Wednesday, January 26, 2011

A Girl, a March, and a Choice

Kenzie and Liz @ the Armory - photo by Jamie Laubacher
My third oldest daughter, Mackenzie made her first trip to Washington D.C. this week to participate in the March For Life. My Kenzie-girl is a homebody. A mama's girl, through and through. Though she is 13, nearly 14, she still has a hard time being away from me - and I think she has plenty of time to get used to the idea of being away, so I don't push it.

Praying in front of the 1st Planned Parenthood in the US
But, she wanted to make this trip. The March has always been important in our household, her older sisters have always, always been activists for Life. I am proud of them in so many ways, but their deeply held belief and understanding that life is precious is what I am most proud of, truly. Meg and Liz have talked friends out of abortions, they have protested in front of Planned Parenthood, they have done baby and maternity drives for our local Crisis Pregnancy Center,  they have Marched for Life. They walked from Denver, Colorado to Omaha, Nebraska with Crossroads, speaking at churches and youth groups along the way, and demonstrating their beliefs by praying in front of abortion clinics. And they are only 20 years old. I hope/pray/believe that it will be this generation that makes our nation see that abortion is a travesty. These kids are so full of life, and so sure that they can make the difference. I want so much to believe that they can do it.
Liz and Meg while in Denver with Crossroads

My Kenzie, a little scared and a lot nervous, boarded a bus with a bunch of strangers, a few folks from our parish, and her big sister, Elizabeth. She had told Elizabeth that she didn't need her to take care of her, that she could handle herself, but in the end, she was so happy to have her sister make sure she was staying with the group, as she kept getting pushed back away from everyone during the March. I am so proud of her, for overcoming her fear and nervousness to travel far from home, walk all day in the freezing cold, to be a voice for those who have no voice. She is brave, and strong. She made the choice to March. And someday, like her big sisters, she will talk a friend into giving her child life. She will help a mother with a crisis pregnancy. She will speak out for the unborn. She will stand in front of a 'clinic' and pray. Because it's a fight, a struggle to change the hearts of our law makers, and of those who seek to ensure that abortion -  the deliberate taking of a human life, the life of one's own child, remains legal  - and make them see what they are doing is wrong. More than wrong, I believe it is the greatest evil of our generation. They often say that the youth is the future of our nation. Never before has this been more true. I hope my children, and the millions of other young people who see abortion for what it is, fight for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I hope they continue to March, until there is no longer a need...

This momma for life has some very interesting stats on how under reported this event is - it's staggering.