This Struck a Cord with Me...

My paternal grandfather and I.

   I was reading a post by the lovely Brenda over at Coffee, Tea, Books and Me blog http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/ and she made the comment at the end of one of her posts about voting the issues of the candidates that are running for president of the United States.  She mentioned that she was voting for the candidate that was Pro Life and her  deeply personal reason for doing so.  That struck a resonated  with me because I would have been a casualty of the "Pro Choice/Women's Reproductive Rights" movement if it abortion had been legal when I was conceived.  I am so thankful that it was not legal then and that I am here today.   I also want to state upfront that I am in no way bashing my dear mother, who at that time, felt scared, overwhelmed and to be perfectly honest, had no idea how she was going to raise a baby and finish her college degree, even with my father's love and support.  She is a very strong woman in so many ways, but at that moment, she was scared.  I know how she feels because I too had that same scare and looking back now, I know I had a miscarriage and was not just "late".  Luckily for me, when I did share the news of my possible pregnancy, my then boyfriend/now husband gently said "I guess we just become a family sooner than planned."

   Before I get into this, I really want to say that my heart goes out to women who have been put in a position where they felt they had no choice but to have an abortion.  Whether it was family pressure or not knowing that there were so many people out there who would have loved that baby and adopted it as their own, my heart aches for them and for that precious child.  For those women who just saw the baby as a inconvenience and something that was a mass of tissue to be discarded so they could go on with their lives and not have to go through with the pregnancy, I feel so bad for you that you were fed so much misinformation and made that choice.  For those women who live with the devastating feelings of guilt for what they have done, may God comfort you as only He can.

   I value life and believe that life begins at the moment of conception. I have heard the arguments that are given for aborting a baby that was conceived in rape and yet I know a very brave woman who this happened to and she had her precious daughter who was then adopted by her amazing husband when they got married.  Both mother and daughter are so thankful she chose life and are as close as they can possibly be!  It is a joy to see them together and the love they share. My friend, the brave woman, is now able to spoil her beautiful grandchild, someone that she would have never known had she made another choice.  I also know other people that were conceived in rape and then were given the chance at a good life by their brave birth mothers who made the loving decision to not only give birth to these precious people, but also gave an adoptive family the gift of a child to love, raise and complete their own family.  I have a cousin that has become a much loved part of our family through adoption.  I would love to one day be the grandparent to a child or children that became part of our family through adoption.  My husband and I offered to adopt a precious little one when a teenaged friend (who had been adopted by her wonderful family herself) became pregnant and were heartbroken when she felt pressured to have an abortion and went through with it.

   I'm a mom who loves my children with every fiber of my being.  Although my oldest son was planned for, our twins were a unexpected surprise. I'm so glad that God blessed me with my three amazing sons by birth and my hanai kids too.  I now have 2 beautiful daughters as 2 of my sons are married wonderful women.  I'm a grandmother to 2 energetic, curious and totally adorable little boys and am praying that there will be more little ones to love on soon. I am so thankful that I was not another innocent victim of abortion.