I have had a pro-life stance ever since I had occasion to view in-the-womb models of fetal development. That opened my eyes to the reality of the humanity of the unborn. Much later I became more involved with activism and through much reading and listening came to understand the heartache associated with abortion. Not only is a life lost, but the remaining lives are changed forever as well, and not in a good way.

So I was interested to read Jodi Picoult's book "Handle with Care", as I'd heard it took on this issue. And indeed it does, as it tackles the subject of wrongful birth. Early into the book I made the decision not to read it. The story threatened to be a heartbreaker and I didn't think I wanted to put myself through it. But...I was hooked and went to the end. You will find yourself moved by the struggles the characters go through as they try to make sense of tragic circumstances in their lives. Ultimately this book confirmed my prolife stance and I came away comforted by the reassurance that there is a God in heaven. He knows the beginning and the end and everything in between. Did Picoult state this? No, but that's the message I got and for that I'm satisfied to have finished the book. I'll give it three stars.

Lazy hours of summer-time knitting haven't arrived yet, but I did finish something. A cute little Bunny Blanket Buddy toy to add to a baby blessing basket being given to a new mom in a few weeks. It was a spur of the moment distraction that grabbed me after I saw someone else's version on Ravelry. I made it out of Lion Brand cotton-ease, so it's washable. I'm sure it will spend a lot of time in the baby's mouth.

Reader's Digest has been a big part of my reading material for as long as I can remember. My family always subscribed to it and when I finally settled down myself, I began the tradition. It's filled with inspiring stories about real people who are doing things in the world and making a difference. I laugh and I cry through each issue.


One article in the latest issue left me feeling rather sick to my stomach. It was an interview between the recently elected President of the United States, Obama, and Pastor Rick Warren, one of the most popular speaker/authors in Christendom.



Obama certainly talked the talk of a fervent born-again Christian. But his first pro-choice actions upon taking office certainly don't seem to be walking the walk. The contradiction between his words "I think that the country's greatest moral failure in my life-time has been that we still don't abide by that basic precept in Matthew that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me" and "I am pro-choice" is chilling.



I think that we had better watch this man very closely.

A new take on a new President

I told my kids to remember this time because they will always look back and say what they were doing on the momentous day when a black man became President. We have read so many books over the years on the struggle for freedom. I feel privileged to have witnessed this step. This video looks at it in a unique light.

Unfortunately this particular man has views totally opposed to the sanctity of life before birth, so my heart is torn.

Living Books

Some books catch your heart, deepen your knowledge, make you laugh or cry, transform you or transport you to a world outside your four walls. This is a "living book". "Throwaway Daughter" is just such a book. Written by Ting-Xing Ye (with William Bell), Throwaway Daughter is the story of an abandoned female baby in China who was adopted by a Caucasian couple and raised almost from birth in Canada. The book tells the story of her feelings growing up Chinese in an almost totally white neighborhood. Her struggles to accept her background intensify until, at graduation, she decides to go to China to look for her birth mother. The book does not hold back - her intense feelings are laid bare. The heart-breaking ramifications of the one-child policy in China are clearly displayed. After reading this young adult novel dealing with this issue you might want to go on to "A Mother's Ordeal" which is a true story of a young woman and her fight against China's one-child policy. I'm anxious to read Ye's memoirs called "A Leaf in the Bitter Wind".