China's One Child Policy: How Can This Be True?

China is well-known for its offensive One-child policy and here is just another testimony of that fact from a speaker at the Victims of Communism Memorial event held in Washington DC earlier this June. Continue reading below to hear more about the forced abortions and other disgraceful policies in China.

The Most Violent Policy Against Women and Girls in the World

Posted on June 25, 2012 by EI

“The coercive enforcement of China’s one-child policy causes more violence against women and girls than any other official policy on earth and any other official policy in the history of the world, ” according to an expert speaking at a memorial for victims of communism.
Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, spoke at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C. on June 12. She described a recent case — one of many reported cases — of forced abortion in China:

Feng Jianmei was beaten and dragged into a vehicle by a group of Family Planning Officials while her husband, Deng Jiyuan, was out working.  The officials asked for RMB 40,000 in fines from Feng Jianmei’s family.  When they did not receive the money, they forcibly aborted Feng at seven months, laying the body of her aborted baby next to her in the bed.
Feng Jianmei is not alone.  The Chinese Communist Party estimates that it has “prevented” 400 million lives through its brutal One Child Policy.  Every one of these 400 million snuffed out lives is a victim of communism.

Read more by clicking here...

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 Questions for Ch. 8 and 9

Hi Treasuring Grace Book Club Readers!

We hope you are enjoying your summer read of Treasuring Grace. If you havent started, its not too late to enjoy all the cool author insights and discussion questions, so start up a book club group and get reading!
For those of you who are staying on schedule here are your book club questions for chapters 8 and 9.

In Chapter 8, how can you explain Liz’s choice of seats for the trip and her explanation for sitting there?

 

You’ve seen Liz and Scott together for several chapters. What observations do you have about their relationship, especially as it relates to their children?

 

In Chapter 9, why do you think Jake is so worked up about Alyssa’s feigned interest in Drew?

 

Why does Liz’s expression cloud briefly at the end of Chapter 9?

SPOILER ALERT:  

Discussion questions with authors insights:

 

In Chapter 8, how can you explain Liz’s choice of seats for the trip and her explanation for sitting there?

 

Liz initially states her reason clearly: so that Grace can see the horses. Alyssa didn’t hear her, and as people frequently do, Liz didn’t simply repeat her statement. Instead, she said that she wanted to be near each of her children, which was plausible. Alyssa’s teenager response about togetherness was easy to ignore, and could have just as easily been attributed to an empty window seat as to a bigger person sitting in the middle.

 

You’ve seen Liz and Scott together for several chapters. What observations do you have about their relationship, especially as it relates to their children?

Outside of a few jobs and note cards, their relationship is almost entirely sustained by their children. Their conversation is about them. Their activities include them. Liz even sits in the back of the truck when the seat could easily slide forward to give Jake more room. The loss of Grace created the void between them, but Jake and Alyssa prevent it from getting bigger.

 

In Chapter 9, why do you think Jake is so worked up about Alyssa’s feigned interest in Drew?

Jake is a good brother, and of course he doesn’t want his sister involved with someone who moves from girl to girl and brags about his conquests.  He also fears where an unwanted pregnancy may lead.

 

Why does Liz’s expression cloud briefly at the end of Chapter 9?

Liz is deluded.  But even in her fantasy, she sees herself as unsuitable for guiding her happy, mischievous daughter through life’s difficult decisions.  

Start reading chapters 10 and 11 for next week!

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 Online Book Club

  Join us on a summer reading adventure!  Together we will read through Treasuring Grace by Rob Plumley and Tracy Roberts (books may be purchased online from Healthy Life Press or Amazon).

    Treasuring Grace, a novel inspired by a dream, shares a story and a secret that will touch your heart.  You will come to know the characters and gain insight as the authors share their thoughts along the way.

    Begin reading on Wednesday, June 13.  The following week you will get discussion questions for chapters one and two.

    Pick up your copy of Treasuring Grace and join us on this journey!

Don't Miss Your Chance for a Free E Book Copy of Treasuring Grace

Tomorrow we will be drawing names for three free eBook copies of Treasuring Grace in preparation for our summer guided book reading!  Comment here or on our Facebook page to have your name put in for a drawing for one of three copies so you can be ready to join in on the fun!

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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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Mother's Day Letter: a Touching Testimony

Hi Friends,
I found this letter on the Priests for Life website, and wanted to share it with all of you in honor of the upcoming Mother's Day:







Dear Friend:
Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I am 48 years old and every Mother's Day since I aborted my two children has been painful. Some years, and most of the days in between, I muted the pain by listening to the cultural messages around me that there had not been life present anyway. I tried to talk to my female therapist about what I was feeling after the first abortion. She told me that women who give up their children for adoption suffer trauma but women who have abortions generally do not. So, in addition to feeling regret and sorrow unlike anything I had ever known, I then felt there was something wrong with me for being as affected by the abortion as I was.

I stopped talking about it. What I did was what some of us do after having an abortion… I got pregnant again the very next year. Even then, I understood my unconscious wish to undo what I had done.  I thought about carrying this child to term, but my cowardice and shame overtook me once again. I chose to stop the process of life for a second time.

Often during the last years, I would think, "How old would my children be now if they had lived?" But last November, at a Project Rachel retreat, I let myself realize the full truth ...that they are alive, that they exist today. I met them in my heart and did what I never thought in a million years I would be able to do -- I named them. Rachel and David. I finally began my relationship with them six months ago. I acknowledged their eternal existence, and I love them.

I have heard it said that our children are the ones who keep after us, pushing us on toward healing and reconciliation. I think this is true. I was led to the retreat which was the single most powerful, profound and life changing event of my life. I knew I had been reconciled with God before the retreat. Nine years ago I returned to Him and received His forgiveness through one of His priests. But I did not feel reconciled to myself, or my children. God's love flooded me during the retreat and led me to the reconciliation and internal peace that had always been out of reach.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. In my church on this day, the priest asks all the mothers in the church to stand at the end of the Mass for a blessing. It has always been agony for me; as women all around me stand, and I sit. You see, I never had a pregnancy again, I have never given birth. And until last November, I never let myself know that I have two children, that I too am a mother. So when the priest asks tomorrow, I will kneel for my blessing. The women who gave birth deserve to stand -- I am at peace receiving my full blessing from a more humble position.

Friend, please try. Trust your heart, trust God and your child to lead you where you have always needed to go. For my part, I will pray for you and will ask Rachel and David to look out for your little one until we join them there, surrounded by God, who is Love.
God Bless You,
A Mother

originally printed:  http://www.priestsforlife.org/postabortion/casestudiesb/casestudy2110.htm

A Message from Rob: Co Author of Treasuring Grace

I think it’s important to start by echoing what Jake says in Treasuring Grace.  “There are two victims in every abortion.”  That’s our belief.  Our greatest hope is that the story may lead victims to understanding and forgiveness and help others to avoid the heartache completely.  No strong words on this site will ever be directed toward a woman who has suffered through an abortion.

However, on occasion, there will be strong words.  There are forces within our society that have an agenda that is abhorrent to the cause of life.  They are deceivers, and more of us need to be aware of them and their lies.

Take care,

Rob


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Treasuring Grace: A Call to Action

People have asked me after reading the novel Treasuring Grace, "What can I do"?

First, I tell them to pray!  We can begin in prayer asking God to guide us and others to the truth.

Then, we need to be informed of what is the truth.  I have mentioned how the precious feet (tiny feet the size of a baby in utero at ten weeks) amazed me with the truth.  It wasn't enough for me to know the truth, but that I needed to share it with others.

Next, share the truth!  I did this by wearing the precious feet and explaining them when asked.  The truth may not always be easy to accept, so again go to God in prayer!

Above all, love others.  It is not our right to judge.

"Guide us, we pray, as we go forth and proclaim your truth, always doing so with a spirit of love and compassion, as was demonstrated to us through the work of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  In His name we pray, Amen."  A Prayer from the 40 Days For Life

Believe,
Tracy

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  John 1:17

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