Help for the Helpless

Nothing in my life has made me feel more helpless than being a parent.  When I was young, it seemed that parents were in control, the knowers and the doers, the strong and courageous ones.  But now that I am one myself, I find myself often afraid, not knowing what to do.  I've discovered that there's nothing I can do to stop teething or tummy-aches, that I'm not able to keep my children always happy, healthy and good, and that I cannot make this world the one I want it to be for my children.    Looking at a sick toddler or crying baby who can't understand why Mama doesn't fix it, I've been brought to tears by the feeling of complete helplessness.

How could you not want to protect that sweetness?

The evils of the world, which used to depress me at the best of times, can become utterly crushing when I think of how my sweet children will have to face them one day.  In particular, I've always had a hard time even bringing the subject of abortion to mind.  It is a practice I find so wicked and so heartbreaking that, if I dwell on it, I could literally curl up in a ball and sob for hours  at the thought of all those babies who will never live because their mothers believed the convenient lie that they were not yet human.  Now that I have children, that I have carried and given birth to two precious lives, I find it even more unbelievably tragic.

Recent events in the world, the Gosnell trial especially , have brought to mind both the hideous truth of abortion and the weighty feeling of my own helplessness.  How can such evil exist so close to my home?  How can I, who have so little money, time, or ability, do anything against it?  It seems so unlikely that I can do anything, I have often pushed the subject from my mind, just to avoid living in the sad truth that I am helpless against such a wretchedly mighty force.

When talking with my husband about this, however, I realized this mindset was both false and dangerous- the exact sort of thing a devil would whisper in your ear.  You see, giving in to evil because we are helpless discounts one very important thing: the help of a God whose power is made perfect in weakness, a God who promises mighty things to those who pray.  Prayer is the weapon given to every Christian in the face of evil.  It is the one thing that the enemy cannot take away and cannot withstand.  We have the unique ability to strike a blow for Christ whenever and wherever we are, that is, to pray continously and to offer up our suffering.  Each day, we can battle against the greatest evil of our times by praying with the saints, our Blessed Mother, and our brothers and sisters in Christ for the end to abortion. From now on, I fully intend to do my best to seize that opportunity.

Today is: The Feast of St. Julius
Mama just read: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 
Finn is: 21 months old
Baby Gigi is:  8 weeks old already! 

Update on the kiddos:
Gigi is smiling! and making darling cooing noises that sound like "HI!"  She is so chubby and I just love it. (Apparently, so does she, as she is completely smitten with the pretty baby in the mirror.)

Easter Eggs!

Finn has been saying "oh yah! sure!" to everything including: helping Mama bake and eat desserts now that Lent is over,  drawing without trying to eat crayons, singing and hearing songs (his current favorite is "Jesus Christ is Risen Today," he requests this by saying "Lu La, Mama, Lu La"), helping Daddy and Papa Don install a railing, and recounting to everyone how he saw a "lil-lah" (gorilla), a "gafe" (giraffe) eating "cwackas," and a "monkey[with an] apple" at the zoo last week.