

To me, the honest air and the pure, caressing breeze is ripe with serenity.  It makes me think of the ways that the Lord cleanses me and purifies me of all the angst and the confusion of the long days on my journey.  I hear the Lord whisper to me in that breath of wind.  The ears of my spirit become more closely attentive to Him as He murmurs truths to me.  I pray that I will always be as attentive to Him as I am right now.  I ask Him to make my heart receptive to those things that He has for me to learn, though they may not be easy.

I'm always calmed when there is a breeze blowing.  I always feel my God in the rush of the wind and the quiet praise of the leaves as they are set in motion by the sweet laughter of the daily zephyr that we enjoy around here.

I pray for you, that our Lord would open the eyes of your heart and expand your knowledge of Him and what He is saying to you.  The Bible says that all creation worships Him, and I pray that you would be able to grasp that as you go about your daily duties.  I know He wants you to experience Him with all of your senses, after all, that's precisely why He created us with all of our senses.  Thank you for letting me express myself and listening as I reveal a bit of the ways that He is God to me.