5 Life Affirming Things My Mother Taught Me

by Diane Steinbach

My mother was a joy. She was funny, creative, loving and giving. We didnt always get along, especially as I entered those teenage years, and then again, when I went from one bad boyfriend-choice to another, but she always had an affable way about her that meant I could always come back no matter what was said.

I was crushed... beyond words when she died after a 2 year battle with cancer.

Even during her battle she had a sense of humor. She loved life, and although she only had 2 children, my sister and I, she also had a foster son for a short while, and wished she could have had more.
It was not to be.

However...her light shone brightly and even before I looked around that crowded church when we all said our final goodbyes I knew her life touched many.

She had hoped to share her special ways... her sense of humor, her joy of life, with others, and so it is with that thought that I share with you all some bits of wisdom she taught me.

1. Always have fun with what you are doing. If you are smiling and having fun, that fun will be contagious. People who see you, will begin to feel better and happier even if they are blue.  Share your happiness.
2. Reach out to others.  If you see someone who looks lost or confused, try to help. Even if you don't know the answer, two confused people feel stronger and less afraid than one confused person. You will make a friend for life, or at the very least help alleviate the stress from someone in that very scary moment.
3. Don't try to be the center of attention. Step back and let others sparkle. The satisfaction you get when you support your friends and watch them succeed ...well, that is better than being the center of attention yourself.
4. Be a caretaker to living things. Always stop to help out an injured animal or stop someone from hurting any living thing. Life is energy, and energy is all around us. We are all caretakers of nature and should treat all life with respect.
5. Love freely. Always return love given to you, and give love to those who need it. Love is free and heals our souls. It is the light within you...let it shine.

Treasuring Grace Book Clubbers! Discussion Q's for Chapters 6 and 7

Hey Book Club Members! We hope you are enjoying Treasuring Grace as your summer read! Below are your discussion questions for chapters 6 and 7.


Questions:

In Chapter 6, where does the granola bar come from that Alyssa finds?

 

In Chapter 7, Liz reflects on the teaching position that she didn’t get.  What part of this wasn’t true?  

SPOILER ALERT:

Questions with Authors Comments and Insights

 

In Chapter 6, where does the granola bar come from that Alyssa finds?

Liz imagined that she gave it to Grace, but she just left it on the floor of the bedroom.

 

Is there anything in the story that gives you a hint that Grace isn’t real?

It’s pretty subtle, but nobody but Liz ever interacts with her.  When Liz interacts, Grace never actually does anything.  Liz just sees her doing things.  The narrator never says that Grace does something.  It’s always through Liz .  For example, Liz bent down to hug and kiss her, but she didn’t bend down and hug and kiss her.  It’s always her intent or what she saw but not what actually happened. 

 

In Chapter 7, Liz reflects on the teaching position that she didn’t get.  What part of this wasn’t true?  She didn’t have Grace to help her through the disappointment.  The loss of Grace was the reason that the disappointment was so bitter.

Start reading Chapters 8 and 9!

Laying Down Your Life for that of Anothers: The Truth of Life

Read this article on Lifenews.com and was reminded of what sacrifice and Motherhood is really about. What a great role model this woman is, and a true believer in the meaning and value of life. Although her choice was a difficult one and her family would be grieving her loss, she also left them a beautiful gift and legacy: Read on...

Mother Dies Who Spared Her Baby From Abortion When Cancer Struck

by Elizabeth Scalia | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 6/24/12 8:03 P
28 year-old Chiara Corbella has died and at her funeral in Rome, there was joy amid the sorrow. In fact, there was a kind of triumph, of love over life and life over death — one of those contradictory signs that makes no sense to an efficient world but is transcendently reasonable to the mind of faith:
Chiara was happily married to Enrico Petrillo. They had already suffered the loss of two children [born with birth defects] in recent years. . .The couple became popular speakers at pro-life events, in which they shared their testimony about the few minutes they were able to spend with their children, David and Maria, before they died.
In 2010, Chiara became pregnant for the third time, and according to doctors the child was developing normally. However, Chiara was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and was advised to begin receiving treatment that would have posed a risk to her pregnancy.
Read the rest of the article here: 

Treasuring Grace Book Club Event! Be Part of It

Join us this summer in Reading Treasuring Grace! 

We will begin reading chapters one and two on June 13.  Discussion questions will follow so gather your friends and follow along.

You will become more acquainted with the characters of the story.  We will share insights about their feelings and perspectives on life.

Three free Treasuring Grace e books will be given away.  To be eligible for the random drawing please write a comment under this announcement on our Facebook Page.  The winners will be announced on June 8th!

We look forward to reading with you,
Rob and Tracy

Summer Time is Time to Commit to the Cause

Finding time for the causes you have a passion for is tough, but summertime is a good chance to re commit yourself to the pro life cause, and get your youth groups more involved as well.  Lifenews.com has a great list of ideas of Pro Life Youth groups can do this summer to get involved and spread the good word.  Internships, "training camps," prayer groups, pro-life tee shirts and fundraising car washes are just some ideas in this article that can help get a sleepy-group of teens active and involved.  Check out the full article here and get inspired!
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/05/25/top-ten-things-pro-life-youth-can-do-this-summer/


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Mother's Day and Healing

Mother's Day can be a particularly difficult time for women who have had abortions. Although they must live with the decision to abort every day, the Mother's Day holiday rubs salt in the wound for many, and reminds them of the regrets and what-might-have-beens had they made better choices.

There is no going back, and many have used their mistakes to help other women avoid the pitfalls of what can seem like an "easy"choice in a time of desperation. However, if you talk to any post-abortion woman, chances are she can tell you how old her baby would have been, had she carried it to term.

 The unsaid things are all the imagined girl scout meetings, trick or treating and sporting events she wishes she had gone to.

No matter what your political point of view is, there is no understating the number of victims of abortion...both unborn children and those who may have been great mothers had someone believed in them or supported them.

 Promoting healing is one of the things we believe in here at Treasuring Grace, and Mother's Day is just another opportunity to encourage those with broken hearts to reach out to any number of resources to finally heal your wounds and become the whole person you were meant to be.

Whether you choose one on one counseling or online support, private journaling or working through your pain in other ways, please do something that brings love and light into your heart. Ignoring your past does not work, and will not help you avoid the inevitable reminders of the love you were meant to share with the world. Share your love - now- in some way and forgive yourself, and heal.

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Abortion Laws Around the Globe...

Have you ever wondered what abortion laws look like around the world?  You can do a quick Google search or you can go to this site http://www.pregnantpause.org/lex/world02.jsp.  There’s a wealth of information, but it’s presented as a color-coded table which makes it very easy to read.

Brace yourself.  We are the most permissive, along with human rights abusers like China, Cuba, and North Korea.

Mark Steyn wrote an interesting but terrifying book a few years back called America Alone which discussed how many countries were in decline because they weren’t maintaining their populations.  From the chart, many of those countries also have some of the more permissive abortion laws.

Do you know what’s even more interesting, though?  Our recent enemies, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have some of the most restrictive abortion laws.  I don’t pretend to understand what’s driving these laws, certainly a combination of tradition, religion, and culture.  But how is it possible that countries that sponsor suicide bombers and terrorist acts against women and children can hold unborn babies in higher regard than we do?

 
~ Rob


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Pro Life and Healing After Abortion Blog Hop

Hi Friends,
A blog hop is a way for related blogs to network and link together so that readers can easily "hop" from one site to the next and read and learn quickly and easily all the wonderful content that is out there. Since starting this blog, I haven't been able to find such a thing for pro life or healing blogs such as my own, so I decided to start one! Its all part of my mission to help spread the truth and awareness and make it easy for people to find the information they need. If you have a blog and would like to join, simply go to the "click here, your next" link below this post to join...