Month: January 2015

Marching doesn’t save babies. You do.

~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

We’re back from the March for Life and different blog posts have been going through my mind for the last day. I could talk about . . .

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  • how inspiring it was to leave campus with a few hundred people who were PUMPED about being pro-life
  • how discouraging it is that far less than a quarter of those people will stay engaged in pro-life activities this semester
  • the awesomeness of ecumenism at the March
  • blatant misrepresentation of the March by the media
  • the need to be careful to not make life an issue only for religious people
  • how so many people check “pro-life” off their to-do list after marching but don’t do anything else
  • the pro-“choice” people who tried to stop the March and refused to comply with the police
  • the civil right movement parallels
  • politicians who are not practicing what they preach
  • the new brand of feminism making waves in pro-life circles
  • the ridiculous fact that people can’t agree a 20 week abortion ban makes sense

There’s so, so much to be said. I’ve been reading, looking at all the pictures and soaking it all in – trying to figure out what I want to say. And obviously from the list, you can see there are plenty of thoughts that could be developed more. But so much of them are negative. So much of my thoughts after the March are disappointing.

Because I know the march is only one day.

Marching is one day – one battle. But our victory over the culture of death depends on winning the overall war, not just a single battle each year.

Being in a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people reminds me that I am not alone in my beliefs. It also reminds me that when it does feel lonely and things get frustrating, I have to persevere. I cannot let this war happen in our world without putting on some armor and doing my part. Lives depend on it.

God has called each of us in our own way to be part of challenging the powers that be who tell us abortion and other attacks on human life are okay. We are not called to chill on our iPads or spend hours on Facebook. We are freaking meant to

CHANGE

THE

WORLD.

Maybe it’s just smiling at a stranger today, volunteering somewhere each month, or sending a note home to your momma. Maybe it’s getting back to church. Or standing up for the truth in everyday conversations. Or taking time to educate yourself. Or making a plan for how to integrate your pro-life beliefs into your job. Or just striving to be really, really good at whatever you’ve been given talent in.

Whatever it is, just do it.

Please don’t wait until next year’s march. Because guess what? If we all just rolled up our sleeves, did the dirty work, and stopped making excuses it would be amazing.

During a recent homily, a priest talked about how we try to fit God into our daily schedules. But in reality, true peace only comes when we abandon ourselves to His will. We have to ask and pursue what He made us for, because nothing else will quench our thirst.

Are you with me? Yes, it makes me slightly squeamish too. That’s part of why “abandon” is my theme of the year. I need the challenge. I need to work on asking God to use me to accomplish his plan for the world, not trying to figure out how I can fix ALL the things.

I can’t. You can’t.

This frustrates me to no end because being pro-life is simple. Every life is a gift. That’s it. That people can not or refuse to recognize that makes me sad for those who have not seen the beauty of it. Seeing life as a beautiful gift changes how I live, and knowing people have not encountered this beauty makes me want to cry. There are people making traumatic choices because they are broken and lost and hurt and we need to help them.

Please will you try to not forget about this?

Don’t forget the united power of hundreds of thousands of people.

Don’t forget that people are dying.

Don’t forget that people who don’t know better depend on us to give them the new message.

Our world is crying for lack of love and hope – the two most basic things the pro-life movement is all about. The good news is that evil has been conquered by love. Love always wins. And each of us is given the tools to be part of history by simply standing up.

So stand up.

Know what you believe.

Talk about it.

Fight for it.

Walk the walk.

Because simply moving our feet doesn’t save babies. But we can. We can touch hearts. We can be good friends to our brothers and sisters in a broken world. We can show people the beauty of life through our witness. God can use any of us to do great things. We can join together and tell our society we’ve had enough of its lies. We can give people hope. We can love people we come in contact with.

A single march isn’t going to change the world. But you can do something. You are capable of being a witness to the beauty of life. Your first step – our first steps – are just the beginning of the end of death.

So let’s start today.

To Life,

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What the pro-life movement has taught me

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

My first memorable contact with the pro-life movement was going to some sort of rally around 9 years old. It was at our state capital and all I can really remember are the graphic pictures.

Fast forward to 2011 when I went to the Walk for Life West Coast and BAM. That fall I started working for Live Action, and the rest, you could say, is history. At first, learning about the injustice of abortion made me incredulous and sad. How could people think it’s okay? Who would do such a thing? So I did things like self-righteously post something on Planned Parenthood’s Facebook page. And then I would argue with the people who did things like call me a lesbian nun (yes, that was a real comment – my favorite insult!)

Now, four years later, I don’t think about it the same way. So here’s what I’ve learned.

what being pro life has taught me

1. Being pro-life isn’t all about babies.

Statistically speaking, abortion has wiped out more lives than any other single tragic event/disease/etc in human history. That’s a pretty big deal. But the fact is that babies aren’t given life if their moms don’t choose to give it to them. So you have to reach the woman first. You have to genuinely love her, because let’s be real:

knowVScare

So please avoid fetus tunnel vision at all costs.

2. Sometimes being pro-life makes life hard

When couples receive the news their baby will most likely not live long after birth, many would like to take the “easy” route by having an abortion and “trying again”. But couples like Trevor and Hayley show us that making a hard choice that respects the life of people like their daughter Veyda may be hard, but it is always worth it.

 

3. Working in the pro-life movement is inherently sacrificial

Want to stand out in bone-chilling cold praying for people you’ve never met? Is having people remove themselves from your life a thrilling possibility? Does being yelled and cussed at sound like your cup of tea? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you just might be called to get involved in pro-life work!

On a more serious note, making your mission to defend other people makes a lot of people grow in humility and love for others. Why? Because we’re not the ones being aborted. The majority of people who do pro-life work do it for other people. Some people have personal stories that drove them to do pro-life work, but other people like me not so much. I do it because I care about people. And you know what I’ve found? That saying “You find yourself by losing yourself in service to others” is spot on. If more people got involved in pro-life work we would lose a lot of the selfishness in the world.

 

4. We don’t agree on everything, but we can all agree on one thing

LGBT pro-life group? Secular pro-life group? Great. We agree about life. That’s what we’re here for. If you want to grab some coffee and chat other issues, great. But when we do pro-life work, we’ve got to be able to work together toward a common goal without letting our differences divide us.

 

5. Being pro-life means ALL life at ALL stages

Consistency is key, or being pro-life doesn’t make sense. We have to always be pro-life, even when it comes to issues that don’t involve smiling babies. Take, for example: euthanasia, death penalty, the porn industry, and human trafficking. Let’s talk about the over-sexualization of people in the media too. There are so many issues dealing with human dignity that we have to be careful to not limit the pro-life movement by putting it in a tiny box labeled “abortion”. It’s so much more.

 

6. Love conquers all

Ultimately, we do what we do because we are called to love our brothers and sisters. We see a hurt world suffering at the hands of evil. But we have hope because love is stronger than death. Love has already conquered evil on the cross, and it’s our job now to show we the world that “We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song”.

 

Like many things in life, being active in the pro-life movement is not easy. But it’s worth it. It has challenged me, pushed me beyond my comfort zone, and givens me so many reasons to have hope for our world. It is raising up a generation of soldiers for truth.

It’s been 4 years now doing this crazy stuff, and I look forward to the many years to come. As I attempt to use my life to show the world the beauty and dignity of every human person, may we work together tirelessly in this movement. After all, when people look back on history and how we dealt with threats to the dignity of life, what side do you want to say you were on? Did you stand by the sidelines and watch? Or did you do something?

It’s up to you.

To Life,

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Hitting the ground running

~ Laura ~ 2 Comments

Christmas break ended and BAM. Hello last half of junior year!

The last few days have been an adjustment after a month long break. All of a sudden more seems to be expected of me in my classes than ever before. Assignments were given before the first day of class. Papers are due a week from the first day of class. Teams were assigned. Quizzes taken. Participation expected. Books to be read.

Whew. And we’re only three days in.

Looking at my class schedule, I expected this semester to be hard. And it certainly will be. There’s not much wiggle room for messing around or procrastinating. My classes demand the best of my effort. And I cannot fathom how all the reading and group work is going to happen. But happen it will. So I better get my game face on.

My Great Catholic Thinkers class on Fulton Sheen is my favorite right now. He is such a BOSS. And did you know his real name wasn’t Fulton? Mind blown! It was actually Peter. Though there’s a lot of reading for that class, I am immensely enjoying it as we plow through his autobiography before getting into 6 other books.

Our discussion in Ethics was interesting, and I’m sure will bring up many fascinating topics. Business classes haven’t introduced anything new yet, but involve some psychology this semester which I enjoy! And then there’s Hip Hop. Why I am taking that class, I am still not sure. I feel like a dork in there, and it pushes me beyond my comfort zone, but that’s a good thing. Oh and we have to perform in a showcase in May. It’s been a long time since my feet have seen the stage, and I’m not sure how I feel about that yet.

We’re taking 300+ students to the March for Life in D.C. this week! It will be my third time going, and being a “bus captain” will be fun. Life has been going non-stop since getting back to campus, but the sun is out (seriously over 50 degree today – WHAT?!) and it’s been so nice to see people again. I’m realizing what a short time is left before graduating, so I plan to make the most of my last three semesters.

So many opportunities. So much to do. But I’m loving it.

I’ve been here long enough to know my way around and know what I’m doing. I know what classes require of me. I know what I am capable of. And I know that I’m up for a challenge.

Bring it, last semester of junior year!

To Life,

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NAS: A Typical Day

~ Laura ~ 6 Comments

Joining back in the fun with Jen and Morgan! If you’re not familiar with this series, go check out their blogs to find out more.

This week we’re talking about: Let’s get back in the swing by sharing what our typical day is like! Tell us however you like, minute by minute or a blurb about your day! Be sure to answer these questions:

– What is your favorite part of your day?
– What is your least favorite part of your day?
– Are you making any changes to your daily routine now that the new year has begun?

Since it’s still technically break, here’s what a typical good day at school would look like:

Mornings – Get up at 6 (beating the sun feels like a boss), most of the time say a morning offering as I get up. Work out for 45ish minutes. Shower. Breakfast. Sometimes I’d do something quick in my dorm, but sometimes I meet people in the cafeteria which is lots of fun.

More morning – The real work begins at 9am with classes or work depending on the day. Either way, my morning is packed until noon when I eat lunch, check emails, do social media, and wonder where two hours went. Seriously. I could never figure out how my class at 2 came so quickly.

Afternoon – More classes. Depending on the day, I’ll be done around 3 or 4. Then time for dinner. Sometimes it’s in the cafeteria. Sometimes we have a spontaneous Taco Bell run. Sometimes we make things. It depends.

Evening – Sometimes meetings, sometimes mass, more emails, social media, homework, fun events, dance parties, microwave cookies, reading, and whatever else comes up . . . as in the occasional staying up until the wee hours of the morning/night because conversations are just THAT awesome.

Bed – Is any explanation necessary here? I go to bed, not usually at a decent time. Before midnight is an accomplishment. The best nights are when I’ve worked so hard and enjoyed the day so fully that I fall asleep so quickly my hamster wheel brain doesn’t have a chance to get started.

My favorite part of the day, contrary to many other people, is getting up. It’s quite a struggle bus when I went to bed too late. But I do not hit snooze. It’s up and at ’em, even if I made the dumb decision to deprive myself of sleep. Seeing the sun rise and thinking about the potential of each day is just so epic! And slaying my desire to sleep longer makes me feel like a boss. Sometimes I blast a song or kickbox as I brush my teeth because who knows what you need to be prepared for during any given day?

My least favorite part of the day is having to do things like homework. Not all homework is bad, but I’d much rather be chatting by the fire, reading, or planning how to take over the world.

Do I want to make changes to my routine? OH YES! See the awkward lunch break? I have GOT to figure out how to best use that time so it doesn’t disappear. I am determined to get off social media more so I have time for other things. I also am determined to force myself to do a solid hour of homework without getting distracted in the afternoon before letting myself do fun things. That’s partially because at night it would be nice to have time to do more with people instead of having to do homework, partially because it’s something I should be doing anyway.

Also! If you do daily mass readings, do you have a favorite way to read them? I forget to read them if they’re digital and love having a book, but don’t know the most economical way to go about that. Magnificat is awesome, and I’ve read a couple others. Any ideas? That would be nice to add into the morning. I’ll be adding in set prayer and exercise times, and am hoping to be able to block off free time to be available to meet up with people and have wiggle room for spontaneity.

That’s about it. Things are not set in stone or regular since classes get cancelled every once in a while and there are always random events. It’s nice being able to enjoy adventures at this time in my life, so thanks for being along for the ride!

To Life,

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Moving and shaking: Hello, 2015!

~ Laura ~ 5 Comments

I’d like to think I’m a mover and shaker of sorts. Maybe because I’m stubborn and passionate about what I do. Maybe it’s because I really do want to do great things with all I’ve been given. Who knows. Making goals (and sharing them) has always helped me focus on what is most important, so I present to you . . .

My Master Plan for Greatness in 2015

 

This fall has seen great improvement in self-discipline and diligence. Now it seems important to continue those practices and challenge myself with new, specific goals for this year. Why? Because I’ve been gifted with the ability and grace to do some marvelous deed nobody else can accomplish. So have you. It’s our responsibility to respond to our call with gratitude and graciousness because after all, we hardly deserve everything we have access to in life.

This year I want to focus on revealing the greatness of God through the witness my life is to people around me. I want to be thoroughly done with anything that takes me away from greatness and run after whatever God has in store for me with reckless abandon. I want to live differently than the world in quiet but powerful defiance of the status quo society prescribes. In short, I want to work on becoming a saint.

A word that keeps coming up is “abandon”. I first saw this in action during my trip working with Mother Teresa’s sisters, and I am not kidding you. The word just keep coming up. You know how people choose a word for their theme each year? Last year I chose “peace”. And looking back, I can see how I have come to be at peace with whatever God has in store. Of course I have my moments. We all do. That’s what dance parties and adoration are for. But internally, I do feel an sense of unshakable peace.

This year “abandon” is the word. It’s not something that means a whole lot to pick, except that it’s been coming up a lot. So I feel like it’s time to work on getting rid of any pride I might have and allowing room for God’s plan – thus “abandoning” myself to his providence and timing.

We’ll see how that goes.

To kick off the year of abandonment, enjoy reading my somewhat ambitious hopes of future accomplishments.

2015AbandonTheme

Discipline

  1. Make it a habit to read 30 minutes/day from books that will challenge and inspire.
  2. Finish at least 12 good books.
  3. Complete 1 solid hour of homework during the day (when needed) before starting less necessary activities.
  4. Write down events and meetings in my planner and check it in the morning so nothing is forgotten.
  5. Intentionally track and record income and spending. This includes making a budget, not splurging often, and planning trips to the store.
  6. Have accountability meetings weekly.

Writing

  1. Submit an average of 4 posts/month to Live Action News (about one/week).
  2. Post an average of at least one non-link-up article a week.
  3. Continue brainstorming book ideas.
  4. “Give people a reason for my hope” by exploring deeper topics in my writing.
  5. Share an update on goals at the beginning of each month.

Media Usage

  1. Allow myself to check emails up to 3 times/day.
  2. Allow myself to check Facebook 1 time/day.
  3. Remember to ask for prayer intentions every Sunday.
  4. Share inspiring quotes and positive news, not so much on negative stuff.
  5. Go one day each week completely technology free (unless homework requires it).

Exercise

  1. Complete at least 2 5k’s.
  2. Get my 5k time under 30 minutes.
  3. Schedule time to work out 5 times/week.
  4. Research and consider participating in a triathalon.

Prayer/Spiritual Life

  1. Schedule 30 minutes/day for silent prayer or journaling.
  2. Read daily readings over breakfast each morning.
  3. Print examen to reflect on each evening.
  4. Say the litany of humility more often, and consciously work on putting others before myself.
  5. Spend at least 3 hours/week in adoration.
  6. Go to confession 1 time each month.

That’s a wrap. Who knows what this year will bring, but I have a feeling there are great things in store. Each month I’ll share where I am with you, and I’d love to hear about what your goals are for the year. I’m so excited to share this year with you!

If you have any suggestions or questions, fire away. May your year be filled with adventures and joy as God writes our stories. I look forward to being here more often to share my thoughts with you and create a conversation and community or sorts as we work on becoming the people God made us to be.

To Life,

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