cmotherofpirl Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 THis is from Mark Shea's blog today. This is a letter from the sister of a guy I know. I won't give his name, but he's a father in our Cub Scout group, and has a sister who is expecting an ancephalic baby. Attached is an email from her describing why they are not aborting. I think it's a remarkably lovely pro-life writing. It was sent to a long list of people, so I thought I'd forward it further. From: T----- Subject: Update on Charlotte Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 17:05:15 +1000 (EST) Thankyou for your prayers! Charlotte will be delivered by cesarean section on the 21st of June. She is doing well, although I have placenta previa and have been having some bleeding. I pray that I won't be kept in hospital until June - I have just spent one night in hospital, but thankfully they let me go home when the bleeding had stopped for 24 hours. The following is a little essay I wrote which I thought you might be interested in. God bless, T------ S---- (carrying Charlotte, 33 weeks) Why carry a dying child? A mother's perspective. Many of you may have wondered, "What's the point?"... or perhaps pitied us for 'having' to continue carrying a child who is not going to live for long... I understand these thoughts, because when my sister was carrying Thomas Walter (who had been diagnosed with anencephaly at 18 weeks and lived for 17 ½ hours after birth) I really didn't properly comprehend the whole situation. I knew it was the 'right' thing to do. I didn't question that I would have no other option if the same thing ever happened to me (although I knew it never would!) But I thought how awful it was to know for over four months that the child you are carrying is unable to live outside your womb. Once he was born, I was able to hold my nephew and see him finally as a real person - a precious unique creation - I began to realise that there was a lot more to it than mere 'ethics'. When, much to my disbelief, my own baby, Benedict, was diagnosed with this same condition four years later - I was finally able to grasp it, although it has taken me a long time to be able to put my thoughts into words. It is only since Charlotte's diagnosis that I have found words that almost convey my feelings. Some people think we carried Benedict and Charlotte to term because we don't agree with abortion, because we are Catholic, or perhaps because our nephew was carried to term after a fatal diagnosis. While these factors probably all played a part in our immediate refusal of the option to 'terminate', this is not what it's all about! It's about love! It's about my baby! It's not about some tragic, fatal medical condition - it's about my child. We do not possess more strength than other people. It's not because we can cope where others wouldn't. There is no way to avoid the sad fact that she cannot live long after birth with this condition, but causing Charlotte to die earlier will not stop this happening. Causing her to die earlier will only take from us the beautiful experience of knowing and loving her. The tragedy is not the fact that we know our baby will die. The tragedy is that our baby will die. It is not nice to know for months beforehand, but it gives us a chance to appreciate a life so brief, and not to miss a moment. The value of Thomas Walter, Benedict and Charlotte cannot be measured by the length of their lives - we don't apply this yardstick to adults, so why should we to babies? A baby is not a possession, an accessory to acquire. A baby is a gift, a new entity, a precious, individual soul loved by God. We are created for a purpose, there is a reason for our being here. Even if that reason is unclear to us most of the time, we are constantly affecting other people in our families, communities etc. Who knows what purpose can be fulfilled in 9 months and one day? I don't know, but God does. I do know that Benedict left a lasting impression on our family, he made us slow down, savour life, and treasure our other children even more. He made us realise that we cannot control or predict what will happen in the future, he made us rely on God. And how often are we given the opportunity to really give another person true unconditional love? Love that truly expects no return? It is a blessing to experience that kind of pure love! So don't pity us for carrying a child we know will die. Carrying this beautiful person is an honour. Grieve for the fact that our baby will die. We wouldn't wish away the time we had with Benedict, and also this time we are now experiencing with Charlotte, just to save us the pain of losing them. I've always thought of it like this; if your 3 year old was diagnosed with untreatable, fatal cancer and had only 4 months to live; would you prefer the doctor kill your child straight away so that you didn't have to >wait for his/her impending death? Or would you prefer to spend as much time as you could with your child and love him/her for as long as you had left? Someone asked us after Benedict died, "Was it worth it?" Oh, YES! For the chance to hold him, and see him, and love him before letting him go... For the chance for our children to see that we would never stop loving them, regardless of their imperfections? For the chance to give him everything we could? Oh, YES! Love your children, and remember that they each have their own unique mission. Children are always and only a blessing from God - even if they don't stay very long... "I have my mission" by Cardinal Newman God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good. I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place while not intending it - if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore I will trust in Him. Whatever, wherever I am. I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me - still He knows what he is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 that is SO beautiful, i'm almost crying! thanks, cmom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 cmom, that was so powerful! I couldn't hold back my tears. I'm praying for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azaelia Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 (edited) That is sooo beautiful. My mom lost her first baby, as did some good friends of mine, so this really hits home. Edited May 24, 2004 by azaelia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traichuoi Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 thanks be to God... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traichuoi Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rev Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 That made me shed a few tears. They'll be in my prayers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SacredTruth Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Wow. I'm not to often speechless and brought to near tears... I had mixed emotions on abortion.... until now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamalove Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 That is so beautiful. The Holy Spirit truely dwells within that mother to inspire her to write such a moving letter. That simple, beautiful love is what its all about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miche11e Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 (edited) Hey that is my cousin!!! At first I read it and thought how could it be the sister of a guy he knows and then I remembered that T's bro (also my cousin )and his wife and kids are in America. If anyone is interested here is the site that Teresa made for their son whom they lost to anencephaly. [url="http://www.geocities.com/teesieau/story.html"]http://www.geocities.com/teesieau/story.html[/url] Michelle Edited May 25, 2004 by miche11e Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traichuoi Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 wow what a small world!!! that website is so beautiful Michelle...it made me cry and when i thought i was done crying i cried again...beautiful pictures!!! i'm bumping this because if it changed SacredTruth's mixed emotions, it's worth being bumped!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil bull 04 Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miche11e Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 bump again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 wow, miche11e! i'm crying as i read her story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 "We bought a gold mizpah coin, which breaks into two pieces and says, "The Lord watch between me and thee, while we are absent one from another". I didn't realize that I would really want to wear it, but I do. So now Benedict wears one piece and I wear the other." This is so sad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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