To Be or Not to Be

I was in the grocery store last week, waiting in the check out line.  A magazine caught my eye.  The words “No Kill Nation” had my attention.  I immediately picked up the magazine, opened it up to the center section, and began to read:  “Long considered by some as an idealistic, unworkable goal, the no-kill effort has now moved into the mainstream. ‘Even just a decade ago the majority of Americans probably believed that a no-kill approach was improbable.’…But today as people see cities, such as Reno, Kansas City and Austin successfully establishing no-kill programming, they increasingly believe the ideal can become a reality.”

I had high hopes upon seeing the words “no-kill” that I was picking up a pro-life magazine.  I had hopes that the idealistic goal of no-kill was one pertaining to humans.  I was wrong, this magazine and article were advocates against euthanizing dogs.

There has been much debate of late with regards to euthanasia and the term brain-dead.  I have watched the news regarding the 13 year old Jahi and her parents’ fight for her chance to prove her doctor’s diagnosis of brain-dead wrong.  I have seen a husband take a hospital to court to remove his pregnant brain-dead wife from life support.  I was sadly disappointed to hear that Belgium has allowed legal euthanasia for people of all ages, including children.

I am glad there are advocates against cruelty to animals.  No creature made by God should be treated as anything less than a Godly creation.  What I do not understand is why are humans treated as less valuable?

The unborn human child is thought of as tissue.  Women are told that pregnancy is a choice and they do not have to stay pregnant if they are not ready to be a mother . The truth is that child from the moment of conception is a child of God; has a soul and a guardian angel.  He or she from the moment of conception has a mother.  That mother will either be the mother of a live baby or a dead baby.  That is the only “choice” being made.  To kill or not to kill.

A child lies in a coma and doctors say she is brain-dead.  Her parents see signs of life and want to see their child continue treatment.  The hospital refuses.  The hospital sees no value in the child’s life and no hope for any recovery of her brain function.  The truth is that the brain is far from being understood.  The book “Proof of Heaven” written by a neurologist who was supposedly “brain-dead”, proves that man cannot know God’s plan.  God can work a miracle any time and any place.  Why should a parent have to fight for a child’s life at a hospital.  To kill or not to kill.

I hope and pray that one day we will be a No Kill Nation.  One that respects the life of all humans – born and unborn.  A nation that respects the Creator and leaves all decisions regarding life and death in His capable hands.

Sirach 18:1 “The Lord, who lives forever created the whole universe and He alone is just.  He has given no one enough power to describe what He has done, and no one can investigate it completely.  Who can measure His majestic power? Who can tell the whole story of His merciful actions? We cannot add to them; we cannot subtract from them. There is no way to comprehend the marvelous things the Lord has done. When we come to the end of that story, we have not even begun; we are simply at a loss for words.”

C’est Bon

Love,

Sherry

A piece of your heart

Message from Jesus to Nancy Fowler, December 10, 1990

“Nancy, please tell My children about love.  My children are all mixed up. The evil one has deceived them about love. he gives them a false love and impure love.  Like a loving father, I want to warn you and protect you.. Tell the people I have the greatest gift to them…I will spell the gift for you: L-O-V-E and M-E-R-C-Y.  If you don’t take the gift and unwrap it, then how will you have the gift?

I am the greatest gift giver and I receive the fewest gifts of all.  The gift My children can give Me will not cost them any money.  They don’t have to wrap the gift in fancy paper with a pretty bow.  They don’t have to send a card to Me.  All I ask is for a piece of your heart.

If you give Me just a piece of your heart, do you not know that I will give you much more in return.  I don’t ask very much.  I am grateful to receive a piece of your heart, which is imperfect in every way and lacking in many virtues, and still I cherish this gift from each of My precious children.

Remember My teaching about the heart. It takes a heart to mend a heart.  You don’t take part of your eye to mend a torn heart.  The tissues must be alike.  Does it not make sense that I, who give My Heart, need your heart in return?  I give you all of Myself, completely and totally.  I only ask for a small part of yourself to be returned to Me.”

Romans 11:11 “Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.”

On this day of hearts, please remember our Savior who gave us His Sacred Heart.  Give Jesus your heart today.  Tell Jesus you love Him and thank Him for His Love and Mercy!

C’est Bon,

Love,

Sherry

Our Lady and the children

February 11th is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubrious from a cave near Lourdes, France in 1858.  The young peasant girl, just 14 at the time, saw “the lady dressed all in white” about eighteen times.  Mary asked Bernadette to pray for sinners, to have a church built on that spot and for there to be processions.  When Bernadette asked the lady who she was, the lady replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”  A spring arose near the apparition site.  Our lady instructed Bernadette to drink from the spring and do penance.

After 150 years the spring has grown and has led to 67 verified miraculous cures.  The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites.  The Basilica of St. Pius X which was built on the site can accommodate 25,000 people.  5 million journey to Lourdes every year in honor of Our Lady’s request.

Bernadette was a simple child.  She was the oldest daughter of a very poor family.  She had learning disabilities and was often ridiculed.  She was innocence.  Her heart was pure and it was filled with love for our lady and her Son.

Our lady told Bernadette that she “could not promise her happiness in this world; only in the next”.  Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity of Nevers at the age of 22.  She soon after suffered with tuberculosis of the bone and died after many years of suffering at the age of 35 in 1879.  In 1909, Bernadette’s body was exhumed as part of the canonization process.  Her body was found to be incorrupt.  To this day, she looks as though she has fallen into a peaceful sleep.

Luke 18:16 “but Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the children come to Me and do not stop then, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Why does Mary appear mostly to children?  Jesus told us the answer.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for Us!

C’est Bon

Love,

Sherry

What are little boys made of?

I was the oldest of four girls.  I had no brothers.  My two youngest sisters are 10 and 15 years younger than me.  Needless to say, I did an awful lot of babysitting for my mom.  By the time I was a teenager, I could feed, burp, change, and soothe a little one.  There was nothing about being a mother that I was uncomfortable with….until the day my husband and I were expecting our second child and the doctor told us during the ultrasound that he was 100% sure the baby was a boy!

Boy!…  I knew girls…I had three younger sisters, and one daughter.  My daughter was two at the time and very girly.  She liked bows in her hair, dresses, playing with dolls….  What did I know about raising a boy?

My husband assured me that having been a boy himself;  he had this.  But, my husband was in the Navy.  For the first year of our son’s life, my husband was mostly away on deployments.  I thought, OK, a little boy can not be that different from a little girl.  That was so not true!

My daughter was very quiet and independent.  My son was loud and dependent.  My little girl was neat and clean.  My little boy was dirty and busy.  It amazed me how at such a young age, I could see such a huge difference between the girl and the boy.

Once my husband had served his time in the Navy, he was very true to his word.  We had another son and my husband was very active in teaching both boys sports and helping out with coaching their teams.  Football was the main sport at our house.

Once, I picked up my oldest son after a pee-wee football practice, and was shocked to find the entire team covered in mud.   It had rained that day and the practice field was a muddy mess.  My husband was still at work.  I got the child into my vehicle and some how  managed to get him home.  Just then, his dad drove up.  I was standing in the yard with our son, who was only recognizable by his green eyes, and said to my husband, “I don’t know what to do with him!”  My husband laughed and said, “get me the hose.”  He hosed off our son and the two of them had a great time talking about the muddy practice.  My husband shared his old muddy football stories with his son.  It was a great father – son moment!

Boys and girls are just different.  That is how God intended it to be.  It pains me to hear about the gender identity crisis occurring in our society.  There are parents who think their tomboy little girls should dress like the boys, go to the boys’ rest room and call themselves “David” if they want. The parents are no longing guiding, teaching, serving as role models.   There are many children today who are growing up within a philosophy that gender does not matter.  You can be whatever, whomever you want to be.  I find that to be a slap in the face of our Creator.

It is also a matter of science.  Men and women have different chromosomes.  Men have 2 different sex chromosomes (XY).  Women have 2 of the same kind of sex chromosomes (XX).  Men and women can change the outside appearance of their bodies all they want.  They can have surgeries, take hormones…but the fact remains that the sex chromosomes will remain the same.  That person will always be what God intended them to be.

God’s intention is nothing but beautiful!

Genesis 2:21 “Then the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the flesh.  He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him.  Then the man said, “At last here is one of my own kind – Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. Woman is her name because she was taken out of man. ” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.”

I now have a granddaughter who is seven and a grandson who is four.  They are extremely different characters.  And everything is just as it should be.

What are little granddaughters made of? Bows, fingernail polish, My Little Ponies, American Girl Dolls, Princesses, and Ballet shoes.

What are little grandsons made of?  Pirates, Ninja Turtles, football, wrestling, cowboy boots, puppy dogs, trucks, and Spider Man.

C’est Bon,

Love,

Sherry