Whew!

After a crazy-busy week I finally feel human again- just in time to start another week! Last week had plenty going on though. Besides my normal work schedule the week also found us a large writing project- 45 500-word articles in 5 days. It more or less eliminated any free time last week, although the pay is worth it since the money from this ongoing article writing is going to help us finally pay off our air conditioner (one of our goals for the year). It isn't always that busy- this week was a last-minute project that needed to get done quickly because someone else bailed out. I don't really mind the work, it is just hard some weeks to fit it all in. And of course the last thing I feel like doing amidst a massive writing project is sitting down to blog.

We also found out late this past week that the Family Cost Participation (FCP) is going to be delayed until at least May '10. This is good news, good news, and yet irritating at the same time. Of course it is great news for our families who were going to have to reduce or eliminate their services because they couldn't afford to pay. It gets tricky, though, because we were already picking up new kids to replace the ones we were anticipating losing on March 1. That could leave us with very full schedules/caseloads for a few weeks until we get it all sorted out again. Leave it to the state to wait till the last minute to decide they couldn't pull it all off that quickly.

Thankfully after a busy week we had a good weekend. Friday was a birthday party for a friend. After all of the adults left we played Apples to Apples. Very random as far as who wins, but a good party game since you can play and socialize and its very quick to teach.

Whew!

After a crazy-busy week I finally feel human again- just in time to start another week! Last week had plenty going on though. Besides my normal work schedule the week also found us a large writing project- 45 500-word articles in 5 days. It more or less eliminated any free time last week, although the pay is worth it since the money from this ongoing article writing is going to help us finally pay off our air conditioner (one of our goals for the year). It isn't always that busy- this week was a last-minute project that needed to get done quickly because someone else bailed out. I don't really mind the work, it is just hard some weeks to fit it all in. And of course the last thing I feel like doing amidst a massive writing project is sitting down to blog.

We also found out late this past week that the Family Cost Participation (FCP) is going to be delayed until at least May '10. This is good news, good news, and yet irritating at the same time. Of course it is great news for our families who were going to have to reduce or eliminate their services because they couldn't afford to pay. It gets tricky, though, because we were already picking up new kids to replace the ones we were anticipating losing on March 1. That could leave us with very full schedules/caseloads for a few weeks until we get it all sorted out again. Leave it to the state to wait till the last minute to decide they couldn't pull it all off that quickly.

Thankfully after a busy week we had a good weekend. Friday was a birthday party for a friend of ours. After all of the adults left we played Apples to Apples. Very random as far as who wins, but a good party game since its easy to teach and you can socialize at the same time. Saturday we spent mostly just relaxing and unwinding, then Sunday we hung out with a small group of friends from the game shop.

Of course, I have a million ideas for things I want to blog about. I need to keep a list somewhere. I have games I want to review, books I need to read and review, and just chattering to do.

Stillness

Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: Keep A Quiet Heart
Scripture Reference: Lamentations 3:26 Isaiah 30:15 Job 34:29 Psalm 46:10

Stillness
Full moon on a silver sea, throwing into sharp relief the luminous rocks. I sat in the antique rocking chair by the window, a cup of hot Postum in my hand, fascinated by the undulation of great swaths of foam on the ocean, almost fluorescent in the moonlight.
Stillness. Perfect stillness. It is a very great gift, not always available to those who would most appreciate it and would find joy in it, and often not appreciated by those who have it but are uncomfortable with it. External noise is inescapable in many places--traffic on land and in the air, sirens, horns, chain saws, loud voices and, perhaps worst of all, screaming rock music with thundering amplification which makes the very ground shudder.
I think it is possible to learn stillness--but only if it is seriously sought. God tells us, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10, NIV). "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15, KJV).
The stillness in which we find God is not superficial, a mere absence of fidgeting or talking. It is a deliberate and quiet attentiveness--receptive, alert, ready. I think of what Jim Elliot wrote in his Journal: "Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."
This is not so difficult, perhaps, for a sports fan, eyes riveted on the game. For me, however, this quietness in the presence of God, this being "all there" for Him, though I treasure it and long for it, is not easy to maintain, even in the beautiful place where I live. I am easily distracted, more so, it seems, as soon as I try to focus on God Himself and nothing else. Why should this be? I think C.S. Lewis puts his finger right on it in The Screwtape Letters, which purports to be the correspondence between Screwtape, under-secretary to the devil, and his nephew, Wormwood, instructing him in the best ways to tempt the followers of the Enemy, God:
"My dear Wormwood: Music and silence--how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since our Father entered Hell--though longer ago than humans, reckoning in light years, could express, no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise--Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile--Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it. Research is in progress."
C.S. Lewis died in 1963. Research in noise-making has made considerable progress since then, don't you think? To learn stillness we must resist our ancient foe, whose craft and power are great, and who is armed with cruel hate. There is One far greater who is on our side. His voice brought stillness to fierce winds and wild waves, and He will surely help us if we put ourselves firmly and determinedly in His presence--"I'm here, Lord. I'm listening." If no word seems to be forthcoming, remember "it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord," and "when He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?" (Lamentations 3:26, NIV; Job 34:29, KJV).
Silence is one form of worship. When the seventh seal was opened (in St. John's Revelation), there was silence in heaven for the space of half an hour. What would happen in our homes if we should try to prepare ourselves for those heavenly silences by having just one half-hour when there is no door slamming, no TV, no stereo or video, and a minimum of talk, in quiet voices? Wouldn't it also be a calming thing just to practice the stillness which is the absence of motion? My father used to have us try this every now and then. Why not try a Quiet Day or even a Quiet Week without the usual noises? It might open vistas of the spiritual life hitherto closed, a depth of communion with the Lord impossible where there is nothing but noise. Does God seem absent? Yes, for most of us He sometimes does. Even at such a time may we not simply be still before Him, trusting that He reads the perplexity we cannot put into words?

Shoes, shoes

My friend Jessica has decided to buy all of her clothes secondhand this year, and has been posting great pictures of her Goodwill finds. I typically buy nearly all of my clothes secondhand (or off of clearance racks), so I've decided to start posting pictures of some recent finds. It might be a bit intermittent since even at Goodwill prices I try to be careful about what I buy, but I've still gotten some great deals. I tend to make a mental list of things I'm looking for, then stop in at secondhand shops when I have the time. Recently I've been looking for some flats to wear with jeans on work days. I generally wear tennis shoes with my jeans but realized that I feel more professional in nicer shoes, even though I'm down on the floor all day. I'm also on the lookout for shoes that will go well with capris since that's what I wear during the summer (I don't like wearing shorts).
Anyways, here are the shoes that I picked up the other day. I'm not usually one who cares about brand names (mostly because I don't know which ones are worth anything), but one of the things that Jessica does is figure out how much her purchases would have cost at retail price, compared to what she paid.

Black Enzo Angiolini shoes-  $5. I couldn't find this exact one online but this brand retails for $50 and up at Zappos. Kitty, free.

Brown Hunt Club shoes- $7. More than I'd usually pay but we had a coupon from bringing in a bag of things to donate. And these shoes are seriously comfy. I couldn't find anything similar online for a price comparison though.

All told our shopping trip that day cost us $17. For 2 pairs of shoes for me and a pair of jeans and a polo shirt for Chris. Probably less than we would have spent on any single item at the store.

Double Touble Blog Tour with Review!

I read the book Double Trouble by Susan May Warren, for the Litfuse blog tour. Here's a bit about the book and the author:
About Double Trouble:
With one solved case under her belt, PJ Sugar is ready to dive into her career as a private investigator. Or at least a PI's assistant until she can prove herself to Jeremy Kane, her new boss. Suddenly PJ's seeing crime everywhere. But is it just in her head, or can she trust her instincts? When she takes on her first official case-house-sitting for a witness in protective custody-Jeremy assures her there's no danger involved. But it soon becomes clear that there is someone after the witness . . . and now they're after PJ, too.

About Susan:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year. Her larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: www.susanmaywarren.com 


My Review:
Well, I can see from reading the other reviews on the tour page that I'm in a distinct minority here. I'll be honest. I spent the first three quarters of this book debating whether or not I even wanted to finish it. The character of PJ Sugar just didn't resonate with me. The whole thing came off as corny- she was always getting into trouble by following her "instincts" and she sort of reminded me of playing "detective" when I was a kid (learning about stakeouts from a book?). Her inlaws, outlaws, and other family members were more realistically drawn than she was. I like Christian fiction, but this felt more like Christian lite- its the reason I almost gave up on the genre altogether before discovering Francine Rivers. Now I'll admit that it might have been different if I had read the first PJ Sugar book since the back story was alluded to without really being explained. However, that doesn't change the fact that I spent half the book wanting to shake the main character and tell her to grow up. Granted, I did finish the story, and the last quarter of it felt much more honest and less cutesy than the beginning. I did wind up liking the softball team and the way things eventually turned out. Oh, and I did figure out whodunnit before the end.





If you disagree with my review or want to find out what some of the other readers thought, check out the rest of the tour here. 
*I received a copy of this book for free from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.

Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: Keep A Quiet Heart
Scripture Reference: Joshua 13:14

The Childless Man or Woman
Children, God tells us, are a heritage from Him. Is the man or woman to whom He gives no children therefore disinherited? Surely not. The Lord gave portions of land to each tribe of Israel except one. "The tribe of Levi... received no holding; the Lord God of Israel is their portion, as he promised them" (Joshua 13:14, NEB). Withholding what He granted to the rest, He gave to Levi a higher privilege. May we not see childlessness in the same light? I believe there is a special gift for those to whom God does not give the gift of physical fatherhood or motherhood.
I have known many women (and a few men) who have sorrowed deeply over being childless. My brother-in-law Bert Elliot and his wife Colleen, missionaries in Peru for more than forty years, longed for children of their own. They asked the Lord for children if that would best glorify Him. His answer was no. They wondered about adoption, which would not have been nearly so difficult there as it is in the States. Again the answer seemed to be no, but God has given them the privilege of fathering and mothering hundreds of Peruvians, both white and Indian, in the jungle and in the high Andes, where they bear on their shoulders the care of dozens of little churches.
A woman of about fifty wrote, "Each Mother's Day became a little harder for me as I realized another year had gone by and after many years of marriage I am still childless--the only woman in my Sunday School class who is not a mother. The morning service started... I could not see the pastor for the tears in my eyes. Almost at the end of his message he said, 'I know there are some of you women here this morning who would like to be mothers, but for some reason God has chosen differently. Don't question Him. He has a reason."
Childlessness, for those who deeply desire children, is real suffering. Seen in the light of Calvary and accepted in the name of Christ, it becomes a chance to share in His sufferings. Acceptance of the will of the Father took Him to the Cross. We find our peace as we identify with Him in His death and resurrection.
Look around your church. If you are a parent, look for those who aren't. Might they not be ready to "father" or "mother" you or your children, to be adopted as a grandparent, for example, or an aunt or uncle? My life was enriched by unmarried aunts and friends who paid attention to us children, celebrated our birthdays and sometimes even helped us with homework. The love they would have poured out on their own children had God given them marriage, they poured out instead on us, and we were blessed as we could not have been had they had children. Their loss was our gain, and, as Ugo Bassi a young Italian preacher, said many years ago, we are to measure our lives "by loss and not by gain, not by the wine drunk but by the wine poured forth, for Love's strength standeth in Love's sacrifice, and he who suffereth most hath most to give."
What of the thousands who have not had the mothers and fathers they desperately longed for while they were growing up? Is not God calling all whose ears are open to Him to recognize the wounds of the world and to pour forth His love to the lonely young man whose relationship with his father seems to have destroyed his fitness for manhood? Or to the expectant mother whose own mother is far away, or indifferent, or dead, who longs for a mother to share her joy? Whose will be the strong shoulder of sympathy (the word means "to suffer with") ready to bear another's burdens?--not with the tepid sentimentality which only weakens, but with the burning love which gives hope and cheer and strength?
My correspondent says God has given her "several kids adopted in my heart to pray for, whose mothers say they haven't time to pray." Another girl asked her to be grandmother to her new baby. "Well, what a blessing and how this has changed my life!" she says. "If I had sat around and felt sorry for myself look at the above blessings I would have missed. What a thrill on Mother's Day this year to get a Grandmother card!"
And what of the young childless woman? Is she merely to mark time, hoping against hope that someday she will be given a child? There are always younger people who need a boost, some encouragement in their struggles against the pull of the world, a listening ear when they face hard decisions, someone who will simply take time out to pray with them, to walk with them the way of the cross with its tremendous demand--the difficult and powerful life of glad surrender and acceptance. As the branches of the wine pour out their sweetness, so young women may see their opportunity, as branches of the True Vine to pour out their lives for the world.

Love is....

having time to just sit, talk, and spend time together, which unfortunately we don't do enough of.

working together toward a mutual goal of paying off some debt.

 taking some time to review our recent accomplishments, goals, and plans.

dreaming together.

rewarding ourselves by going out to eat on a day when restaurants won't be jam-packed.

This will be the second year in a row that Chris and I have spent Valentine's Day delivering for Edible Arrangements. Instead of spending money for Valentine's day we will earn some money. Part of it will go towards a night out for us. The rest will be put towards paying off our air conditioner, which should happen this year. While we are in the car making deliveries there isn't much to do other than talk or listen to the radio, so we'll do a lot of those.
It may not be a traditional Valentine's Day, but it works for us!

Meals That Can Feed a Crowd

Everyone like to spend time with friends. For some people that's another couple, for others it means 10 or more guests. In less economically-strapped times that might have meant going to a restaurant as a group. However, most people are probably trying to trim their budgets and spending $20 or more for a two person dinner isn't quite as easy as it used to be. Instead, try revisiting the long-lost art of hospitality. Yes, that means inviting people over to your house (or apartment). If its a large group of people then have everyone bring something to share. If its just another couple then prepare a main dish and ask them to bring something dessert or a side dish. If our recent lives are any indication, the potluck tradition might be making a comeback. Chris and I have participated in at least four potlucks since New Year's (several of them for work) with at least one more coming up soon. If you're having trouble coming up with potluck ideas here are a few ideas for potluck dishes or meals that can feed a crowd inexpensively.

Soup- This is one of my favorites, mostly because it is inexpensive and endlessly versatile. If you're hosting soup is a great dish because it can be made ahead of time and left to simmer. This allows you to spend time with your guests instead of in the kitchen. A large pot of soup can easily feed 6-10 people and if you ask someone to bring a loaf of bread it really doesn't get any better than that.

Chili- This one has most of the advantages of soup. You can make huge quantities for a relatively low cost, especially if you use dry beans instead of canned. If it isn't hearty enough for your taste then bake some russet potatoes and serve the chili over that or even in bread bowls.

Spaghetti- or really any pasta. We've done pasta salad, alfredo, ratatouille, and lasagna. These all have varying degrees of cost but overall any pasta dish is easy and reasonably inexpensive. Of course almost everyone loves spaghetti. Come up with a veggie side dish and have someone bring a loaf of garlic bread and you've got it made.

Roast or roasted chicken- this one is a bit more complex but you can definitely pull it off. Season it up and throw it in the oven. Then ask your friends to bring the side dishes. This is probably better suited to groups of 4-6 though since it can be a bit difficult to manage.

If you're into fancier meals most of these can be dressed up a bit. Truth is, though, if you're having people over everyone is probably more interested in the company than in the food. Some basic fare prepared well will make it easy for everyone to have a good time without stressing over the cost of eating out or keeping you in the kitchen all night.

Taking of Life

Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: Keep A Quiet Heart
Scripture Reference: 2 Timothy 3:2-9 Romans 12:1-2

The Taking of Human Life
In the relentless effort to keep the world from squeezing me into fits own mold (see Romans 12:1-2, PHILLIPS) my mind is always making comparisons and connections and trying to test the world's reasoning by the straightedge of Scripture. When I read of the execution in Texas of Charles Brooks, Jr., by lethal injection, I made one of those connections. I remembered another news story a few months before about an unborn twin who was quietly dispatched, by means of a needle in its heart, while still in its mother's womb.
Medical science has advanced to the stage where it is possible to remove human beings from this world's scene cleanly and kindly (we tell ourselves) and without too much trauma to the executioners and the consenting public. Of the trauma to the victim we prefer not to let ourselves think too much.
One of the people I refer to, of course, was a full-grown man, convicted of murder. The other was far from full-grown. It was not even born. Nobody wanted it to be born because it happened to be not quite normal. A person, without question, but not quite a normal person. So, since the mother very much wanted the normal twin to be born, she was very glad to be able to get rid of the abnormal one in such a handy way.
In a Time (Dec. 20, 1982) essay about the Brooks execution, Roger Rosenblatt writes of the public's eagerness for a "gentle killing," yet its hunger also to know the details of the prisoner's last dinner and last words, his position on the stretcher, and how the tubes were hooked up which would carry the poison into his bloodstream. Strange that there should be this fascination at a time when there is strong protest, at least in the media, against the death penalty for criminals. There is no protest in major magazines against the death penalty for unborn children and no corresponding eagerness for pictures or descriptions of just how it is done. Few people are willing to scrutinize the details of what happens to the tiny bodies who are daily, at the request of their mothers, and with the consent of the Supreme Court, being disposed of by sophisticated chemical, pharmaceutical, and mechanical techniques.
The correction facility in Texas and the abortion facilities in hospitals are equally thorough in their efforts to make sure that the method works. Imagine the embarrassment if Charles Brooks had managed to slip out of the straps that bound him to the gurney, or if the silent fluid had somehow been obstructed in the tubes! Nobody wants that to happen. It is a major disaster, too, when an abortion produces a living child instead of a dead one. Some awful scenes have taken place in hospital nurseries when a baby has been taken there who had been intended for the garbage can. What is wanted in the cases of both the murderer and the undesirable fetus is death, pure death, the "spectacle of life removed."
Do not misunderstand me. I believe that capital punishment is both necessary and just. I believe that abortion is murder. Both are appalling to anyone human, it seems to me. Surely, no matter what our convictions and public declarations may be, we shrink inside at the hideousness of it all. But one is commanded by God--evil must be dealt with by public justice--and the other is forbidden. We cannot, without His express direction, take human life into our hands. Let us not imagine that we can somehow palliate the stark and shocking fact of death by making it private. Only a few people, including four reporters and Brook's girlfriend, were allowed to witness his death. An abortion is now called a private matter, to be decided solely by a woman and her physician. Let us not, by making it quick, easy, and clean, evade the truth that somebody is being killed.
Rosenblatt in his essay looks for the day when we may "drive out the barbarians." Is it barbaric, then, to mete out judgment in this form to a murderer, but somehow civilized to send a lethal poison into the heart of an as yet sinless child?
Paul wrote to the young minister Timothy to warn him of the sort of evil he must guard against. "Men will love nothing but money and self... men who put pleasure in the place of God, men who preserve the outward form of religion but are a standing denial of its reality. Keep clear of men like these.... These men defy the truth, they have lost the power to reason, and they cannot pass the tests of faith" (2 Timothy 3:2, 5-6, 8-9, NEB). God help us not only to stand for the truth, but to obey it scrupulously that we may not lose the power to think as Christians.

Double Trouble Contest!

My review of Double Trouble by Susan May Warren will be up on Feb. 20th, but here's a quick teaser about the book:
"With one solved case under her belt, PJ Sugar is ready to dive into her career as a private investigator. Or at least a PI's assistant until she can prove herself to Jeremy Kane, her new boss. Suddenly PJ's seeing crime everywhere. But is it just in her head, or can she trust her instincts? When she takes on her first official case-house-sitting for a witness in protective custody-Jeremy assures her there's no danger involved. But it soon becomes clear that there is someone after the witness . . . and now they're after PJ, too."


While you're waiting for my review, here is an awesome contest to enter.

Be sure to enter the Double Trouble Prize Package Giveaway by clicking on the ‘Double the Sass” button (code for button is above)! Susan’s giving away an iPod prize package that is anything but troubling! Check it out!

 

Prize Details

 

    Double Trouble, the brand new PJ Sugar novel by Susan May Warren, is in stores now! To celebrate the release, we’re running a HUMDINGER of a contest!!

 

    One Grand Prize winner will receive a $150 SUPER SLEUTH prize package that includes:

 

        * A brand new iPod Shuffle (perfect for those all-night stakeouts)

        * A $10 iTunes gift card (we recommend the ALIAS soundtrack)

        * A $10 Amazon gift card (why yes, they do sell spy pens)

        * A $10 Starbucks gift card (for fuel, obviously)

        * A pair of designer sunglasses (be stealthy AND super chic)

        * A gorgeous scarf from World Market (can also be used as a blindfold, and/or for tying up bad guys)

        * AND signed copies of both Nothing But Trouble & Double Trouble. (romance! danger! intrigue! sooo much better than Surveillance for Dummies!)

 

    We’ll announce our super sleuth winner on March 1st.

  

How'd They Get Here??

Like lots of other bloggers I use Google Analytics to track where people are coming from and how they get to my blog. This gives me lots of good information. When we were going through our Early Intervention drama last year I noticed a sudden spike in visitors from another EI-related blog that was keeping up with the news. This is when I decided to start my EI in AZ blog to keep up with all of the Early Intervention related news. And of course, looking at the search terms that bring people in is always interesting. Here are a few of the ones that make me say, "How did THAT bring them HERE?"
"americans who love hiking in england" Well I would love to GO hiking in England, but I don't think that's quite the same thing
"does max lucado have too many friends" Um...I don't know. I've never met the guy.
"retreat games for bible wings" So what did you want to know again?

Medical "Brekathrough"

I love Elizabeth Elliot, but this one almost made me cry.


Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: Keep A Quiet Heart
Scripture Reference: Matthew 25:40

A New Medical Breakthrough
As I mentioned earlier, some time ago I read of a new medical triumph involving unborn twins. Amniocentesis had shown that one of them had Down's syndrome. The mother decided she did not want that child, so with the simple expedient of piercing the heart of the baby with a long needle, it was killed in the womb. She carried the twins to term and delivered one child alive--the one she wanted to keep--and one child dead--the one she didn't want to keep. This was hailed as a remarkable breakthrough. I would ask you to pause for a moment here and consider this question: what was it, exactly, that was killed? What was it that was not killed? The answer to both questions, of course, is--a child. They were both children. They were twins. I used plain, ordinary words to tell the story--the words the news report used. Nothing ambiguous. Nothing incendiary.
I read the following week in the same magazine about another medical breakthrough. This time doctors had used an instrument inserted into a womb not to kill a child but to save one. This child had a serious heart anomaly which they were able to correct with intrauterine surgery. Can any honest and reasonable person fail to make the comparison here? In the second case, the instrument in the surgeon's hand enabled the tiny heart to keep on working. In the first case, the needle in the surgeon's hand made the heart quit working. What, exactly, should we call that?
The intrauterine surgery was called lifesaving because they fixed a baby's defective heart. What language are we allowed to use when we speak of destroying a heart that's working perfectly! There is a simple and obvious word, but we are not allowed to use it. Well, what about life-destroying? Is that permissible for this neat and efficient technique? Well, not really. Because the word life is explosive. Life is not relevant here. It's the mother's life that we are supposed to consider, nobody else's. The other isn't a life--not one worth living anyway, not one worth the mother's suffering for. So we must not use the ordinary words. They're too emotional. They're loaded. The fact is they stopped the heart. That's all. Just made it quit beating.
I was glad that the writer of the article on the baby whose heart was corrected acknowledged the possibility that fetal surgery might raise an ethical question which the medical world thought it had laid to rest. Might it be necessary, in view of these advances, to ask all over again whether a fetus is a person?
This is the issue today. It is, in the final analysis, the only question that needs to be considered when we speak of the unborn. Is the thing disposable? Is it an object with no life of its own, a bit of tissue which belongs to a woman who has the right to do with it what she chooses? If she needs it and wants it, she keeps it. If she doesn't need it and doesn't want it, she throws it out. So what's all the shouting about?
Truthfulness is the willingness to accept facts. Truthtellers are always regarded as either ridiculous, or so dangerous as to deserve death. "No truth," wrote Hannah Arendt, "that crosses someone's profit, ambition, or lust, is permissible. Unwelcome facts possess an infuriating stubbornness that nothing can move except plain lies."
Here are the unwelcome facts. We were talking about children: the twin who was saved, the child with the defective heart who was also saved, and the twin whose heart was pierced with a needle. They were children. Choices were made regarding those children: deliberate, conscious choices. One, to allow a child to live. Another, to intervene surgically so that a child might live who would otherwise die. (Would the surgeon who performed that operation have dreamed of telling the mother that her baby was not a person? He saved its life, and the mother was grateful.) But in the other case, what was the choice? It was to kill a child. These are the unwelcome facts, but they are infuriatingly stubborn. They will not go away. It was a child. It was killed. Nothing will move those facts except lies.
I ask you earnestly to look at the little creature with eyes and hands and beating heart, held in that safest of places, the mother's womb. No woman who holds such a thing within her doubts that she holds a child. No doctor who extracts it by whatever swift and putatively safe means can deny that what he extracts is a human being, and that what he does is to kill it.
I ask you for God's sake to look at the truth. And I ask you, finally, to think about what Jesus said: "I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:40, JB). Jesus will not forget.