Is Sorrow a Sin?

I don't like the world I'm living in right now.  It hurts, and I don't know that there is an end to it.  Babies aren't supposed to die.

 A wise uncle recently told me that you don't get over these kinds of things, but you do learn to live with them.  Is there room in my worldview for living with sorrow?  Is it wrong as a Christian to live with the overshadowing of sorrow in everything I think, do, and say?  Am I becoming the proverbial wet rag in my fellowship of friends?  There are no pat answers to the hard questions, but Tony Woodief's recent article in World Magazine explores the question:  "Is sorrow a sin?"

If you are living in that greying shadow, I hope that this article is a comfort to you, too.

Red Envelope Project

In just the first week of President Obama's occupation of the White House, he quietly reversed our government's ban on giving federal money to international groups that provide abortions or provide abortion information.  He also signed executive orders to allow funding for human stem cell research as well as providing federal funding for contraception.  As a Senator he voted against banning Partial Birth Abortion and the Born Alive Baby Protection Act.  

These actions do not represent the views of over half of the American population.  But, how can we make our dissatisfaction known to the President and the Administration concerning these policies?  

A Pro-Life project, the Red Envelope Day, is now underway.  We who hold life to be sacred from conception to death can easily and simply make our views known.  On March 31st, you can join me and millions of others in sending a simple red envelope to President Obama.  The envelope will be empty, but on the outside back part of the envelope, we will write:  "This envelope represents one child who died from abortion.  It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world."  

Over 50 million lives have been lost to abortion since 1973.  Let's send over 50 million red envelopes to the White House on March 31st to represent those lives to those who reside in the halls of power today.  Won't you join me in doing this?   Thank you.

Hope

Two daffodils bloomed today while winter's reach still looms.  It gives me hope that mournful hearts may yet warm and bloom to sing again.

"Sing, soul of mine, this day of days,

     The Lord is risen.

Toward the sun-rising set thy face,

     The Lord is risen.

Behold He giveth strength and grace;

For darkness, light; for mourning, praise;

For sin, his holiness; for conflict, peace.

Arise, O soul, this Easter Day!

Forget the tomb of yesterday,

For thou from bondage art set free;

Thou sharest in His victory

And life eternal is for thee,

Because the Lord is risen."

~ Anonymous

Anybody Listening?

"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

~ Lady Margaret Thatcher

Justin and His Unusual Cake

A few days ago, Justin came home to celebrate his 23rd birthday.  It's not an easy thing for a mother to realize that her baby son is 23 years old (!) but we had a fun celebration and a fun weekend.

To add to the fun, big sister Kristin made a most unusual cake.  But it was a very appropriate cake for Justin who's left his heart in Egypt.  Here you can see three rice-krispy pyramids (two on a hill), the Nile River, and Egyptian fauna:  tiger, lion, and alligator!  Needless to say, we all derived a lot of entertainment from Justin's birthday cake . . . and it was good, too!
                          Here's the birthday boy and the baker of the cake.
                     Gilbert learns the joys of party blowers!  
                                       Balloons make great toys, too!
After the birthday festivities were over, all the spaghetti and cake washed from the boys and pajamas donned, Papa reads about Lowly Worm and all his friends.  Patrick thought this was great fun!
Ladybug thought this was great fun, too, and wanted to join in.  She even brought a toy!
Papa and the boys conclude a most enjoyable evening!

Consequential Ideas

"He was one of the great humanitarian French freethinkers; and the only thing wrong with them is that they make mercy even colder than justice."

~ G.K. Chesterton,  The Secret Garden

Nana's Smile

I just returned from a great road trip with Mama and Paula.  They flew here from the Great State and we all drove the 13 hours out to New Bern to visit with Eric and Kelly, and then on to Virginia to visit my Uncle Ray, Aunt Ginny, 1st cousins once-removed Sean and Jackie and their darling daughter, Taylor.  I guess officially she's a 1st cousin twice removed.  We just call everyone "cousins" and she just calls everyone "aunts".  It's easier that way.  The child has more "aunts" and "uncles" than one could ever hope for, and she's blessed with lots of Papas, too:  her actual Papa, her Grand-papas, and her Great-grand-papas.  What we all miss for Taylor, though, are her Nanas.  

I only knew one of Taylor's Nanas, and I knew her from babyhood . . . my beautiful cousin, Cindy.  Cindy went home to her Heavenly Father one year ago after a long battle with ovarian cancer.  We all miss Cindy terribly, but there is one special thing that Cindy left behind, and that's her smile.  I found it in Taylor, and it's alive and sparkling as ever.