February 2016

January 20

The Anniversary of Roe versus Wade

A day.

A day that what?

A day that changed everything.

The decision made in the case of Roe V Wade was the day that changed everything. A day that changed American politics. A day that changed how men and women relate to one another. A day that changed the way women relate to one another. A day that changed the way women relate to their children.

As we approached the date this year, I noted the use of verbs. Pro-life people certainly do not celebrate the date. I heard the date marked, commemorated, remembered, atoned for . . .

What a day. It reminds me of another date, December 7th. Before I knew much, I knew the phrase, “ A day that will live in infamy.” It took me much longer to understand what that phrase meant than to learn it. “Infamy.” “A day that will live in infamy.” That phrase was spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the daybreak attack on Pearl Harbor that killed 2,403 people and marked our entrance to World War II. He addressed the nation with these words,

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy.”

I have never known the word infamy to be used lightly or in any other reference.

The word and December 7th became historically entwined.

in·fa·my

ˈinfəmē/

noun

noun: infamy; plural noun: infamies
•

the state of being well known for some bad quality or deed.

"a day that will live in infamy"

•

an evil or wicked act.

"one of history's greatest infamies"

The definition of infamy seems to fit January 20, 1973. I don't know whether respect for President Roosevelt’s quote precludes the use of the word, it does seems to fit. Abortion is an evil and a wicked act.

The reality of abortion is not questioned; it is an offense. Most Americans agree, it is only the circumstance of abortion that anyone defends, and there’s the rub.

Abortion is justified because __________

because of choice,

because of poverty,

because of violence,

because of incest,

because of rape

fill in the blank _________.

On January 20, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that an unwanted pregnancy constituted a crisis so dramatic that a woman can abort her child. The crisis is self-defined because the circumstance of an unplanned pregnancy is so life altering that the woman gets to decide that abortion is warranted. Once that decision is made, nothing else really matters. A woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body became legal on January 20, 1973.

The life altering change of pregnancy is that she has become a mother. I wish the argument had been different from the beginning. Rather than a “women’s right to choose,” I prefer the words “a mother’s right to choose.” In defining the woman as a mother, we order things correctly. Roe V Wade determined a mother’s right to an abortion. The word "mother" links her decision to her child. It is hard to believe that for years the debate was whether it is a child in the womb. There was this bumper sticker

You don’t see that bumper sticker anymore. The Pro-life movement has changed and because with the use of ultrasounds, people know it is a baby. Battle won? No.

Motherhood should change everything and it does. It changes everything! Abortion may be legal but it will never change the facts. When a woman becomes pregnant, she is expecting a child and she is a mother. When a mother has an abortion, she is killing her child.

Acknowledge it or not, the day of her choice “will live in infamy.”

Dear Lord,

Please have mercy on America.

May our hearts and minds be changed so we support mothers in crisis

in such a way that no pregnancy results in abortion.

May mother and child be loved and supported.

May adopted be viewed as a courageous and beautiful.

May America Choose Life!

Amen

Mother Teresa -

“But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because Jesus said, ‘If you receive a little child, you receive me,’” said Mother Teresa. “So every abortion is the denial of receiving Jesus, is the neglect of receiving Jesus. It is really a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.”

National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 3, 1994.

A subject as serious as abortion should not be placed so close to a trivial blog like I have written below. I offer this space as buffer.

January 20, 2016

Disneyland #2

We watched the wait times on the App. “Nope, still 50 minutes,” someone said. The Peter Pan line is long. It is long on Magic Mornings, it is long at night. Everyone wants to go once during the trip to Fantasyland. “It’s going to rain,” maybe tomorrow.

It was now the last day and if I had to stand in line alone. I was going to go on the Peter Pan ride. It was a blessing to have others, and two little ones, to wait with and enjoy this classic ride. “What is so special?” we ask one another.

There are so many parts to the Peter Pan ride that makes it a must. First is that I can see Walt Disney’s vision here best, also on the Storybook Island ride. I can feel his excitement, dreaming up attractions and their features. This is the place where one can see the dreamer, playing, imagining, risking . . .

When Disneyland was just an orange grove and a concept in his mind, Walt Disney must have had a heck of a time explaining his vision. Investors had to be sold on the idea, had to be sold on the chance their investment would even see the light of day. Was this someone who could actually do what he dreamed possible? I am sure a few of them had doubts. On the day Disneyland opened, the train was not surrounded by flowers or succulents but - mud. It had rained the week before the opening and the area had been reduced to one big mud puddle.

The future was unclear as to whether this venture would be successful or not. I remember that as I enjoy the peace and beauty from the boat of Storybook Island. I look at the miniature houses and want to have something like that in my back yard. The patchwork of chicken and hen plants and other plants are simple divide in a quilt design. Miniature trees and benches asking me to stop and take a moment, it was so nice.

Simple times, simple places. Not simple to design or “make happen” but simple in their enjoyment. Who doesn’t smile thinking about it? I am sorry if you have never experienced such a place or growing up with the childlike wonder that grows into an adult appreciation of seeing a dreamer’s dream realized. We need more dreams and dreamers. Maybe I will build a simple house this spring. Have it ready for summer, place it so neighbors walking can smile. We shall see.

Disneyland

1st of many

January 11, 2016

I love Disneyland. My great grandfather lived in Long Beach when I was young and every other year my family would travel during Christmas to see him. He was wonderful. The trip was exciting, expected, and a day a Disneyland was amazing.

When my big brother and I were in high school, we were allowed to stay in the park while my parents returned to the hotel with my younger sister. At 16, the freedom was fantastic as we traveled the park doing “whatever we wanted.” The stage in Tomorrowland rose like magic to reveal a live band. As the band played, we rode the motorboats close to Autotopia and sang Billie Joel songs at the top of our lungs. The weather was hot by Wyoming standards and we had a ball.

I love Disneyland.

This year’s trip was the first in 25 years that I didn’t take a stroller. We had a stroller - Ashlen took hers. It is a very cool stroller. It was the first time visiting Disneyland as an adult that I wasn’t expecting or nursing a baby. As the family stood in line at Toy Story Mania, I made predictions that I would do well. I stink at the game and every opportunity to do better is appreciated. Whoever goes with me can boast that they more than doubled my score, which isn’t saying much. As I prepared to succeed: focus, focus, focus . . . I asked the kids if there would ever be a time we wouldn’t have a stroller at Disneyland. The answer was a responding “NO”! They began to plan and discuss what would be the number of strollers needed at Disneyland, whether anyone would have twins, how many sets of twins. At one point I think someone suggested that they buy one of the those strollers built for eight. How many babies could be in a regular strollers at one time? It is a popular topic, planning for the future. As I carefully picked out my 3-D glasses, concerned that the warped plastic could do me in, I smiled. They are happy. Excited for the next trip, the next chapter in their story, excited for each other.

I did not have a personal best score – I stunk up the joint. Maybe I need to buy a personal pair of 3-D glasses? I do have a plan for the next time to do better. It’s a good game and I like it. Maybe some day, one of my grandchildren will teach me.

I can’t wait!