Speaking Up For The Weakest Among Us
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Good morning out there! March is here! Many blessings to you and yours on this Second Sunday of Lent!
I wrote the following post/story/helpful information for my blog yesterday.
Hello out there! It is a "skirt alert" windy day!
Stories, memories, scriptures and Beware/Be Aware - my post for today and probably the title also!
Jim and I will be married forty-three years in June. When we got married I was expecting our first child. Abortion had been legal for ten years. Having an abortion never even entered our minds. I was and still am very blessed to have a wonderful husband. We immediately picked a date and planned a small wedding. Sonograms were just starting to be available but really only used if the doctor thought they were necessary. I had an older doctor and he told me that I didn't need a sonogram. I was young (19) and healthy. I looked forward to my doctor visits so that I could hear my baby's heartbeat. We didn't know if we were having a son or a daughter until I gave birth and the doctor said, "It's a boy!" Our daughter was born one year and five days after our son was born. No sonogram, and again, so thankful to hear her heartbeat at each visit. I carried both of my babies the same way, down low, so people would tell me that I was going to have another boy. But they were wrong! And the doctor said, "It's a girl!" I remember how amazing it was when I felt my babies move during my pregnancies. I would place my hands on my tummy and just be in awe. I would talk to my unborn babies and sing songs. Those memories will stay with me forever. I didn't need a sonogram to know that a precious baby was growing in my womb. I'm not knocking sonograms at all, just sharing my memories of how I felt during both of my pregnancies.
The following scriptures come to mind:
2 Corinthians 5:7
We walk by faith, not by sight.
Psalm 139:14
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works.
For over forty years now, sonograms have let moms and dads see their baby in the womb. They not only get to hear their baby's heartbeat but are able to see them as well! Parents don't even have to wait to hear the doctor announce if they have a son or a daughter. We looked forward to seeing each and every sonogram of our grandchildren. Amazing pictures of life in the womb. Proud parents post sonogram pictures on Facebook, Instagram, etc. Some frame the photos and there are probably many of those photos on refrigerator doors. Scrapbooks have these photos as the very first picture of their son or daughter. But yet, even with this modern technology, we still have abortion.
These scriptures come to my mind about seeing and still not understanding:
Matthew 13:13-15
"I use parables when I speak to them because they look but do not see, they listen but do not hear or understand." Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them which says:
'Listen as you will, you shall not understand. look intently as you will, you shall not see. Sluggish indeed is this people's heart. They have scarcely heard with their ears, they have firmly closed their eyes, otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back to me and I should heal them.'
I found out some alarming information earlier this week. The abortion pill, Plan B One-Step, is sold over the counter at drug stores, grocery stores, and some 24 hr. convenience stores. No age restriction or ID is necessary to purchase these pills. One of the generic alternatives is known as, Morning After Pill. I looked up the side effects and I urge everyone who is as concerned as I am to do the same. I live in Texas and this pill is widely available to young women who probably have no idea how harmful this pill can be. It is an abortifacient. How are young ladies supposed to think this pill is harmful if they don't even have to show their ID, or they pick it up after putting gas in their car and grabbing snacks at the same place?
Please talk to your children, talk to your teenagers, and keep talking! Do some investigating yourself about this pill and where it's sold. Communication is key. Just because something is legal doesn't make it right! Let your children know how precious they are to you. We are fighting a spiritual battle!
Look up Ephesians 6:10-17 - Christian Warfare -Putting on the armor of God.
I wish all of my posts could be light hearted and fun but life issues need to be shared and parents need to know the dangers that are sitting right on the grocery store shelves.
The following phone number is a National Hotline that is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 1-800-712-HELP(4357) If someone dials this number they are asked for their zip code or city and state and they will be given the address to the nearest Pregnancy Help Center/ Pregnancy Resource Center. (I called and asked questions - the lady was very nice!) English and Spanish
Pregnancy Help Centers/ Pregnancy Resource Centers are not funded by tax dollars, they rely totally on donations. A few of the services they provide are; free pregnancy testing, free sonograms, OB/GYN referrals, and information about adoption. These centers help young ladies and women of all ages. It doesn't matter if you are single or married. They offer parenting classes, they help with diapers, clothing, car seats, etc. Volunteers wash all the new and like new clothing they receive for newborns through 3T or so depending on the center. There is so much help out there for moms and their babies, and the dads too!
Help is available for women who regret their abortion. Their stories are heartbreaking. Sharing some helpful links: hopeafterabortion.com and look up Rachel's Vineyard and Rachel's Vineyard Retreats in your area.
Planed or unplanned, a crisis pregnancy or a much prayed for pregnancy, a baby is a baby!
Open your eyes! Let your hearts be touched!
Peace and blessings to you and yours,
near and far, wherever you are!
Bye for now, Sharla
Sharla Ynostrosa is a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Her ten grandchildren keep her busy! She and her husband, Jimmy, have been married since June of 1983. Sharla converted to Catholicism in 1987. Having been adopted at birth, Sharla is a staunch pro-life advocate. In her blog, adoptedandblessed.blogspot.com she shares stories about her family life, love of her Catholic faith, and various links to websites intended to help readers learn more about adoption and other pro-life topics. Her book, “Adopted and Blessed: Words from My Heart” is full of short stories from the first couple of years of her blog. Many of these books are given away with the hope of a seed being planted. She loves to speak to the youth about pro-life issues and has had very positive results from using the, Touch of Life Fetal Model sets. Sharla and her husband live in San Angelo, Texas and are active members in their parish. This refrain is from one of her favorite hymns and is a constant prayer: Lead me, Lord, lead me, Lord, by the light of truth to seek and to find the narrow way. Be my way; be my truth; be my life, my Lord, and lead me, Lord, today.
