Friday's Fave Five

For more Friday's Fave Five, click above photo.

1. Sweet cherries. Don't laugh but the only cherries I have ever eaten up until this week are the ones that come on top of sundaes! They are actually quite good. I compare them to a cross between a grape and a plum.

2. Freshly washed, cool sheets. Ah! No need to expound on this one--you know what it's like.

3. Helpful children. Jeffery's comment after I had spent a good part of an hour vacuuming the house: "Mommy, I cleaned my booster seat for you. I dumped all the crumbs off."

4. Early mornings, late nights. I love being with my children, but I also love that hour of quiet before they get up and that hour of quiet after they go to bed!

5. Baby smiles.

Having a Happy Birthday for the Child AND the Parent

Photo courtesy of Pink Sherbet

I have two children's birthdays coming up in the next month. I'm a bit more "relaxed" than I used to be about these things. My firstborn had a birthday party with at least 20 people in attendance. She was cranky and so were we by the end of the day! My second child had a first birthday party with our family and two sets of grandparents around the Sunday dinner table. Who knows what will happen with Jerrod's first birthday? Maybe the five of us will meet over a bedtime snack?

If you thought this was a post full of wonderful, stress-free party tips, sorry to disappoint you. I gave you plenty of links yesterday for that. I'll let you in on my biggest party secret, though. I am actually not very fond of parties. There, I said it. Please keep it to yourself. I love to celebrate my child's growing another year older, but I don't like all the drama of hanging streamers, cooking fancy foods, making and decorating a cake and organizing games. Then there's the cleaning of the house--both before and after the decorating.

Our birthdays are rather low-key now. We usually have grandparents and aunts and uncles only to a pizza party, cake--ice cream or homemade--and gifts. That's it. I've had a few tea parties for my daughter's birthdays for a few friends at a time. That's it. No big theme parties. Just visiting with people that really love my children.

However, now my kids are getting more friends as they get older, and I know the time will come when I will have to break out the balloons, streamers and my handy Pampered Chef cake decorating kit. But for one more year, I think I'll just have party food delivered and get take out for the cake. Just remember, this is only between you and me. Please don't tell anyone else our secret!

Photo courtesy of robokow

Links and Book Review: Celebrations Edition

• Life as Mom gives her perspective on Christmas planning for gifts and atmosphere. In fact, she's blogging about it all week!
• Another Christmas in July post by Jill at Living on A Dime
  
• Life as Mom also has some neat birthday cake ideas here.
• Money Saving Mom tells us about birthday freebies from Toys "R" Us
• Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam talks about birthday traditions
• Molly from Econobusters shares this neat cake decorating idea
• Homemaker Barbi's thoughts on kids' birthday parties: Are They Out of Control?
• Joy from Happy to Be At Home gives us 13 Frugal and Low-Stress Birthday Ideas
• And one more cute birthday cake idea for your guy that loves baseball at Cooking During Stolen Moments!

As far as books, I guess I'm cheating a bit. My recommendation is actually a magazine. Family Fun magazine is great for birthday party ideas as well as any other celebration and their ideas are for real parents with real budgets. Every time I get a free subscription offer, I sign up because I'm sure to find lots of neat ideas for both celebrations and everyday celebrations.

Christmas In July

Photo courtesy of krisdecurtis

Since this is the last week of July, I figured this was the last opportunity to do a "Christmas in July" post. With beautiful weather and back to school still 3 weeks away, it's hard to think about mistletoe and holly. However, waiting until the last minute to plan for Christmas buying can be a big strain on the budget not to mention very stressful.

Last Christmas was really nice--we simplified a lot and it was much more peaceful than previous years. The kids still got so much "stuff", though! They have two sets of grandparents, 3 aunts and 4 uncles that buy for them.

As you know, there can be a temptation for parents to get into a competition game. "Well, I want them to like my present best!" (How pre-school is that?! Almost makes as much sense as grandmas vying for "favorite granny" position--but that's another post.) So, we go out and buy bigger presents than we afford that get a "Wow!" on Christmas morning and "ho hum" a few days later.

I've heard different schools of thought on this. A lot of parents get their children 3 presents. Since that was all Jesus received, they figure their children shouldn't get more than Jesus. Considering Jesus was given gold, frankincense and myrrh; I wasn't too fond of the idea of comparing my children's presents to Jesus'. Talk about breaking the budget!

A lot more parents have the attitude, "It's only once a year...we don't buy them much through the year...we'll just splurge a little." A little becomes a lot quickly (don't ask me how I know this!). Even for those parents that can afford it, I'm not so sure this is good training for our children. A few simple, quality things are so much more enjoyable than lots of glittery, impractical presents anyway.

Before you think I am Scrooge in thinly-veiled disguise, let me tell you my idea for this Christmas. After all, we have 3 children instead of 2 now and precedents are easily set. My oldest and I recently had a discussion about what kind of Christmas she would like. I found out a lot of interesting things, and found that she would actually be satisfied and happy with fewer, nicer things rather than a lot of trinkets. She also loves traditions. So, we thought we'd try out this tradition and see how well we like it:

• One BIG SURPRISE present ("Big" can be big as in more expensive or big as in..well, big)
• One present to WEAR (This is actually a tradition we already started. They get some fun pajamas that we wouldn't normally get them.)
• One present to READ (My kids love books and a book is one thing that rarely gets ruined or ignored in our house. Christmas books would be special books that we wouldn't normally get at the library.)
• One present to LEARN (This would be a present that reflects the current interest of the child be it trains, building, numbers, art, etc.)

I'm not sure if we'll add anything to the list or not. This list might sound a bit short to the average consumer today, however to our grandparents that were grateful to receive an orange in the bottom of their stocking it sounds pretty extravagant. Which you rather your child be like, your sweet little grandmother that survived the Depression or the child that kicks and screams on the floor of the grocery store because he didn't get the candy he wanted?

Photo courtesy of morberg

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, July 27, 2009...

Outside my window...it is sunny and calm.

I am thinking...of getting my house back in order from the weekend. (Why do I post this same thing every Monday?!)

I am thankful for...my family and friends.

From the learning rooms...we have officially sent in the notification for the year as we are required to do in our state.

From the kitchen...just finished a breakfast of omelets, oatmeal and toast and of course green smoothies! Grilling steaks with peppers and potatoes tonight.

I am wearing...my white shirt and flowered skirt and some non-matching socks (need to mate socks so I can find the right ones!).

I am creating...the plan for my day.

I am going...over to my mom's to use the grill tonight.

I am reading...

I am hoping...to get alot accomplished today.

I am hearing...Jeffery and Jerrod playing in the other room.

Around the house...laundry, picking up/putting away, changing sheets, budgeting...just a few things that a Monday brings in our household.

One of my favorite things...a dish of sweet blackberries! Mmmm.

A few plans for the rest of the week: possibly going to camp, preparing for the school year and organizing the basement and laundry room.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
One of the kids' finds on our last nature walk.

Finer Things Friday

I decided to change things up a bit and try a new meme for today. It's been a long day, my brain is fried and I just couldn't think of five favorite things for today!

Although I usually love staying home, I made some exceptions this week and braved the "world outside" with 3 children. I love the exhilaration of a crowded restaurant at lunch time, a WalMart trip, 2 different libraries, a grocery store trip in which I triumphantly endured an all-out fit right in the check out line, a mall run for shoes and another grocery store in which the previously irate child performed like an angel. Ah! But it's not over yet....I have two more big trips before the week is over. Hmmm....maybe the finer thing really is that it is bedtime and the last two days are officially over. My hot bath awaits!

Aren't they cute, though?

House Rules

After the little session I talked about in Tuesday's post, we made up some house rules to help us. I knew with younger children, they had to be easy to remember. The kids helped me word each in a way that would be easy for them to do so. I'm sure there are many more we could add, but that will come later. Here's what we came up with so far:

1. If you make a mess, clean it up.
2. Use things the right way. (i.e. do not use the couch as a trampoline)
3. Only run outside.
4. Save yelling and screaming for emergencies.
5. If you want something, say it once.

If you have older children, you might be interested in this list:

Duggar house rules

What about you? Have you made house rules? Are they written down? Please share yours with us!

Links and Book Review: Making a Home edition

One of my favorite books from my bookshelf on making your home a place unique to you and a place which you enjoy is Emilie Barnes' Simple Secrets to A Beautiful Home. It is full of practical, doable tips and, true to Emilie Barnes style, is organized in a way that you can access them when you need them. I would highly recommend this book for your home bookshelf.

Here a few links on making our home a place where the family wants to be:

Simple Mom's Using Aromas to Lift Our Moods
What not to do, Shrines of Materialism and A True Home from A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Laura from Heavenly Homemakers tells us that she loves her home here

What Makes A Home For You?

Photo courtesy of apple photo

Recently, after a morning full of breaking up spats and nagging about clutter in the kids' room which had spilled over to my living room, I decided to try a new approach. I gathered the kids on the floor of the living room and asked them a question, "What makes our home a place where we love to be?" Surprisingly, they came up with some good answers for little ones. Here are some of the things they said that I wrote down:

pretty
calm and peaceful
being taken care of
being fed
keep you healthy
helping take care of each other
kept safe
our things kept safe
rules to keep us safe and happy
prayer
kindness
gifts from my family
free time to play or read
clean and neat
allowances for being part of the family

That was interesting and informative, but we still had to figure out how to get there. So my next question was, "What is keeping us from having a home like this?" With just a little prompting from me, we came up with this list:

not asking for God's help
disobedience
laziness
anger
whining

Just a few things were holding us back from a whole list of things that we wanted to make up our home. It doesn't take much to keep us from God's best, does it?

Photo courtesy of fishin widow

From this exercise, we went on to more practical ways each one could help. To my surprise, most of the things I was nagging them about were on their lists. "I can keep my room clean", "I'll pick up my toys when I'm not using them", "I'll share my things", "I won't fight". I even got brave and asked them what Mommy could do to help make our home better.

I would love to tell you that our home has been the perfect example of the first list since we had this little "meeting". No, it is definitely a work in progress, but we had to have a starting point. No family can decide what needs to be done until they decide where they want to go.

Photo courtesy of Rsms

What about you? What makes a home a place you want to be? Now think to yourself and discuss with your family: What is keeping me from this and what can I do as an individual to correct it?

I would love to hear what you come up with in answer to the first question! Keep on reading this week as we explore what makes a home a place where we want to be.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, July 20, 2009...

Outside my window...it's bright and sunny with a light breeze.

I am thinking...that I should go start breakfast.

I am thankful for...my husband--I say this a lot, but he is just what I need!

From the learning rooms...I have my curriculum figured out, my schedule figured out and piano lessons set up. I just need to put away some things from last year and work on my "before school starts" list.

From the kitchen...I'm going to make an egg dish for breakfast this morning and probably some bacon for the rest of the family.

I am wearing...my comfy purple robe.

I am creating...a family closet...well, trying anyway.

I am going...to the post office--no big plans for today.

I am reading...nothing right now. I'm going to start on one of the books in the sidebar tonight, though.

I am hoping...to get the laundry and toys organized today.

I am hearing...Jeffery's annoying Jerrod and my husband by singing nonsense songs, Jerrod's accompanying "leave me alone" fuss and my husband's occasional, "Jeffery, stop!"

Around the house...just the usual clean-up-from-the-weekend routine

One of my favorite things...the new Excel gradebook I just found--wish I would have had it last year!

A few plans for the rest of the week: getting ready for school, setting up the family closet, doing some fun things with the kids.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

My little monkeys

For more Simple Woman's Daybook go here.

Friday's Fave Five

1. Dedicated VBS workers (other than me!). My kids have had a blast at VBS this week, and this is the first year EVER that I have not helped. This week, I was one of those awful moms that dropped my kids off every night. ;-) I kind of miss interacting with all the kids, but not the extreme exhaustion. It's exhausting enough shuttling kids back and forth to church! :-)

2. My sister visiting for the week. Even though she's been busy with the VBS (the first one she's totally in charge of--and doing awesomely), it's nice to visit with her and her husband for longer than a day.

3. Working out with my daughter. We have had a blast doing exercise routines together this week. It makes it more fun for me to have someone to do it with, and she REALLY holds me accountable. :-)

4. Getting ready for school. Yes, it's officially time to think of back to school because Crayola crayons are on sale for 25 cents at WalMart! I figured out my curriculum today and need to get my notification sent in. I'm getting excited!

5. A motorcycle helmet. Yeah, seriously. This is not my typical ribbons, lace and flowers gift of choice, but it is a surprise from my man (was a surprise, but now it's not because I already know about it being a surprise...oh, never mind) and it does mean we can go on a date when I use it since my husband's bike has no side car or room for carseats. No, I will not tell you when the date is so you can follow us and laugh at me.

For more Friday's Fave Five go to Living to Tell The Story.

My Sibling, My Friend

I was recently watching a You Tube video about the Duggar family that I mentioned in the links and book review last week. One of the older girls was being interviewed and they asked where the Duggar hairstyle comes from and why they all look alike. Her answer was, I believe, foundational to good family relationships particularly between siblings. I am paraphrasing but she basically said, "Why do all the girls in a school look the same? They are friends so they want to look like one another."

In a family, there should be a sense of "this is where I belong." When no one else in the world believes in one, he or she should be able to turn to his family members to receive strength and encouragement and, yes, friendship. A husband and wife should be best friends. Parents should be friends with their children while, of course, maintaining authority. And, contrary to popular belief, it is totally natural for siblings to be friends.

Photo courtesy of Ivan Makarov

It seems like the world, even popular children's books, encourage sibling rivalry (yes, I knew I spelled that wrong the other day--it was a play on words!) and expect siblings not to get along. That worldview is based on allowing our selfish natures to overtake us and not consider the other person. However, if we line our beliefs and practices up with God's Word, we see the message that we are to take up our cross, follow Him and lay down our lives for others. Within a family, it is critical that we do this!

I shared a few humorous stories of life with my siblings when we were smaller earlier this week, however the years of growing and playing together have left us with an incredible bond. A few poignant memories I have are the three of us comforting one another in a group hug at the funerals of our grandparents, calling up my brother when I was down for a much-needed laugh, calling my sister for encouragment when my stress levels were through the roof and having two of my best friends in the world standing by me as I pledged my love and life to my groom ten years ago.

But the memories aren't over. The three of us are as different as three people could possibly be, but I look forward to sharing many more life experiences with them in the future. And, maybe, just maybe passing on a little of that bond to my own three children so their bond will be just as strong in years to come.

Photo courtesy of Olivireland

Links and Book Review: Siblings Edition

The best book I have read on the subject of getting siblings to get along is co-written by 3 siblings--Sarah, Stephen and Grace Mally. Titled Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends, it is so refreshing and a fun read. Although mine were a little young to appreciate anything but the pictures (expertly drawn by the Mallys' dad), it's a great book to read with your kids to encourage them in building closer sibling relationships. I laughed a lot through the book, because most of it could have easily been written by my own siblings and me.

Now a few links I've found to help us inspire unity among our children:

• Courtney from the Women Living Well Blog tells us One Way to Resolve Sibling Rivalry
• Michelle at She Looketh Well asks the thought-provoking question, Why Does It Always Come Back to Me?
• A guest post from Tracy at Girls to Grow on the Happy Housewife gives us Ways to Encourage Our Children to Love Each Other
  

Sibling Revelry

As the oldest of three, I've always felt like I had to "take care of" my younger siblings. (My brother calls me his "second mother". Maybe I took it a bit too far?) I didn't exactly plan it that way, but perhaps it started when this annoying "big girl" at church felt it was her duty to carry around my baby brother. I had waited 3 years for the privilege of bossing him protecting him and she was taking my job!

When school started, my "job" took on a new dimension. I still remember being called to the door of my 3rd grade classroom and seeing a forlorn little guy with a trembling chin. Wondering what could have possibly happened before noon on a Monday, I asked him what was wrong. His voice came in a whisper, "I forgot my lunch money!" Well, if it involves food, I'm there, so I lent him some of my stash.

Then my sister came along. Since my brother isn't that into nurturing, I had to take over for her protection, too. I got called out of class to rescue a teacher from her assault in her pre-kindergarten class (yes, you read that right!). I also got called to the office one day. Mentally checking over my recent list of misdeeds, I decided none of them were worth a trip to the office. Sure enough when I got there, I found my sister leaning over the office trash can. "Oh, she does this all the time!" I assured them. "She missed her breakfast, and she gets an upset stomach when she does that." The teachers rushed to the teacher's lounge for a doughnut, and my sister looked up long enough to give me the look.

Somewhere during high school, things changed a bit. I'm sure I was just as bossy with my siblings as ever, but I realized that maybe I needed them, too. Who knew my little brother had a sixth sense about the guys I liked or that my baby sister could help me out in social situations or with decorating? Somehow we had become best friends without any of us even thinking about it. My parents had instilled in us that friends come and go and few of them stick for life, but siblings are there for you forever.

Now, when I see my daughter bossing protecting her younger brothers, I tell her it won't be long until they'll be protecting her. Then she gives me the look as she dodges her brother's missile and rushes at him with thoughts of protection instantly fleeing from her mind. I guess some things just take time.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...July 13, 2009...

Outside my window...it is sunny and I see my neighbor's flag waving briskly.

I am thinking...of what I need to get done today.

I am thankful for...a great church family.

From the learning rooms...I finally got back Jessica's achievement test scores. I am very pleased with how she is learning and she had a very high percentile. We also know what areas we particularly need to work on.

From the kitchen...Jessica and I spent a long time Saturday prepping fruits and veggies and some do-ahead meals for this week.

I am wearing...my nightgown--it's a lazy morning today since it's my husband's day off and we all slept in.

I am creating...the perfect cup of coffee.

I am going...maybe to my mom's to see my sister who will be here this week from Virginia and to drop off kids at VBS tonight.

I am reading...in between books right now...just finished For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn, The Duggars-20 and Counting by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and America's Cheapest Family by Steve and Annette Economides.

I am hoping...to get back to eating properly again.

I am hearing...Jerrod and Jeffery making noises.

Around the house...I have some straightening up to do and some laundry to catch up.

One of my favorite things...baby smiles and bear hugs from my son and sweet words from my daughter.

A few plans for the rest of the week: VBS and catching up on my work-at-home job.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Looking forward to seeing my little sister this week!

For more Simple Woman's Daybook, go here.

Friday's Fave Five

1. An answer to prayer. My friend called me this week with a dire financial need and asked me to pray. After getting off the phone, I asked my 3yo son to pray with me about it. In a matter of hours, she called back, excitedly letting me know that God had answered! What a wonderful opportunity to share with her and show my son that God answers prayer!

2. Early morning dates. I had an early morning eye appointment, so my parents kept our kids overnight so my husband and I could leave early for coffee and some time together before picking them up after the appointment.

3. Finding a biscuit recipe. I have tried so many, but I finally found one with normal, on-hand ingredients that my family likes. It's especially good with our homemade strawberry jam! Yum!

4. Kind reviews by a fellow blogger. I appreciate Janeen at Christian Frugal Mama reviewing my blog today. She has been such an encouragement to me in my blogging adventure. Thanks, Janeen!

5. Citrus scents. They are so clean, refreshing and energizing. I like the Dove Go Fresh shampoo and conditioner in lemongrass and grapefruit and Bath and Body's Dancing Waters. I used up my bottle of Body Shop grapefruit quickly! I also love to get lemon and orange cleansers for my dishes and house.

Click the picture above to see more Friday's Fave Five posts.

Song to Sing on "Those Days"

Some of my favorite music about the family comes from Deb and Dee, two sisters who have sung together since they were small. I don't think they have a website or I'd refer you to it. One of their songs is especially meaningful to me as a work-at-home mom. If you work outside the home, this is not to bash you, but you can still remember the sentiment of the song no matter how many hours you are physically with your children.

My Ministry Is You

It's so easy to look outside and feel there must be more
Than staying home with young ones playing on the floor
This world keeps telling me, "Staying home is not for you!"
But in my heart I'm learning what God wants me to do.

For this special time in my life, my ministry is you
Though so many things pull on my heart, my ministry is you
So all of this world can wait while I give myself to you
Because you only stay young for a little while
My ministry is you.

It's a privilege to love and teach you every day
Even good things are bad if they take me away
From the time I have with you to lead you in God's ways
To help you love and serve Him all of your days.

(Repeat chorus)

I know that I'm your only mother, and these days we have together are few,
So in this fleeting and precious time, my life is devoted to you.

In the end, when we stand in Heaven with our families, isn't that a greater reward than any other ministry we could have done? The flip side is, of course, that we are investing our children back into the Lord's work to do a ministry that we by ourselves could never do. Our potential to reach the world for Christ is increased by the number of children we have.

Links and Book Review: Ministry for Moms

I am in the middle of a great book right now. I wasn't intending on using it as a book review, but a quote from the book made me realize it would be a great resource on this week's topic. The Duggars: 20 and Counting! by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar has been so helpful and entertaining. If nothing else, it gives me hope that if they can do all they do with 18 children, surely I can handle my little house and 3 children. They have given their lives to the ministry of, as the subtitle reads, "raising one of America's largest families". This is the quote that I found particularly relevant to our discussion:

"We love being together as a couple, and we love being with our family. We believe teaching our children to develop a ministry mindset begins in the heart of the family, with children learning to serve one another so they later will know how to reach out to others outside our home.

"With this goal in mind, we have designed our lifestyle around our family, and our family is focused on God. When others ask us why we live this way, we share a principle we've found to be totally true: You will never regret spending too much time together as a family."

Now for a few really great articles by others on this topic:

Uniquely Yours by Andrea on the Exemplify blog
Mothering and Ministry by Joy at Stay at Home Missionary
A quote posted by June at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
An important reminder from Michelle: "Are You Engaged?"

Feed My Lambs

This poem is my personal testimony/journey on this topic. I didn't actually do all of the things in the poem, but it expresses some of the different ways we could minister as women. Some of the ministries mentioned may be exactly the ones God has for you. Remember, this is only my personal testimony. I just thought it might be a good background to start our subject this week.

Feed My Lambs

When I began to follow Jesus, my heart was very full
Though I was deeply satisfied, I felt another pull.

Emotions soaring, to God I cried, "I want to work for you!"
Is there a ministry for me - a work that I can do?"

"My child, do you love me?" Answered the Great I AM.
"Oh yes, my blessed Savior!" "Then, Child, feed my lambs."

So off I set to find them, these lambs of which he spake.
I traveled far to Africa, many converts to make.

Then my Father told me, "These are not for you!
"Closer to home I have a work for you to do."

So I began to work at church in many different things,
Visiting and teaching, I would speak, play and sing.

After many months of this, I was sure I had it right.
All the work that I did must be pleasing in His sight.

But when I took the time to inquire of the Lord
To seek after His heart and study in His Word,

Of His will for me, He told me once again,
"My child, if you love me, you will feed my lambs.

"The work you've done is noble, but it is not for you,
Closer to home I have a work for you to do."

So I laid aside my plans and I began to feed His sheep,
One little girl and two little boys in the home that I should keep.

Much kingdom work there is to do, but all of that can keep.
For now, my Lord has bidden me, to simply, feed His sheep.

A Visit to the Zoo

Today we hit our own city's zoo. In the past, locals have joked that you can see a variety of species of house cats there, however we saw some bigger cats, a bear and a lot of other neat animals that certainly wouldn't live in my house! The kids enjoyed themselves which is all that matters.

My little penguins

Jessica driving the explorer truck

Jeffery on the jellyfish climbing wall

And what was Jerrod doing all this time? Riding around in the zoo cart, looking around, until...

Going...

GONE!

Stories of Abortion

I have always considered myself pro-life, but until I had children, I think I saw it as mostly a political thing. Now that I've birthed three beautiful children and watched them grow and served as their mother, I've thought more about the issue. I've grappled with my own place in the pro-life agenda, and I want to be a voice for the unborn child and for the hurting women that are out there.

If graphic details bother you, don't go to the links in today's post. If there is a style of music or speech that offends you or a theological view differing from yours, please don't debate it--just get to the message of what is being said regarding abortion.

Now, I want to share some true stories with you today:

• Kelly at Generation Cedar shares this video of a 13-year-old telling her abortion story.
• June from A Wise Woman Builds Her Home shares this video of a 12-year-old that sure sounds convincing to me!
• Mark Schultz tells the story behind his song to his birth mom, Everything to Me.
• Catherine of Only Visiting This Planet, tells her story in this candid post. (Thanks to Jess of Making Home for the link tip!)

Photo courtesy of richelleantipolo

Lastly, I want to share the story of a dear friend of mine. Although she doesn't want her name mentioned, I thank her for writing this for us today:

I've always firmly believed that if God wants you to be alive, nothing can overturn His will. Absolutely nothing. This is why with all that is happening in the world today regarding abortions, I firmly believe God didn't want those children to be born. This may sound harsh, but here's the reason why.

Approximately 27 years ago, a single, motherless lady became pregnant. She was lost and scared. She knew that her family would never approve of this pregnancy and the father of the child would never own it. Rather than become excluded from her family, she decided she needed to get rid of this baby. She contacted her doctors and explained she wanted an abortion. The abortion was booked at the local clinic.

When she arrived at the clinic, they confirmed the child was still alive and asked her to confirm she wanted to get rid of her baby. She said yes. She took the first tablet to kill the child and a few hours later, she had the baby removed. They gave her all clear, she was no longer pregnant. Except God had other plans for that baby and hid her in the deepest part of the womb, where no man could find her.

A few months later, the lady realised she was still pregnant, the abortion had not worked. She contacted the doctor and social services to arrange an adoption, once the child was born. After many months of hiding from her family and the child's father, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She gave the baby a beautiful pink romper suit. She only visited the child once in hospital, turned her back on the baby and left. Six weeks later that child was adopted by another family.

That child was me. I firmly believe God wanted me alive for many reasons. I must admit, I don't know why, but I'm grateful. Thank you God.

Photo courtesy of Bethany L King

And I'm grateful, too! Now, will you purpose to be truly pro-life? I challenge you to find out what you can do to promote life of babies from their conception, and do it!