When I was 14 months along a sonogram showed that our baby had fluid built up around her head and abdomen. My OB was somber, and said that irrespective of the cause of the problem, things did not look good for our little one.
It was recommended that we go for a second ultrasound and an opinion from a high risk specialist. We did so. We also had an amniocentesis done. As we waited a week for the results, I prayed as I researched all of the possible scenarios on the internet.
I prayed that our baby would live. I prayed that whatever the abnormality, that our baby would survive birth and be ours to hold and love for even a short time. I found myself praying that our baby would have Downs Syndrome, for at least that condition was not fatal.
However, our baby was found to have Trisomy 18, a condition considered to be fatal, either in utero, at birth, or shortly after birth. Our baby girl did in fact die at 17.5 weeks along. I had felt her move inside me, and then felt the lack of movement. I knew when her spirit left me.
When I held her in my hand at the hospital after having her induced, I appreciated God’s mercy in rescuing her from earthly suffering, and I thanked God for sparing our family (we have six young children) from the trauma of witnessing that suffering despite our willingness to do so had that been God’s will. I also thanked God for the opportunity my husband and I had to exhibit our faith in action to our children. They now know what it means to love life from the moment of conception, and they know that they were so loved.
And so now as I watch the news and view our current society, I am outraged and overcome.
I want my say, and so I pray….
Dear God please let all of your faithful be spurred to action as we witness a society brazenly baring its ugliest sides without hint of remorse.
Homosexual marriage.
Free contraception.
Wrongful life suit for a Downs Syndrome baby that would have been aborted had the parents only known.
Is there any dignity left in our people? Is there any humanity? Faith?
I pray that the dialogue in our nation be elevated. I pray that instead of discussing marriage as a civil union we discuss it as a most Holy Sacrament; a vocation through which men and women are called to attempt to create life and then to welcome that life, if so blessed.
I pray that spouses view one another as partners on the journey to heaven – that they strive to grow in holiness together; that they forever seek to minister to one another spiritually, emotionally, and physically without selfishness.
I pray that men and women at all ages and stages of life find the courage to defy the societal call to immorality and discover the beauty and dignity to be found in living lives of intentional and willful chastity, whether single, married, or religious.
I pray that contraception be replaced with virginity, natural family planning, or abstaining, and that the heavenly gift of human sexuality finds its rightful place within loving marriages.
I pray that every life be recognized as a wondrous miracle of God, worthy of protection and respect.
I pray that parents welcome the children that God blesses them with, understanding that from the very moment of conception their child’s soul was hand-picked by God and entrusted to them for some heavenly purpose that they need to grow to comprehend.
I pray that every woman who considers abortion chooses adoption instead.
I am so thankful that I will always have my say, for I will always PRAY!!!!
Prayer is my greatest weapon. And my husband and I are teaching our children to pray.
Yes, secular society, I am one of your greatest threats as I sit quietly in my happy home holding the multi-colored beads of my Pro-Life Rosary.
My name is Sarah Scott. I love my husband. I love my children. I love my Catholic faith. I love my God, and I am grateful for my life.
I am grateful for the beautiful faith of my mother and father. My mother had two full-term still-born babies back to back. She and my father were so sad. Sad beyond words. But their faith was never shaken. They went on to have five living children in all…I am the youngest, born when my mother was 40. Thank you, Mom and Dad. You were my first and best example of faith in action.
A collection of voices expressing thanks that their parents chose life and are thus able to stand up and say "I have a say!!"
I Have A Say Thanks to My Mom and Dad!!!
Being the oldest of 11, I am so thankful, especially now, for my Mom and Dad saying "yes" to life! Growing up, we never had a ton of money. My Dad was a high school chemistry teacher and my parents decided from the beginning that they wanted to have one of them home with us. My mom gave up her teaching career, and raised me, followed by 10 others! My Mom also taught all 11 of us at home for part of our childhood before we would head off to Nativity Catholic Grade School. My Dad worked long hours, eventually earning other degrees so that he could first become dean, then principal, and finally, when I was a sophomore, he was named Roncalli High School's first president. My Dad and Mom both sacrificed SO MUCH for us.
I remember, even as a young person, getting stared at by people, and I remember the comments they would make. I can still hear a dental receptionist asking my Mom "Are these all yours? You know how children are made right?" followed by a real insidious but ditzy chuckle, followed by a secretarial gum crackle. My Mom and Dad were always tight budget wise, and I'm sure at times ached with a desire to not have to take bags of clothes from other families so that we could have clothes. I'm sure my Mom and Dad had desires to simply go to Nordstrom and buy us and give us all our own new clothes and Gameboys and Reebok Pumps etc. I'm sure they at times really wished they could just get a new car and not have to drive a fifteen passenger van around. I'm sure at times they wanted really badly to just go to a restaurant and sit back and enjoy a big expensive meal instead of having to cut coupons and craft together economic meals on the stove.
But they chose life for us, and they chose sacrifice for themselves.
I often think about that ditzy secretary now when our family gets together almost every weekend for dinner to laugh and hang out. Some of the siblings might be out of town or busy with other obligations, but inevitably, all weekend long, every weekend, our family gets together. Sometimes, when we're out at a restaraunt, I see the couples who are alone with each other. They hardly talk to each other and the loneliness is palpable. A part of me feels bad that we're having so much fun with our 8 tables shoved together, telling stories, laughing good hearty and healthy laughs. Sometimes I wonder if one of the couples sitting in the restaurant quietly and solemnly is that dental secretary - who now has piles of money and can eat wherever she wants, but doesn't have hardly anyone to share it with. My heart breaks for the people who are alone, especially the ones who are alone because, when they could have been having children, they instead bought into the contraception lie and lived for themselves only.
I have a say today, and so do my ten younger brothers and sisters, because my parents chose life. Mom and Dad - thanks a million!!!
I remember, even as a young person, getting stared at by people, and I remember the comments they would make. I can still hear a dental receptionist asking my Mom "Are these all yours? You know how children are made right?" followed by a real insidious but ditzy chuckle, followed by a secretarial gum crackle. My Mom and Dad were always tight budget wise, and I'm sure at times ached with a desire to not have to take bags of clothes from other families so that we could have clothes. I'm sure my Mom and Dad had desires to simply go to Nordstrom and buy us and give us all our own new clothes and Gameboys and Reebok Pumps etc. I'm sure they at times really wished they could just get a new car and not have to drive a fifteen passenger van around. I'm sure at times they wanted really badly to just go to a restaurant and sit back and enjoy a big expensive meal instead of having to cut coupons and craft together economic meals on the stove.
But they chose life for us, and they chose sacrifice for themselves.
I often think about that ditzy secretary now when our family gets together almost every weekend for dinner to laugh and hang out. Some of the siblings might be out of town or busy with other obligations, but inevitably, all weekend long, every weekend, our family gets together. Sometimes, when we're out at a restaraunt, I see the couples who are alone with each other. They hardly talk to each other and the loneliness is palpable. A part of me feels bad that we're having so much fun with our 8 tables shoved together, telling stories, laughing good hearty and healthy laughs. Sometimes I wonder if one of the couples sitting in the restaurant quietly and solemnly is that dental secretary - who now has piles of money and can eat wherever she wants, but doesn't have hardly anyone to share it with. My heart breaks for the people who are alone, especially the ones who are alone because, when they could have been having children, they instead bought into the contraception lie and lived for themselves only.
I have a say today, and so do my ten younger brothers and sisters, because my parents chose life. Mom and Dad - thanks a million!!!
Sarah...I am so sorry for the loss of your little daughter. I am so glad you chose to share your story. It is such a wonderful testimony and full of courage. God bless you and your family!
ReplyDeleteKnowing when your child's soul left touched my heart so....I hope I never feel that.
ReplyDeleteYou are in my Rosary Prayers
Eddie in INDY