Pro-life, Sacraments, and Grace…

Rev. McCain talks about statements Cardinals make regarding abortion and Sacrament. I think the intent of the conversation was to contemplate if it is indeed appropriate to deny sacrament to those who are pro-abortion.

Of course, one comment talked about life of mother issues. Here’s my take. And here are my credentials: 1. I was on oral contraception for several years due to health-of-mother concerns; 2. I had a life-of-mother C-Section; 3. I have to consult with an OB/GYN next year to see if I should be having more children, and if not, what should we do about it; 4. If it is OK for me to try again, it will be a high risk pregnancy with a high risk delivery. Now, some of my girlfriends who are stringent on their NFP Only stance thought I was greatly exaggerating when I said I was on the pill for life-of-mother issues; and now understand that I do have serious health concerns to contemplate.

My take is we need to, for a moment, take our eyes off of “but what if…” problems. They exist in everything, and we shouldn’t borrow trouble on the behalf of others. The intent of denying Sacrament to those who advocate the wonton murder of children is appropriate. Issues the general population deals with on a daily basis, healthy pregnancies in healthy women, are what we should base broad generalizations off of.

Now, what about those tragic circumstances, the life-of-the-mother issues? I pray that the church of God will show Christian compassion towards parents. People who have never had pregnancy problems cannot comprehend the heartache parents go through when they decide whose life is more important, particularly when there are surviving siblings involved. These are issues that are best left to doctors, pastors, the couple involved, and most importantly, God. The opinions of others are ill informed, particularly if the couple isn’t sharing *all* the information with everyone.

So, some things Josh and I will begin to contemplate a year from now (when I am not in the midst of breast feeding hormones) include, based on an OB’s recommendation, how safe is it *really* for me to deliver a child? And if it isn’t safe, what steps will we take to preserve my health?

Be pro-life, yet compassionate towards those who are contemplating life-of-mother issues. Be against hormonal contraception, yet compassionate towards those who have health-of-mother issues. Be in favor of large families, yet understanding towards those who cannot have them.

In “Steel Magnolias,” Julia Roberts’ character is diabetic and is high risk for pregnancy. She tells her mom, after she gets pregnant, “15 minutes of wonderful is better then a life time of nothing special.” Julia Roberts' character ends up dying. And that is a very real possibility for some women. God grant the wisdom to make the most pro-life decision to those who have to make it.

My top 10 books list…

I requested of my readers a list of five to ten (eleven) books, works, or authors a person should read before they are eighteen. Here is my list (in no particular order):

Grimm Brother’s and Andersen’s Fairy Tales .
It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis.
Essay: “Socialism and the Soul of Man,” by Oscar Wilde.
Story: “Rip Van Winkle,” by Washington Irving.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
The Count of Monte Cristo , by Alexandre Dumas
Books by Jane Austin. Any and all of them.
Pilgrim’s Progress , by John Bunyan
The Crucible , by Arthur Miller.
A Christmas Carol , by Charles Dickens.

Now, keep in mind, these are all works I’ve actually read. I have a list of honorable mentions which includes works I haven’t read. I’ll post that later. Also I have a list of books I think of as fun reading, but that one doesn’t necessarily need to read before the age of 18 to be an educated sort.

Troops and their money...

Perhaps I have a different take on deployed soldiers and their campaign contributions than Chad the Elder ...

Josh was deployed during an off year campaign. He got to vote for state wide offices; but I don't think he got to vote for the locals. Anyway... from a purely anecdotal perspective; most soldiers I know who were deployed overseas had other things to do with $200 then to contribute to a campaign. Just sayin'. What would certainly make a more credible study on how deployed soldiers spend $200 would be to add "hookah" and "electronic games" to the list of options.

On the other hand... if McCain were to make T-Paw his running mate and T-Paw were to say, "Let's bring the MN income tax benefits deployed soldiers receive to a national level..." there are a lot of guys who would probably put $200 down on that.

For the discriminating Lutheran Infant…

I just ordered Mallory a copy of The Musical Catechism . I’ll offer a hat tip to Rev. McCain; but I really did find this on my own…

HG and I were wondering what Sunday School Songs Lutheran children sing. We assume many of our revivalist Sunday School Songs are right out. And so, I went to CPH to see what children’s CDs there are.

And so, Mallory will have some swell Lutheran Songs to teach HG... when she can sing in English.

Reading question…

All with an opinion on the matter may answer this question. What 10 books (besides the Bible and the Book of Concord) would you want a person to read before they reach the age of 18? Why? And did you read them before you were 18?

The parameters… I’m leaving this open. If there are 10 documents rather then books, then list those. If you are only thinking children’s books or religious books or literature or you have an author who has several books you can’t choose between, list the author…whatever… pick 10 books/documents/authors you think a person should read before they turn 18.

I'll leave this at the top for a week or so for those who are interested in participating or who would like to compare notes.

Update: First off, I'll add my list later. Second... I just realized I've only read one of Shakespear's Plays. Yup. I have only read "R and J," but I have seen "Mid-Summer" by two different theatre companies.

Vocabulary…

I wonder if we are doing a disservice to ourselves and the younger generations by modernizing the vocabulary of hymns. Certainly, I do not use “Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race; ye ransomed from the fall” or “Oh, that with yonder sacred throng; ye at His feet may fall” or “visage languish” in my every day conversations. No one uses such language any longer. But apart from the sound theology hymns deliver, shouldn’t we also encourage the mental challenge advanced vocabulary and grammar these hymns teach to also encourage our intellectual growth?

Lincoln-Douglass and Georgia on my mind…

When Becky, HG, and I talk about our education, we have a primary difference… they were honors students, and I was not. So, back in “normal kid” 11th Grade Social Science, my teacher tried to teach us how to care about foreign policy and Lincoln-Douglass debate at the same time. The over-riding issue of the day was the Bosnian war. We could take one of four positions: “I believe the US should get involved,” “I believe the US should stay out,” “I think we should care about what happens in Bosnia (no statement of involvement),” and “I don’t think we should care about what happens in Bosnia.” As no one else was taking the apathetic side, I thought, “Why not?” So, I argued for apathy.

Now, since we currently have no mission in Georgia, I want to ask a question: Why should we get involved? Now certainly, I’m not going to argue for apathy as we certainly must show Christian compassion towards our fellow humans. The question is not regarding compassion. To rephrase the question: Convince me that my husband’s life is worth getting in a war with Russia.

Further, in particular, men under forty, if we should get into a war with Russia (which would eventually require us to defend our homeland AT HOME), why are you not in the military. I don’t really want answers to that question in the comments; rather, I am asking those who read my blog to engage in this periodic examination of belief. I certainly understand the concept of “vocation,” that it is my husband’s vocation to be in the military, that it is not the vocation of others to be in the military. However, getting involved with Russia is a different issue then Iraq as we will eventually have to defend ourselves locally. Want your kid to grow up with air raids? I don’t.

At any rate, intervening on Georgia’s behalf, though the first reaction is “Let’s go,” requires some serious thought before we invest our capital and blood.

Childhood development…

Josh and I take the education of Mallory seriously. We’re already reading both the “big people’s” Bible and the various “baby” Bibles to her; we’re reciting the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer every day; and I’m reading “grown up” books to her while I feed her (I’m a nerd).

So, I read “How Children Learn” by John Holt a few months ago, and a couple of things stuck in my mind. Children need to learn to explore the world and make observations on their own without the help of their parents. Currently, Mallory is learning to suck her thumb… OK, the overall skill set she is learning is how to eat with her hands (and comfort herself), but thumb sucking is an important first step. Since she was born, she has had this fascination with the back of her left hand and wrist, sucking on them. She’s recently started licking them, much like a kitty, and she has progressed to exploring her fingers. She has tried so hard to get her thumb in her mouth. She’s been able to make the fist, and she can open her hand and spread her thumb. But she hasn’t been able to extend her thumb while making the fist. The poor thing tries so hard to get that thumb in her mouth. And it is so tempting to just extend that thumb for her. But, I imagine, that in some infant way, the reward of that first suck that she does on her own will be worth the hard work (and for those interested, it is the left hand she likes the most, but will lick at her right fingers). I won’t take that away from her.

A clothing purge…

I just purged Mallory’s clothes of 0-3 months… in most cases. Sigh… She is no longer a little baby, but a slightly bigger baby.

Random Mommy question...

Josh is on his two week training... and Mallory has gone from "something is not right" to "Daddy is gone!" Keeping in mind that Josh was the first person she bonded with, and her primary care giver the first week or so she was home. And she has spent a good deal of time with Josh each day. So, she's a tad clingey today.

So, when do I break down and get out the front carrier and just carry her around for a few hours?

Side note... this isn't an emergency... for an emergency, I have Josh's laundry for her "Daddy smell" fix.

Pray for Grandma...

Pray for my Grandma, Betty. She had emergency surgery on Friday; was doing well on Saturday, but went down hill on Sunday. She had follow up surgery on Monday and is in an ICU. Things do not look good from an earthly standpoint.

Update 2: Grandma has been removed from the ventilator and has been receiving nutrients through an IV. She had a rough night on Tuesday night, but had a good day on Wednesday. On Tuesday night, her heart started racing. She is not completely out of the woods, yet, but my parents feel confident enough to come home this weekend. An additional prayer request... some of the meds she is on cause her to have panic attacks. So, while she is awake, until she is off the meds, a family member is with her.

An idea for an elderly hospital/nursing home patient... take one of those gift bags we all save, put a small book or two in it to make it sturdy, and paper clip pictures to the sides so they can see important pictures.

Update 1: When I called my mom this morning, Grandma was in an ICU in critical condition. Technically, she can now breathe on her own, but is still on a ventilator as a requisite to her BP meds. The doctors won't have more information on her condition for a few days yet. I'm waiting for my mom to call with this evening's update.

I would so buy a Purple Favre jersey...

If it wasn't too expensive. Beggers can't be choosey; and I want to see the Vikings win the Superbowl.

Father's Girl...

Mallory is not just Josh’s “Daddy’s girl,” but now a child of God. In the top picture, Mallory and me, Josh, our new Pastor, Pastor Russ, and Mallory's Godparents, Jon and Kathy; and below, Josh, Mallory, and me.

Food for thought on belief…

As I said yesterday, men and women have different interests in reading blogs. A case in point, my dad regularly visits some of the blogs I link to, as do I. But, we have different interests when it comes to our regular blog reading habits.

The blogs my dad reads are heavier on theology, lighter on social topics, where the blogs I’ve frequented recently are lighter on theology and more social in content. I actually go back and forth between theological and social. Anyway… Dad regularly visits Extra Nos, so I peak in once in a while. Today, I found a post contemplating belief. So, for your edification, I give you a link to Believing and Believing In .