My ponderance began on Christmas Eve when our family gathered at our house. Looking around the room, I hugged my husband and said, “If it weren’t for you marrying me, none of these people would be here.” Seeing things from a less romantic view, he responded, “There would be different people”. Still, this was a sentimental moment. A moment to consider what the future would hold for our children and children’s children.
There is a dichotomy of thought on whether or not we have a good future on Earth. Is global warming happening? Is the glacial ice melting so fast it will flood coastlands? Some passionately urge others to act now before it is too late to stop this catastrophe. Some scoff, thinking this is another liberal ploy. I have people I love and respect with widely differing views on global warming. Sometimes I am distressed that my fellow Christians shrug this off as a tree-hugger’s delusion. Are we not entrusted to be stewards of the Master’s creation? One may view the world as the Master’s creation; others view an evolved world now suffering from modern man’s effects.
I see a need to live responsibly and not selfishly. The trick is knowing what is selfish. What is within our rights for free choice? Is it wrong to drive that ram-tough, gas guzzling SUV? How many square feet of house can we justify? Do we have the right to chose what we think works for us personally even if it might have a negative impact on someone else’s future? What about my rights? Do we need to see the bigger picture and not make decisions based only on our convenience?
What struck me on Christmas Eve as I looked at my beautiful family was this: I received the news that I was pregnant with our oldest son, Dan, on December 8, 1967. I had been raised a strict Catholic. This was the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Ironic. This child was conceived when I was unmarried. He was unplanned. It was 1967 and socially unacceptable for a single mom to have a baby. These births were not announced in the paper. You had no baby shower. Very, very few unmarried women kept their babies. Abortion was only legal in New York. Typically, an unmarried woman would quietly go away and place the child for adoption. I did none of these things. Jon and I got married.
Years later, we planned a baby brother for Dan. When the second child was nine months old, I “accidentally” got pregnant with Mary. We now had a growing family of lively youngsters. We enjoyed raising them. When they were all teens, we watched as our friends changed diapers and stayed up nights with fussy toddlers. We had put in our time. At age 40, after my husband’s (failed) vasectomy, I was again surprised to be pregnant with Andy. He came late in our lives but was to be a joy to our whole family.
Who says our plans are always the best plans? I only have to look at our family to see that is not true. Sometimes you have to walk through tough times. What is true? Those inconvenient pregnancies result in babies. They are always babies, not merely tissue. This is the real inconvenient truth many have a hard time grasping. These inconveniences are always a blessing. Not every pregnant woman can or should keep the baby in this situation. There are still thousands of empty arms aching to adopt and love
your child. We need to see the bigger picture.
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