In February, Joe and the kids and I bundled up for a Saturday afternoon to show our respect for life and to be a presence in a city where one of our primary hospitals is considering providing abortions. The Rally for Life was a beautiful, peaceful, loving event where we were able to put some action where our mouths are.
For our family, our pro-life position has become all the more personal, since our adoption of sweet Marguerite. Marguerite's birthmother experienced great difficulty and took great risks which I won't detail here. Yet she made the decision to carry Marguerite to term with one purpose: To give Marguerite life.
Was it easy?
No.
Was it challenging?
Yes.
Was she frightened?
Yes.
Was she heroic?
Absolutely.
In my arms, as I type, is a beautiful baby girl who, according to the statistical data surrounding her race and her mother's socio-economic status, should have been aborted. Perhaps that would have been the "easy" choice for her birth mother. But Temple was bigger than all that. She stood strong and made the decision to give Marguerite the greatest gift of all. Whatever Joe and I give Marguerite in her lifetime, it will not be surpassed by the gift of life, given to her by her birth mother.
By showing up and being seen and heard at events like our local Rally for Life, we hope to educate mothers (and fathers) about the alternatives to the barbaric practice known as abortion.
Next time, my sign, attached to Marguerite's stroller, will read simply, "Adoption is a loving choice." Never before have I had a more personal platform from which to make that statement.
In the words of our children, "A person's a person, no matter how small."--Dr. Seuss
Andrew & William at the rally.
From left to right, Anna Marie, Therese (Red snow suit), Joe with baby Marguerite in stroller, and Andrew (in yellow snowsuit).
Anna Marie
Marguerite, all bundled up for the rally...
