Journey
All views expressed in the following blog post belong soley to the author.
Rewind... 1971. She comes from a good home, oldest of four, and a child of two properly married Irish Catholics. She met the "bad boy" of the class of 1969 and his fastback Mustang. She was 17 and a senior in a Catholic High School. She was pregnant and initially forced to the unwed mothers home to give her child up for adoption. She had sat with her best friend as her friend chose abortion. The loophole: she ran with him to another state where they could marry and she could keep their child. And so it is... here I am... their child all these years later wanting to talk to you and all young mothers out there.
Life gets messy and is never easy. My mother's best friend grieved over her choice of abortion until the day she died - way too soon and she was my Godmother. My parents tried to make it work for 20 years and I have two younger brothers. My teen years were a roller coaster as my parents clashed and were too busy to notice I was slipping away. Don't get me wrong as I love them both... I took on this guilt and shame... I believed that I was the cause of all the angst and anger in our house. I wore it on my heart and made poor decisions because of it. That story is for another day. Who would have thought I would end up marrying a man whose birth parents put him up for adoption back in 1969? A man who hit the jackpot for adoptive parents. A man who has no interest in knowing his birth parents. The irony.
Breaking the cycle... I now have before me a daughter and son. My daughter is the age of my mother when she had me and the same age in which I made some poor choices. She will be a Freshman in college next year. It has forced me to search my heart and into the Word. There is a beautiful tapestry that God has woven and continues to weave through us.
I am not a mistake... God put me here for several reasons. One of those reasons is to tell you that I love you. I love that YOU are persevering and I encourage you to read Ephesians 6:13 (MSG).
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
Disclaimer: The views, thought, and opinions expressed in this post belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs and viewpoints for Baby Steps
The author of this story wishes to remain anonymous at this time.