Every Flower Blooms

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Deborah Newell

In its own time.

It doesn’t rush; it doesn’t hurry because someone else wants it to bloom right now.

It doesn’t take in extra nutrients and water to hurry the process along because it knows that would alter or even destroy the beauty that is to come.

It doesn’t fear the storms around it that may threaten the growing blooms because it knows those tiny buds are formed for a specific purpose and they are also designed to withstand those storms.

It doesn’t worry that not everyone will appreciate or even enjoy the beauty that emerges, because it was specifically designed for that one special touch of color and design that will make its area of the garden a more special and perfect place.

But only for a time. The time may be short, lasting only a day or so, or it may last a week or even two. And when it’s time, its beauty begins to fade.

It doesn’t begrudge the fact that its beauty begins to fade; it changes as it ages, as it’s designed to do. There’s even a special beauty in a drying bloom that sometimes only it’s creator appreciates.

But even as that bloom prepares to die and return to the soil that nurtured it, it spreads its seeds that will become more blooms, just like it once was.

And the flower lives on through its descendants, which grow and bloom in its image.

And in their particular appointed time.

Toxic People

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Deborah Newell

They’re out there. In places you wouldn’t expect.

They’re people you wouldn’t expect. Friends. Family. Coworkers.

But you may not recognize them right away. It may take time.

Toxic people make it a point to do everything they can to control your life. Criticism, implied or veiled threats, constantly telling you you’re stupid, worthless, unlovable, etc.; that he/she is the only one willing to put up with you.

Toxic people don’t want you to escape their circle. Because they like the control. They do everything they can to isolate you, prevent your friends or family from interacting with you. Because they know if you tell others what’s going on in your life, they’ll try to convince you to escape….even offer to help.

When a toxic person can no longer control you they will try and control how other people see you. They will spread rumors, lies, and talk behind your back to paint you as a terrible person; as someone who has lost all control of reality. They’ll be a friend to your face, of course, but only because they want you to believe they’re the only one who cares about you.

The sooner you realize what’s going on the sooner you can escape that person’s grips.

They can lie to your friends. They can lie to your family. They can undermine you at work. But once you realize what’s going on you have to stand up for yourself, and make other people see the truth. Most importantly, don’t let that toxic person intimidate you.

Because in reality, a toxic person doesn’t always do well when confronted with the truth. And the more the truth is thrown at them, the easier it becomes to penetrate that toxic persona and show it for what it is. Because after awhile all the lies that they’ve said come back at them, because there are contradictions that can’t be explained.

Toxic people can’t handle the truth being thrown back at them. Because it crumbles the wall of lies they’ve built around themselves and they’re unable to build it back up. Suddenly they’re not in control anymore.

Now you have the control.

Use it.

Go Away Fall, It’s Not Your Turn

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Deborah Newell

A very unusual near-end-of-summer is taking place in our area. August, once a hot and steamy month that allows me to jump in the pool after work for a relaxing time of floating in the warm water with a good book and a glass of chilled wine, has decided to turn the heat down by about ten degrees during the day, and a bit more as the afternoon goes on.

No. I’m not ready. Not at all.

I’m meant for sun, flip flops, swimsuits, sundresses, cool summer drinks, and nights as well as afternoons swimming in the pool after work, with our flamingo inflatables keeping us company.

Lately all I seem to see on my Facebook feed are posts about how happy people are that it’s getting cooler already. How they’re welcoming all the fall treats: pumpkin spice everything, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin muffins, etc. They’re talking about having bonfires and roaring fireplaces.

Now I like fall. But I like it when it’s time for fall to arrive. This is August. It’s summer! It’s still time for pool parties, not bonfires, at least not yet. The other morning it was 66 degrees! In August! It should have been at least 80! I’m not ready to give up my summer!

I know summer in other parts of the country is taking a huge toll with droughts, fires, and problems with not having adequate electricity to run the air conditioning. That’s not what I’m discussing. I just don’t want summer to go away yet!

It just seems that Mother Nature is having an identity crisis, or maybe going thru the change of life. Will somebody please give her some medication?

I’m just not ready for summer to end. Who’s with me here?

Confessions From a Blogger

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Deborah Newell

Amazing to discover I’ve been blogging now for years, since 2013. Nine years. That’s a long time!

What started out as a hobby to talk about my crafts (which were basically wine cork creations and diaper cakes) has now grown into a personal blog in which I talk about not only my crafts (which have now expanded into jewelry making), but all kinds of other topics ranging from stories from my childhood as well as now, family memories, personal stories, some political commentary, family recipes, life and relationship tips, as well as whimsical stories about those pesky flamingos my husband and are so fascinated with!

Looking back on the first blog I published , I think I’ve come a long way.

I even started a series called “Matters of the Heart” about my husband’s journey through his many heart issues, which has now grown to 31 installments, to not only tell his story but to bring attention to the problems of heart disease and how it can be controlled. After three aortic heart valve replacements in some 38 years, as well as his other heart procedures many of you have never heard of, I think we can both expound on that topic and give advice to others who may be going through similar experiences.

I’ve always enjoyed writing, and even published a memoir about my mother and dealing with the grief following her death. I didn’t write it to make money any more than I blog to make money. For me, writing is cathartic as well as relaxing, and if someone enjoys reading what I publish, and it maybe helps them through something they’re dealing with, then I’ve accomplished what I’ve set out to do.

Blogging isn’t difficult, in fact, a lot of times when I begin to write, I really don’t know how the blog is going to end until it’s finished. Writing takes off like that, you see, if you really enjoy it.

I have more plans to blog more of my favorite recipes, and about one of my favorite hobbies, which not surprisingly, is reading. I’m planning to do some short book reviews about some of my favorite books and authors, that is, if I can take enough time from my reading to put them together. I promise to try, though!

A number of my blogs use pictures, especially the flamingo ones. My media library in my WordPress site had so many images that I was getting to the point I couldn’t control them all, so I finally decided to invest in a plug-in that allows me to organize them into categories, and sub-categories, and even (horrors!) sub-sub-categories.

For a blogger who’s been at it as long as I have, I really needed to get my site under better control, and I must say although it’s time consuming, it’s a good thing. I think. And finding I have almost 3,000 images in my library, many being duplicates, makes it a daunting task. But all this organizing and reviewing all those images is already getting me inspired to write some more flamingo stories, so watch out!

My blog has also changed names several times. In the beginning I had three different ones that I was writing for, but it became way too much to handle, especially working full time, so now they’re all combined into this one that I re-named “Just Living Life” which is really what I’m doing. Living my life and enjoying what I do.

Feel free to scroll through any time you wish, or as often as you wish. You can also sign up to follow my blog and you’ll be emailed a copy of each one when it’s posted. I do not keep a mailing list nor do I sell or give my followers’ email addresses out. I get enough unsolicited e-mails each day, as I’m sure you do as well. I’m not going to contribute to filling your in-box with things you don’t want.

So when you get a few spare minutes browse through some of my blog topics and see what you think. Feel free to comment on them as well. I know as I’ve been doing my media categorization project I’ve come across quite a few I’d forgotten about, and most likely will be republished from time to time with some updates.

And if you get inspired and find the desire to start writing, then go for it! I warn you though, it can become addictive!

Sleep is Underrated

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Deborah Newell

Another night of restlessness. Sleep is a precious commodity that I’m having trouble acquiring.

Like too many people, recently I’ve started having problems sleeping at night. It’s not a problem going to sleep. That happens usually about 20 minutes or so after my getting in bed and starting to read, even though the book I’m usually reading is really good. and I’m really enjoying it.

No, my problem is STAYING asleep through the night. And I know I’m not alone. Unfortunately. By 2:30, or usually 3:00, my eyes open and I’m awake. Then it’s trying to go back to sleep, usually tossing and turning for the next several hours until my husband gets up at 5:00 and takes the dogs out. Then by 6:00 I’m just falling back to sleep when my alarm goes off.

Who else has this problem?

It’s not fun, is it?

And if one more person asks me why I can’t sleep, including my husband, I think I will literally scream. If I knew why, I’d be able to sleep!!! Right?

As I said earlier, reading in bed usually helps me go to sleep. Even though the so-called experts say you shouldn’t use your electronic devices right before trying to sleep, to me that doesn’t do anything. My kindle doesn’t prevent me from falling asleep and sometimes I wake in the night to discover I didn’t even put it down before I fell asleep.

Melatonin works for a night, maybe two. And then it gives me nightmares. Which wake me up. So no more of that! And I don’t want to take Rx meds.

Soft music or some type of white noise…doesn’t help.

I still wake up around 3:00 am. And toss and turn until I start to fall asleep when it’s time to get up.

I’ve tried the proverbial counting sheep, but those darn sheep don’t cooperate. They sometimes run around and mess up the counting so I have to start over. Or they start baa-Ing loudly until they wake up the cows who start mooing; the horses who start whinnying; and then the chickens, which wake up the rooster who starts crowing. By then I’m done!

And after three or four nights of this, I’m totally exhausted early in the evening, so tired that I’m asleep by 9 PM. And sometimes then I actually sleep til 5:30 or 6, which is a good night!

Yes, I’m sure stuck in a pattern…a bad sleep cycle that I can’t seem to break out of.

It’s amazing how infants seem to sleep so much. Two or three hours at a time; wake up to eat, and then back to sleep. It seems the first year of their life they’re sleeping more than they’re awake.

Are they unknowingly preparing for their later years when they’re lucky to get five hours of sleep per night? Saving up a storehouse of precious sleep to be called up when it just won’t happen?

Then there are cats. As kittens, they play all the time, chasing balls, rays of sunlight, and just running around everywhere until they pass out and sleep for hours. As they get older they sleep more. Anywhere they want. As my favorite cartoon cat Garfield likes to say, cats sleep 23 hours a day and it’s really not enough!

Can I just have something in between?

So this blog is actually about me asking for help. I’m looking for answers and suggestions. Anything that can help me get a good night’s sleep!

Can anyone give me some ideas? Please?

Re-planting My Garden

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Deborah Newell

Every good gardener knows that after several years there are places in our garden that need ripping out and replaced or replanted. Some need dead portions pruned back to encourage new growth and some need to be pulled out and replaced altogether with a totally new and more hardy, loyal species.

Sometimes we get tired of the way our garden is growing and developing. The flowers and plants just don’t seem to be responding to our loving care and nurturing the way used to, and we realize they may need a change as much as we do.

Several years ago I wrote a post called “My Garden of Friends” which described six special friends I had at the time. I re-read it a few weeks ago, and decided it was time to update that particular post, with the changes that have since taken place in my life, or shall I refer to it once again as my garden?

My orange day lily is no longer there, nor is my purple tulip. They’ve gone their own way, not together, but certainly no longer in my garden. And most likely never to be re-planted here. Obviously, they were not the long blooming perennials that once promised to be faithful spots of color to always brighten my day.

My once beautiful pink rose has now withered away, the blossoms no longer the smiling faces I used to see on an almost daily basis. And no matter how hard I try, that rose just won’t bloom for me as she once did. Oh, the bush itself is still there, but now contributes nothing of the beauty it once was. This fall it’s being pulled out entirely to make room for more faithful flowers.

My gardenia has since decided to leave my garden in search of more favorable soil, where she can (hopefully in her mind, at least) be the most popular flower among all the others. May she find what she needs in that new garden.

My lily of the valley is still blooming regularly, although from afar, and sending me her delicate bells of laughter and joy when I need them the most. She brings me joy every time I hear from her, and especially the not-often-enough times we can actually be together.

My sunflower, however, continues to grow and bloom, with a vibrant sturdiness that makes her a flower that can always bring me love and support, no matter how I’m feeling. I do the same for her, because I am also planted in her garden. We share a special bond that onlly continues to grow.

So like the good gardener I try to be, I’ve now almost totally re-designed my garden with an abundance of new flowers and some flowering bushes and trees.

I now have bright blue hydrangeas, sturdy, beautiful, and faithful. Flowering bushes that produce large blossoms which remain bright for months, and come back faithfully each spring. Always there, always welcome.

There are now dozens of colorful yellow day lilies, who brighten both our front and back yards. Loyal flowers who withstand whatever comes against them, and keep on blooming.

And there’s a delicate mimosa tree, whose delicate pink blossoms shoot into bloom almost overnight, so it seems. It’s an old-fashioned yet sturdy and dependable blooming tree that has withstood the test of time and is always a source of beauty and friendship. What started from a small sapling is now a 10-15 foot spectacular tree, still delicate looking, but always faithful.

Then there are the camellia bushes, scattered through the yard, blooming at various times of the year with delicate yet bright blooms even withstanding the winter snow. And I can always count on them being there.

Yes, my garden has now been re-designed, not necessarily all by my own hand, but by the hands of other flowers who felt the need for change and a different growth pattern, or for a new space altogether.

And I must say, I like the look of my new garden, although I’m sure it will change again, it probably not as drastic. But it’s peaceful, and easy to maintain.

Just like life should be.

But My Door Won’t Open

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Deborah Newell

We’ve all heard the saying “when God closes one door He opens another.”

I believe it.

However, it has to be the right door. Not just any random door that comes your way.

We’ve all had it happen. A door closes, either suddenly or over time. We try to re-open it. We pull and pull on that doorknob to no avail. Then we think maybe we need to push instead.

So we push and push. We bang our hands and even our shoulders against it, knowing that if we try long and hard enough, it’s going to open.

We get discouraged and stop trying and begin to walk away. Then someone else comes up to that same door and easily pushes it open. They walk through it and before you can get there to follow them in, it closes again!

Why? Why didn’t it open for you, and why did it open for them?

Did you ever stop to think that maybe it wasn’t your door?

Sometimes we think we know exactly what our next steps in life are supposed to be. We’re sure of it. Do sure that we work to make it happen. We work so hard sometimes that we lose sight of the fact that maybe we’re working TOO hard to make something happen.

And working too hard probably means it’s not supposed to be happening that way.

We’re all impatient at times, some of us more than others. We see other people getting the things we so desperately want, and wonder when it’ll be our turn?

Their doors opened. Why didn’t ours?

Very simple. It’s not our turn yet. Our door hasn’t appeared because what’s behind it isn’t ready yet. It’s not time, as much as we want it to be.

Timing is everything as we’ve heard so often. It’s just not always our timing.

That door will be ready for you to open and it’ll be easy to open. No key needed. And when you step through it, you’ll know it’s yours, and you’ll know the wait was worth it!

If You Put Off Making A Decision

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Deborah Newell

It’ll be made for you.

And it might not be the one you would have made for yourself, except you hesitated. Didn’t want to deal with it.

But if you put off making a decision you really need to make, because you’re afraid to make the wrong decision, you’ll be stuck with a result that you’ll have to live with for a long time.

It may be a decision you’d have made much differently, but were hesitant to decide one way or another.

So now you’re stuck with the consequences.

Consequences you caused because you wouldn’t make a decision. Isn’t it better to live with the consequences of a decision you made, instead of one you refused to have a say in?

The Sounds (and Sights) of Summer

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Deborah Newell

Growing up in a small town on the eastern shore of Maryland had a lot of advantages I never really appreciated until I was older. A lot older, as you some of you may say.

But summer some 60 years ago took on a whole new meaning from today. It was less hectic, quieter, and more relaxed than it is today. (And not nearly as hot as this year.)

Because we lived just outside of the town limits, our house was surrounded by two small fields and a woods (which seemed really big back then). There were fields across the road as well, and we watched the corn all summer as it grew and grew, eventually hiding the homes across the road, growing to reach its potential for the fall harvest.

Just a quiet rural setting. No crime. No violence. No video games or cell phones.

Back then almost every summer evening was filled with the singing of crickets and frogs, and fireflies lighting up the night as soon as it started to get dark. We’d look forward to catching them and then seeing how many it took to light up the dark corners of our rooms. (Thank goodness my mom always came in and let them escape back outside after we were asleep.)

I remember many nights falling asleep on the glider in our big screened porch listening to the crickets and frogs serenading their friends as well as my mom and me. What wonderful sounds they made. Plus it was cooler out there since we had no air conditioning.

There were some nights during those summers that it was so hot we could look out in the distance from that wonderful porch and see what we called “heat lightning”…silent flashes of light in the distance with no cracks of lightning or thunder, or even any signs of rain.

And the air was so clean, so clear, we could gaze up into the night sky and pick out the constellations. Sometimes we’d even drive down to the bay and listen to the waves lapping against the small pier that was left over from a long ago storm. The sky there was even clearer and the stars easier to see. And when it happened to be a full moon, it was absolutely breathtaking.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days. Sure, we have our Jeremiah the bullfrog who likes to sing to us in the back yard after a summer rainstorm, but it’s just not the same. We haven’t been able to find him, or his wine we’ve heard that’s mighty fine, but we still get to listen to him, and he sure sounds happy.

What about the fireflies? I can’t remember the last time we saw any. Crickets? I haven’t heard them chirp in ages. And come to think of it, we see very few honeybees…and they used to fly all around in those distant summers, gorging themselves on all manner of blooms on bushes and flowers, and pollinating everything in our gardens.

How about butterflies? I haven’t seen many of those recently either, and we have a lot of flowers and flowering bushes in our backyard. They used to fly around the yard all summer when we were growing up.

Yes, I do miss those summers. And I actually appreciate the memories of them much more than I ever thought I would. Because it was an easier way of life, or it seemed to be, because we were still growing up, and still had our innocence and the belief that these little things would always be a part of our lives.

Now they are only memories in my mind’s eye, stored in a database of pictures only I can see. But they’re there, and I wish you could see them, too.

The sounds and sights of summers in times past….these are my memories.

What are yours?

Let’s Try This!

Posted on July 23, 2022 by Deborah Newell

We’ve all heard the expression about it being hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

Right now I think that might be true. Just walking outside from the house to the car is enough to give me trouble breathing, and I don’t normally have breathing problems.

There’ve been stories about it being so hot a roof began to melt in China. And an airport runway in Europe had to be closed temporarily until it could be repaired.

There have even been reports of lakes drying up and people finding dead fish on the dried- up lakebed. Truth or myth? Not really sure, but as hot as it is, who knows?

Older people and those with breathing or other similar conditions are being warned to stay inside. Pregnant women and young kids are also being cautioned to be careful in all this heat because of the danger of heat stroke, heat exhaustion or dehydration.

And what about that old saying, “it’s hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk!”

Well, it may almost be time to try it! What do you think?

So just in case you feel adventurous, I thought I’d come up with a recipe you can try! Or not…

Take one egg. Place a small square of cling wrap on the sidewalk

Crack the egg carefully onto the cling wrap.

Check it every few minutes with a spatula (or your finger) to see how it’s coming along.

It’ll be cooked enough when the egg white is the opaque white color you’re used to. Take the spatula and carefully lift it up and slide it onto a small plate.

Season or garnish as desired, and if you’re brave, try a bite. Then let us know how it turned out.

Or let your dog sample it and he’ll let you know how it was!

(Header photo by Pockafwe on Flickr; center photo by Lori Greig on Flickr)

Empty Words

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Deborah Newell

How often do we hear them? Words that sound good, but have no real meaning. Words that we really want to hear, but in the long run, really don’t mean a thing.

A friend, or so-called friend, says they’ll call us. They’ve been so busy, so tied up. They miss us so much, and yes, we’ll get together soon. “I’ll call you in a few days. I promise.”

Six months later, there’s still no call. Which they’ve promised over and over. Either they forgot, which means they only said that to try and make you think they really cared. Or they never really planned on calling in the first place, and those empty words were said to make us feel like maybe they really did care, and didn’t want to tell us they had other things more important on their mind.

Maybe you run into that person unexpectedly. They act like they’re so excited to see you. Ask all kinds of questions, especially if they’re around other people. They introduce you as one of their best friends, and explain how they’ve known you forever.

Or if they run into you by themselves, their first words are all about how they’ve been meaning to call but their lives are so hectic, but they swear to call next week and make plans to get together. Funny thing, they actually could make those plans then if they really wanted to.

And of course you never get a call. Why aren’t you trying? Because this has become a pattern that never seems to end. Why try?

Why try to stay friends with someone who obviously doesn’t care if they stay friends or not?

What about the person who continually tells you how much they love you on social media? But never try to get in touch in person? Why does “I love you” become just another phrase like “hello” or goodbye”? Why do those words sound so empty when they’re said to us by someone who doesn’t try to interact with us anymore?

When did those three words become so meaningless that we just use them to make ourselves sound like we care, when we really don’t?

I remember the very first time my now husband told me he loved me. It was a special moment. Those words meant something important. I’ve never forgotten that moment.

Now they’ve just become words. Often spoken so randomly that we’ve forgotten their meaning. Or the person saying them has lost their meaning. (Please note I’m not referring to my husband.)

Don’t get me wrong…when I tell my loved ones I love them, I mean it.

But when I hear it from people I hardly ever see any more, I know they don’t mean it. It just sounds good to them. Or to anyone else who might overhear.

Then there’s the other phrase that’s so often a combination of empty words. “I’m sorry.”

Maybe you are, or maybe you’re saying it to stop an argument. Maybe you’re saying it because you’re forced to. Maybe you’re saying it because it sounds good at the time. Or maybe because you think you’re supposed to say it in order to make someone feel better.

But you’re not thinking about what those two words really mean to the person you say them to.

Empty words. Words said with no feeling. No meaning. No thought behind what you’re saying.

All of us are guilty of this to a degree. But some much more than others.

Words do matter.

Especially empty ones, because they speak a far greater truth than you can imagine.

So does silence.

50 Years is a Long Time

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Deborah Newell

Last Friday the Supreme Court overturned a ruling made in 1973 that made it legal for women to have the right to an abortion. I remember when that original decision was handed down. With a lot of protests from both sides of the issue, just as we’re seeing now.

During the years preceding the original Roe decision there were countless protests in the country for the same reasons we are having them now. Two very different and angry sides on this opinion that now, after another set of judges interpreting the same document, have decided that this medical procedure is not protected under the Constitution.

Can someone please explain how fifty years ago the justices decided the law one way, and how suddenly those other justices were wrong and THIS is the way it’s supposed to be? And will another set of justices change it again in another fifty years? Do we have to wait that long?

Now the individual states are again free to enact any laws they wish restricting this medical procedure, up to the point of criminal charges against both the woman and her doctor for performing an abortion.

Some are even suggesting the death penalty being a possibility for being found guilty. You say that couldn’t happen? There will most likely be instances in which it is tried. Which will take us back to the Supreme Court once again, and who knows how they would rule now?!

Now don’t get me wrong with what I am about to say. Although I’m sure many people will. I do not like abortion except in certain instances such as rape or incest, where the life of the mother is at stake, or where the fetus is not viable.

But…and this is where it gets sticky, I do NOT believe that the government has a right to enact laws which prevent a woman making a decision about her own body and how she deals with this situation. This should be a decision made between the woman, her doctor, and her faith/beliefs. And we cannot legislate those beliefs. We cannot legislate morality, or should I say our version of morality.

It should not be the governments’ authority to decide what a woman can do, or not do, with her own body.

I’ve heard all of the cheers of joy from the religious community, about how no one can kill innocent babies any more, etc. But this opens a bigger can of worms.

What about the women forced to carry a pregnancy which for their very personal and private reasons they just don’t feel they can do? Are they now relegated to being citizens with limited rights as opposed to men? What if these women have no health insurance? Who takes care of their prenatal care? The actual delivery? What if they cannot afford that baby, or the care it requires? What if they just aren’t a woman who wants to become a mother, but contraception failed, and here they are….

Adoption, they say. That’s the answer! More babies to adopt! That’s not as easy as it sounds, however, and adoption laws are also tightly regulated by the states. Years ago after my husband and I failed to be able to have a second child we tried to adopt a baby, and were turned down every step of the way. We’d each been divorced previously; we already had a natural child. We were too old. We both worked full time. The list went on and on. And the costs? They were crazy.

So…if there are so many laws restricting adoption, why do some of the states feel they have the right to force a woman to bear a child when she may not fit the criteria of adopting one?

I personally know at least one woman who had an abortion. She said it was one of the most difficult decisions of her life. And yes, she still thinks about it and wonders…but she also knows it was the right decision for her at the time. Yes, she’s a friend of mine, and I support the decision she made because it was her personal decision.

And it should be a personal decision for every woman, whether I agree with them or not. It’s not my place to judge someone.

It is also not up to the government to make laws that are based on religious principles and Christian faith, because not everyone in this country believes the same way. And I find it difficult to believe that the judges’ personal beliefs did not enter into this ruling in any way. How could it not?

I believe that we should have the right over our own bodies to do what we believe is right for us.

And yes, I am a Christian. But many of you reading this will probably say I cannot be a believer because I don’t think the right way. Which is judging me.

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion. And so am I. But you are not entitled to tell me what mine should be and berate me for not agreeing with you. Nor can I berate you for your opinion.

Now before you tell me I’m in support of murdering babies, let’s stop right here. As I said, this is a sticky situation. Yes, I believe life begins at conception. I also know it’s almost impossible for a woman to know immediately when she conceives. Sometimes she doesn’t know for several weeks. And some of the potential laws I’m hearing rumors about go as far as making it a crime for a woman to endanger her pregnancy even before she actually knows she’s pregnant.

Pregnancy is also not an easy condition to go through. For every beautiful picture you see of a woman with that “pregnant glow” and growing belly, there’s a pregnant woman who is sick as she can be from that pregnancy. My daughter is one of those; she has the same problem with each pregnancy that Kate Middleton had, which is hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes severe vomiting during the entire pregnancy, often resulting in dehydration and sometimes hospital stays. It’s certainly not fun, and not easy to go through. But she chose these pregnancies, and we are thrilled that she did!

There are also other serious pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and placenta prévia, all of which are potentially life threatening to both mother and child. The daughter of a friend of ours has all three of these conditions with her pregnancy, as she did with three others, and is on permanent bed rest until the baby can be safely delivered. However, these girls made a choice to have their babies knowing the risks of such complications. Does the government have the authority to force a woman to endure all of that if her pregnancy is that difficult? Could that be construed as a form of cruel and unusual punishment?

There’s also been talk about looking at new regulations regarding contraception; as it relates to women, of course, since men can’t conceive and have children. Wonder how that would work if men could conceive!

Where is all of this going to end?

I have no good answers. But I am deeply concerned about what has just happened in our country. I am far beyond the age of being able to get pregnant, as are the majority of my friends, but I worry for our daughters and granddaughters, as to their reproductive futures, as well as what other restrictive laws may be enacted that will restrict our individual rights even further.

More thoughts on that at a later date. This is enough to handle for now.

Just Living Life

A journal of advice, stories, and ideas from years of living

Category Archives: Thoughts and Musings