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!!!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Joe Sales, 1.5 Pounds at Birth, Has a Say

I want to thank my Mom and entire family for choosing life because I have been able to experience everything that life has to offer so far.  When I was born, I was 1lbs (pound) 15oz (ounces). My entrance into this world was a rough one. I could have died.  I was born three months premature. I am a Twin. While I was a baby, I was really sick.  My Mom and Grandma brought me to the family doctor quite often who said that It was normal. 
 
My mom and grandma had enough of what my family doctor was saying so they decided to get a second opinion. They brought me to the local hospital. The hospital decided that It was in my best interest to send me to another hospital an hour or so away which was more equipped to deal with the problem. The problem was very life threatening. While at this other hospital, I had an emergency surgery.  If my mom and grandma didn't get that second opinion, I would have been dead. A lot of family and friends of the family spent many hours in prayer. Even to this very day, My mom, grandma, and others refer to me as a miracle baby. Same goes for my twin brother. My twin brother was born with mild cerebral palsy. We both had our fair share of surgeries especially in our younger years. However, We both live on to tell our story of Life and faith. 

This story is a bit different than those stories about babies saved from abortion,etc...  but still one thing that stands out in this story is that is life was chosen over death. Not only do I thank my Mom, grandma, and other family members for choosing life, I also thank them for raising me in a good Catholic family because to this very day, I live out my faith in word and action as best as I can. I am proud to profess that I am a Roman Catholic.
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