You need to know this.  Go here.  Watch this.  Please.

The video on children born alive during the abortion process was heart-wrenching and sobering.  It, again, emphasizes the need to defend the most innocent of life and the upcoming election is a critical step in trying to safeguard the most vulnerable of innocent lives.

For those that would disagree (and, on a lighter note), I have included the following instructional video on what to do if Obama loses:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid271557392/bctid1842856410

 “Long time ago, the Men of the Mountain swore an oath to the last king of Gondor to come to his aid to fight.  But when the time came, when Gondor’s need was dire they fled vanishing into the darkness of the mountain.  So Islidur cursed them never to rest until they fulfilled their pledge.”  - Legolas.  The Return of the King, as they enter Dwimorberg, the Haunted Mountains to gain the help of the Army of the Dead.  

This came to my mind over the weekend as I was passing through Havre de Grace, MD  on my way to the Green’s house for Conquest.  My family has a great devotion to the Holy Souls of Purgatory, and as we pass the cemetery there on the hill (and all cemeteries) we always says, “Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine on their souls and all the souls of the faithfully departed.  May the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace, especially those that have no one to pray for them and those that have been forgotten.” 

With the upcoming election on my mind, it struck me that these souls, the souls in Purgatory know better than we the power of one vote.  They know from their lives already lived the result of their action - or inaction.  I wondered to myself if any of them are waiting to see God, fulfilling their obligation in Purgatory due to a vote they did or did not cast.

I then thought of them as an army of souls waiting for a mission - much like the Men of the Mountain from The Return of the King.  They would welcome a chance to fulfill their oath, see the face of God, given a new mission to fulfill.  So, I recruited them. 

With the Feast of All Souls (and Saints) coinciding with this most important election I thought that we might storm the gates of heaven and purgatory to ask them to pray for this election.  Perhaps they will tip the balance, so to speak.  With this army of believers, together with our own efforts, may God’s will be done.

While we are one day shy of a novena, perhaps our family’s could join in praying the following:

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family.  Amen. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus "

"Fordham University Criticized for Awarding U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, an Abortion Rights Supporter"

The critics include Cardinal Egan.

This award is beyond bad. In the first place, Roe and its progeny (so to speak) are horribly awful consitutional law. Any judge who supports those decisions is fundamentally wrong about the meaning of the Constitution and/or the role of the judiciary. In a minimally sane world, any such judge would be impeached and removed from office, and then disbarred, and then his law school would revoke his degree.

And in the second place, it's abundantly clear that the pro-Roe - and, now, pro-partial-birth-abortion - folks don't see themselves as doing something distasteful but legally necessary. They see legal abortion - without limits - as socially beneficial. Indeed, it's largely for this reason that they think it must also be constitutionally necessary. (See, e.g., some of the language in the Gonzales v. Carhart dissent, in which Breyer joined.) One's moral compass has to be about as far off as it can be to think that way. In a minimally sane world, one would be a social pariah.

According to the article, Egan "has spoken to the Catholic university's leaders to ensure 'that a mistake of this sort will not happen again.'" Frankly, I think that's far too little. He ought to give them a choice: either they cancel the award, or he revokes their permission to call the school Catholic.

Not in my house.  Never before have we been so active, so involved - spiritually, if nothing else - in an election before.  It is a bit consuming as Matt and I find ourselves wondering - what if Obama wins??

But, I don't stay there long.  One because the thought really makes me both sad and angry but also because I will not stop praying until all the votes are counted.

So, please do not let any polls, any family members, anyone tell you it is too late, too much to do, too overwhelming a task.

We have too many testimonies of struggles bigger than this - from the walls of Jericho to recent abortion stories of survivors.  Please keep praying....

By political scientist Michael New.

During the past 35 years, the pro-life movement has made real progress. The number of abortions has fallen in 12 out of the past 14 years and the total number of abortions has declined by 21 percent since 1990. These gains are largely due to pro-life political victories at the federal level in the 1980s and at the state level in the 1990s which have made it easier to pass pro-life legislation.

As Election Day approaches, the mainstream media is, as usual, showcasing self-identified ''pro-lifers'' who are supporting the Democratic Party's pro-abortion presidential nominee. In 2004, a number of media outlets cited an analysis by ethicist Glen Harold Stassen which claimed--wrongly--that the number of abortions had increased slightly since President Bush's inauguration in 2001. The New York Times published an op-ed by Dean Mark Roche of Notre Dame encouraging pro-life Catholics to vote for John Kerry. This year the story is similar. Former Reagan administration Assistant Attorney General Doug Kmiec and Duquesne University Law Professor Nicholas Cafardi, both of whom claim to be opponents of abortion, have received plenty of media attention for their support of Barack Obama.

Their arguments are the same ones put forward in 2004. They have not improved with age. ...

I've linked various things by New before - here is a collection of links to articles he's written, and here's another, more recent one.

I'm not sure who's got me more angry right now: Allegedly pro-life (in fact, there are other reasons - besides their positions on the presidential race - to doubt that they're really pro-life) Catholics who're voting for Obama, or allegedly pro-life Catholics who're voting for neither McCain nor Obama.

The idea that we can advance the pro-life agenda by making it easier for Obama to win (let alone by supporting him) is foolish beyond belief.

(And the idea that there are other things this year that are more important than keeping abortion law from getting even worse than it is now, and keeping embryo-destructive-research funding from getting even worse than McCain would allow, strikes me as even more foolish, in another way.)

In CA: "Apple Gives $100,000 to Keep Gay Marriage Legal"

"The statement says Apple views Prop. 8 as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue."

Article. I wonder how good this analysis is. First, I don't think many people doubt that some people will do good even without the help of religion. I think the more interesting question concerns the importance of religion on the social (rather than individual) scale, and in the long term. Second, I wonder to what extent one can speak in this context of "religion" in general. Different religions have different beliefs about the relationship between God and the human person. And different people - even within, say, Christianity - will pick up different beliefs. It's entirely possible that at least some Christians will pick up the idea that God loves us perfectly and that it's therefore desirable to love him in return and, as part of loving him, to love one's neighbor. And it's possible that these people will be more likely to do good than those who think primarily in terms of fear of God (or man).

Research out of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Pharmacy describes the connection between prenatal stress and the effects on one's offspring.  While much of the research was drawn from the results of animal studies, the conclusions are pertinant to a mother's stress on her pre-born child. 

Read on: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081027140724.htm

It is just coincidence that the gospel readings of late have been so appropriate for the upcoming election season?  Now, I don't really know how readings are chosen but it is weird on how fitting they are to our current situation.

I can picture a committee of bishops sitting around some office  munching on doughnuts that one of them brought in from the nearby DD w/ a box of joe.  If it takes place in the Vatican at least they get some decent coffee.  So, there they are, munching and doodling on yellow legal pads saying, "So, shall we take a look at Matthew this time around??" and someone else says, "Not Matthew again, can't we give Luke some time??"  A third then quips, "Luke??  Luke is only good for Christmas, let's give them a real challenge - John, all John, all the time!!"

Seriously, I know it is more profound than that but the imagine gives me a chuckle, especially when I think about powdered sugar on black suits!  Anyways....

Today we are reminded about the narrow gate.  A choice exists - the narrow gate which takes effort, work and patience.  After all, how many folks can get through a narrow gate?  Just one at a time - like the turnstile at the amusement park.  One at a time, because keeping count is important.  Or the huge gate where scores of people come through - no need to keep count, don't even know who they are, don't really care.

With the upcoming election we will have to be patient and wait our turn.  With early voting they are seeing 2-3 hour waits (how cool is that!!!).  How crowded will it be on Nov. 4th?  Doesn't matter - wait your turn, pray as you wait that some may change their minds for the better and then make your choice.  No matter who wins the election, we all know that God is watching our vote and assuredly keeping track and count.  He does care - deeply - as should we.

They found breastfed children could more easily determine when they were full. Children who were bottle-fed with pumped breast milk were less likely to respond to the feeling of being full by the time they were preschool-aged. Also, children who had a lower response to fullness had a higher body mass index (BMI).

According to Isselmann, these results suggest a behavioral link between breastfeeding and obesity prevention, in that children who are breastfed grow to have more positive eating behaviors, which could help prevent obesity later in life.

"Mothers who bottle feed often focus on a set amount of ounces per day or time schedule for feeding," said Isselmann. "This could lead mothers to rely more on the bottle for feedback than on the infant's cues of fullness and hunger."  MORE

Amy's got some remarkable posts up responding to the left's charges about social conservatives being mindlessly in bed with the GOP and other matters as well.  Read them all!

Both from NRO this morning:

• Interview with Fr. Thomas Williams (see our earlier mention of his new book): "A Matter of Conscience: Right and wrong and the presidential election."


• By Michael New (see my links to previous stuff by him): "Pro-Life Laws Work: Notwithstanding a highly touted study to the contrary."

"More hospitals offer palliative care, focusing on quality of life"

Palliative care is extremely important, and has been neglected too often in the past. The one possible reservation here would be whether "ineffective treatments that cause[] needless suffering" are being defined too broadly. Clearly, in our culture, proportionate (i.e., "ordinary") life-sustaining care is sometimes omitted.

More good news about breastfeeding:

Add yet another potential benefit to breast-feeding: Fewer behavioral problems in young children.

Parents of youngsters who were breast-fed as infants were less likely to report that their child had a behavior problem or psychiatric illness during the first five years of life, a new study found.

And the likelihood of mental health issues decreased in proportion to the duration of breast-feeding, meaning that a child who had been breast-fed for a year was less likely to have behavior problems than a child who had been breast-fed for just two months.

"This is an early finding, but it suggests that breast-feeding during infancy could have an effect on behavior during childhood," said the study's lead author, Dr. Katherine Hobbs Knutson, a resident in the department of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

More...

It is with sadness that I post this last update letter I just received today:

Please forgive the font issues - I've tried a couple times to fix it and can't but I want the post to go through anyways -

I have been feeling a bit low recently – perhaps due to Damian’s being sick, the upcoming election.  As a result, I was once again, doubting many of the choices that we’ve made as a family - from ou large size to our decision to homeschool.  We are just so out-of-the-ordinary that I was beginning to feel it spiritually, physically and mentally.

I shared this with Matt who did his best to console me.  “Our kids are great, I’m doing a good job, the fact that Henry (7 yrs.) can’t read very well isn’t a big concern, Jake didn’t read well until he was 9”….and so forth.  This last comment didn’t make me feel any better – I probably messed up Jake, too!!! 

He then reminded me of a letter we received several months ago from the directress of Maggie and Amelia’s school.  Lulee wrote reminding all the parents that we are much like the builders of the cathedrals in Europe.  She was relating that all the cathedrals of Europe took years – often centuries to complete - and the builders knew that.  Those placing the first stones knew they would not see the last stone but they set to work anyways.  Setting the first stones is key to making sure those last stones endure.  Even Christ himself reminds us of the power of the foundation, ‘building on solid ground, not on sand’ He reminds us.  She was writing to encourage us, to remind us of the great work we were doing for the kingdom of God even if we couldn’t ‘see’ it.

That reminder made me a bit better and I was finally able to get to sleep.  Today, however, I found myself feeling low again.  Until I opened my in-box during our lunch break and found the attached.   I got goose bumps and then laughed right out loud!!!  This was sent to me (and many others) by my parish’s youth director, Ruthie Patterson.  She did not know of my conversation w/ Matt.

God obviously intended that I get this message and make it a part of my statement of life!  He knew that I hadn’t really taken Matt’s words to heart (wasn’t the first time!) and I needed to.

So, here’s to all of us, invisible moms!!!

Here's the piece - I do not know who the author is:

Invisible Mother......

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'  Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible . The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order , 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England .  Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.

I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.  I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.  I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:  'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book.  And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.  It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.  I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'  That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.  And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.   
And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!
Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...I just did.
Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.
We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.