A Happy and Sad Day

For the first few years of my marriage I was definitely a "two kids only" kind of woman. My husband, God bless him, was very patient with me; at that time we were having trouble having ONE child, let alone two. It was after baby #2 that God intervened in my pre-set plan.

One of the first issues we had to deal with post-conversion was the issue of children. Should we or shouldn't we have more? and if we shouldn't, then how don't we?? You know what I mean...My conversion happened when my second child was about 8 months old. That really put me in a quandary. I mean, my heart was now open, but I was definitely afraid.

One of the first things my husband and I did post-conversion was to sign up with the Living Rosary Association. We were each assigned one decade of the rosary that we are to pray every day. Mine was the third Joyful Mystery - The birth of Jesus. I took that as a sign to go for it.

Our third daughter, and our first post-conversion child, was born about 1 year later on this date, January 22nd. The irony of the day did not pass by unnoticed. I considered my little pro-life baby to be the next sign of what God wanted from us as newly excited Catholics - embrace life...have more children...fight the pro-life cause. Hopefully the four additional children and the 14 years of praying and fasting and working for the cause have helped in some small way.

So today is always a day of happiness and sadness for us here. Happiness as we celebrate the wonderful life that was given to us in our dear daughter, now Ms 14 yo; and sadness as we realize that there is still so much work to be done to end the scourge of our nation - abortion.

Ms 14 yo is open to the calling of a religious vocation...I can't help but wonder if God might be calling her to a pro-life order? Time will tell, but until then, Happy Birthday Ms 14 yo and may God have mercy on our country.