Walnut Crusted Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes with Bacon! Yes Bacon!

On By runnergirl02In Food, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today I am thankful for many things.  My husband and I have been doing Whole 30 now for over 90 days.  We followed the first 30 days to the letter, the second 30 days, we had one treat for my birthday.  I made chocolate cupcakes with coconut flour and cashew butter frosting, really good but not compliant.  The last 90 days we’ve been reintroducing foods here and there.  We started with corn because we like tacos and moved on from there.  So far we’ve discovered, our bodies aren’t actually too crazy about bread, rice made us tired, beans…gassy and cheese was good but we don’t miss it.  We actually prefer eggs and zucchini now in the mornings instead of pancakes or waffles, they sound too heavy now, though I’m thinking on trying some pancakes made with oats next week.  The best thing is I’ve gone from Size XXL back to a Size L, lost several inches everywhere along with 25lbs! Yay!  We’ve decided to stay on this path because we feel so much better than we did before.  We have more energy.  We are enjoying lots of different types of food.  We eat mostly at home now and it gives me a chance to cook more, which I have always enjoyed doing.

Food is hard.  It’s attached with so many emotions and it can act as a drug when we are unhappy and want to feel better.  It can be a friend when we are lonely.  It can be a companion when we are happy.  Food is tough.  I just keep trying to remind myself that above all food should give my body the nutrients it needs to be strong, so I can be physically and mentally fit.  This is important because I think God has things for me to do and I can’t do those things when I feel like crap because I ate too much bread and sugar.

Since doing Whole 30 I notice I am definitely more calm.  I don’t lose my energy in the late afternoon like I used to.  I am able to stay awake longer in the evening and enjoy time with my family instead of vegging on the couch.

Today I had time to make a real meal!  I made Walnut Crusted Porkchops and Sweet Potatoes with Bacon :-)!

So today, for cooking, shirts that fit better, and so many many other things…I Give Thanks!

KOR

…and if you are a praying person…pray for the people in Northern California…there’s one thing that’s true about offering thoughts and prayers…thoughts are useless but prayer, prayer is powerful!

Here’s the dinner I made tonight. I really liked it, though the pork could have been a bit more moist, any hints, please feel free to advise!

Hot Cheetos!

On By runnergirl02In Biblical Reflections, running, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Last Friday my daughter had a half day at school.  Her God-Father was chosen as the Grand Marshall of our local high school Homecoming Parade and invited her to ride in the Grand Marshall car with him.  She excitedly accepted.  After the parade I took her to her usual swim lesson and after the swim lesson we went to the Homecoming game to watch her God-Father get his plaque and do the coin toss.  Her God-Parents called her down to the field to be with them.  We got to sit in the special Grand Marshall seating and her God-Parents let her have her little friend sit with her in this section.  Her dad took her to the snack bar where she got a polish dog and a bag of Hot Cheetos.

At some point during the game I went to pick up the stuffed bear she brought with her and the Hot Cheetos slipped down behind the bleachers which are on a cement slant, alas the Hot Cheetos were gone.  My daughter was NOT happy.  The loss of the Hot Cheetos took over and that’s all she talked about until it was time to leave the game.  We attempted to replace the Hot Cheetos but the snack bar had run out.  This made her even more upset.  So from the time we left the stadium to the time we got home all I heard about were the lost Hot Cheetos.

You can imagine I was irritated because she had had a wonderful day, a parade, swimming, homecoming game with special seats, and still it wasn’t enough.  She still wanted the Hot Cheetos. I had a chat with her and reminded her about all the fun she had that day and I told her, “You get enough. Go to bed.”  She was still lamenting the Hot Cheetos.

Later on during our long run the next day, my husband and I were discussing what we should do about the apparent lack of appreciation our daughter was showing.  As we talked different topics came up.  Our conversations while running often ramble and range from when is the next fuel break to what is coming up in the following week, this one rambled along to talking about how we were led to our daughter through the gift of adoption.  The blessings we have in our lives.  All the gifts we have been given.  Our poor stewardship of those gifts.  At one point we were talking about something we wanted, I can’t remember what it was, a trip we wanted to take or some item maybe and all of a sudden my husband yelled, “Hot Cheetos!”

Holy Moly! Hot Cheetos!  I looked at him and I thought…we get enough but we still want more.  Hot Cheetos!  I began to wonder if we were modeling that behavior to our daughter.  I haven’t decided.  I don’t think so but I do know we could definitely be better stewards with the gifts God has given us.  Dave Ramsey says being content is necessary to being good stewards of our material gifts.  Deena Kastor in her book, Let Your Mind Run, talks about how she shaped her training and her life around thankfulness.  Our pastor says we should practice being thankful to God for his gifts of creation, family and friends everyday.

So every time I catch myself being greedy and wanting more I have a phrase that pops in my head now.  Hot Cheetos!  I immediately try to return to a place of gratitude and contentment with what my present situation is.  It doesn’t always work but its a start.  You’d think someone who has a blog about being thankful would actually be thankful.  Right?

For Hot Cheetos, Gods Gifts of Creation, talks during long runs with my husband that lead to realizations that I’m not really as grateful as I should be…I Give Thanks!

KOR!

Angels and Stuff

On By runnergirl02In Biblical Reflections, MusicLeave a comment

Yesterday was the Feast of the Guardian Angels.  If you grew up Catholic, you likely know the Guardian Angel Prayer…

“Angel of God, My Guardian Dear to Whom God’s Love entrust me here, Ever this day be at my side to light, and guard to rule and guide.”

We were reading about Angels last night and we found this interesting reference in Tobit.  If you aren’t Catholic you don’t have the book of Tobit in your bible.  I believe it is the only place in the bible that the Arch Angel Raphael is referenced.

“Raphael called the two of them aside privately and said to them: “Bless God and give him thanks before all the living for the good things he has done for you, by blessing and extolling his name in song. Proclaim before all with due honor the deeds of God, and do not be slack in thanking him.*“Since my blog is supposed to be about giving thanks I really liked what Raphael was telling Tobit and Tobiah.

Our pastor has a Pastor’s Corner that is published every Sunday in our church bulletin.  He’s on Part 7 of a series on Holiness.  *This week he talked about Prayer of the Heart.  He said that he likes to start his day focusing on blessings in four categories:

*1)the glories of creation 2)my life, family and friends 3)redemption through the sacrificial love of Jesus 4)the last 24 hours.

The idea is to spend a few minutes in each of these areas thinking about and giving thanks for the blessings we have in each category.  I tried it today by focusing on just the first one.  Running and Hiking have taken us to many beautiful places.  I love being outside, spending time in God’s creation, so this was an easy place for me to start.

I can report that Father John was right.  It is a nice way to start my day.  I have to admit I didn’t spend a lot of time on 2-4, guess my road to Holiness will take a bit longer.  It was hard to be in a sour mood after contemplating all the amazing things God has created for us and how ALL of creation bends to His will.  I had help with a song by Hillsong United called, So Will I…if you are looking for a good way to start your day, you can’t go wrong with this song and time with Jesus.

I definitely feel that I’m getting a clear message from Jesus about Thankfulness and its importance in my life…

So for today, God’s Creation, Guardian Angels, and a call to Holiness…I Give Thanks!

KOR

*Father John Warburton, O.S.J., Pastor, Pastors Corner, September 30th Bulletin, St. Joachim Catholic Church

Here’s the song if you want to give it a listen:

PT Guy

On By runnergirl02In running, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Well I had a visit with my PT guy today for me knee.  Here’s my issue…I have really flat feet.  When I first started running I wore a motion control shoe by New Balance, I forget the number now, anyway, the shoe was discontinued about 10-12 years ago, give or take a few years.  I can’t remember.  I tend to try to block traumatic events from my memory.

Ok, so it wasn’t a traumatic event, except it kinda was, because after my shoe was discontinued and since I have spent years and I mean YEARS looking for a shoe that I love.  First, I tried Nikes Motion Control Shoe and I ran in those for a year or so, then my right foot started hurting so I tried some Brooks Ariel, hated those.  I’ve tried HOKA, Altra, different New Balance Motion Control shoes, Asics, Saucony, which I actually ran in for a several years.  Nevertheless, my right foot kept hurting or I would have shin splints or my knee would hurt and I’d have to switch shoes again or I would see if switching shoes would help.  If you are a runner you understand exactly what I’m talking about, if you aren’t, it’s likely you just think I’m crazy.  I’m not, trust me.  The right pair of shoes for a runner is super important.  It makes all the difference in the world.

About two years ago I was in so much pain in my right foot that I had to cut my running way back.  My doctor recommended a PT guy.  She thought I had PF, Plantar Fasciitis.  PT guy said I needed a custom pair of orthotics so I got fit and $285 later I had a new pair of orthotics and after several weeks of healing I was back on the road again with less pain.

Just before summer my foot started hurting again and so I went back to PT guy.  PT guy said your orthotics are two years old, you need some new ones.  Since they had worked before $285 later I got a new pair, at least the price was the same.  This time, however, I was not just back on the road.  Since that new pair of orthotics I have had an IT band injury, my PF flared again and now my left knee has been bugging.  As I’ve increased my mileage training for our fall half, its been really bugging, so back to PT guy today.  $105 later and some adjustments to my orthotic and my knee is feeling better.  He says he’s pretty sure its not a meniscus tear, just an issue with alignment.  My orthotics look like Frankenstein, they have all these additions and pieces of foam on them now to better “align” my foot.  Today he added a heal raise to move the pressure from the back of my heal toward the front.  No real idea why that matters but apparently it does.  I have spent hundreds of dollars on shoes and PT guy to be able to continue to do something that I love, even though now a days I’m slower than I have ever been.  I enjoy the places running takes me and its helping me get back into shape. Running is a good friend, it’s been there for me through a lot of rough times.  Running helped me through the loss of my baby, which the anniversary of is this month.  We actually ran the Big Sur Marathon in her honor in 2003.  Running has helped me figure out answers to problems.  I’ve run so many beautiful places.  I just never want to stop.  Ever.

Since I have had all this trouble with my shoe I have gained a lot of weight and since I started Whole 30 I’ve been losing it again.    I had to cut way back on my running because it just hurt too much to run the way I wanted.  When I cut back my running I neglected to cut back my eating.

This all happened because in 2006ish New Balance discontinued my shoe!! I ran in those shoes for a decade without any issues, sigh and BOO! New Balance is an American company and all their shoes are made in the US of A so if you happen to be looking for a shoe try them first. They failed me but they might be good for you.

Currently, I’m back in Asics.  I run in Gel Nimbus 20, which is actually a neutral shoe but with the orthotic it’s more like a custom fit motion control shoe.

Anyway, there you have it, the saga of my flat feet and journey to find some combination of shoes and orthotic that will keep me on the road.

PT guy said I could run tomorrow and to call him Wednesday to let him know how the knee feels.  I’m hoping to have a good report.

Today I am thankful for:

1)…my PT guy.  He really is great.  He was a runner and understands.  He hikes mostly these days but it was running that let him stay fit enough to do what he does now.  He’s been encouraging me in my weight loss, reminding me that every pound I lose will make it that much easier to run and keep me on the road. He’s also nice to chat with as we share the same faith.  He gave me some things to ponder about that Truth blog I’m thinking on.

2) I made Salsa Chicken tonight for dinner.  It was yummy and easy.  Take a container of Pico De Gallo put it in a pan with warm oil, cook for few minutes and then add in chicken.  I used cut up chicken breast.  My husband and I are actually nine days away from completing a Whole 66!  We decided to stay on Whole 30 for 66 days because we read that it takes that long for a habit to form.  The book says not to go past 90 days without reintroducing some foods.  If we go 90 days that will put me at just before our half marathon.  I haven’t decided yet.  I really miss oatmeal and peanut butter but I’m losing weight and have way more energy than I’ve had in a long time.

3)My parents.  My mom and dad are still with us. I have a friend who is flying back to Virginia to be with her Daddy, who started hospice today.  My heart hurts for her.  It makes me appreciate that I still have my mom and dad to check in with.  I love them so.

So today…for PT guys, Salsa Chicken and the love of parents…I Give Thanks!

KOR!

Here’s our breakfast from today.  It was pretty yummy, different colored bell pepper and zuchinni with chicken and egg.  I call it a Pepper Scramble.  Super Easy and Tasty!

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Bullet Proof

On By runnergirl02In Music, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have some thoughts about truth rolling around in my head lately. How do you know the truth? What is the truth? Who’s telling the truth? I don’t have time to put that all together tonight so instead I just want to share a fun thankful moment from today…

My mom and I were washing dishes after Sunday family breakfast. We usually meet at our house after church for breakfast most Sundays. Today everyone was here, some Sundays there’s only one of my siblings but today was nice because they were both here. Always makes me happy.

Anyway, the song Bullet Proof came on and I was dancing around and my mom said, “ok, you want to dance? Let’s dance.” So, my mom and I danced around in the kitchen for a few minutes. Somewhere in there my God-Daughter wandered in, she’s 1, and the most adorable thing ever. She came to me after I coaxed her over and so my mom, my God-Daughter and I danced around the kitchen to Bullet Proof by Citizen Way.

Another one of those moments that don’t cost anything and that you know you’ll treasure.

So for today…for my mom, dancing, Bullet Proof, dishwashing, and family breakfasts, also for the amazing sunrise I saw on our Saturday long run this weekend…I Give Thanks!

KOR

Here’s the song if you want to give it a listen:

Here’s the sunrise…

Harvest Moon

On By runnergirl02In Music, UncategorizedLeave a comment

There’s a tradition in China and other Asian countries to celebrate something called The Mid-Autumn Festival.  It’s a time to spend with family, chat, visit.  There are many celebrations that go on during this time.  We have celebrated the Harvest Moon ever since our daughter joined our family.  We aren’t Chinese so we don’t do things, I’m sure, like a Chinese family would but we try to celebrate things that she might have grown up with, had she stayed living in China.

Our family tradition involves going to a Chinese restaurant or buying Chinese food, enjoying dinner with each other and then going outside to sit under the moonlight and enjoy the Harvest Moon.  We buy moon cakes and drink green tea and my husband reads the story of Chang e and Hou Yi.  You can read that story here:  http://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/learn/article/read/item/fX4pKuyhEqw/the-goddess-of-the-moon-change-and-hou-yi.html

 

We celebrated the Harvest Moon this year, one day late.  It was actually on Monday, September 24th,  but Monday was not a good day for me for many reasons.  We moved our celebration to Tuesday and sat under the moon light, drank green tea and shared a moon cake.  Buying moon cakes this year was an adventure in itself! We need to remember to buy them early next year!  We  are a music loving family so we decided to listen to songs about the moon.  You might be amazed how many different songs reference the moon.

We enjoyed listening to:

Moon River -Andy Williams

Bad Moon Rising-CCR

Fly Me to the Moon-Frank Sinatra

Heavenly-Harry Connic Jr

That’s Amore-Dean Martin

and lastly my favorite of the evening and appropriately named…

Harvest Moon – Neil Young

My husband can be quite the romantic at times and so when he offered to dance with me in our front yard under the moonlight to this song…of course, I accepted.

While we danced, our daughter played with our kitten and it was one of those moments in life that are just beautiful and you know you will hold in your heart  forever.  These moments that don’t cost money, don’t cross off a bucket list item, aren’t extraordinary in anyway, except that they are…

So today…I’m grateful to our Father in heaven for The Harvest Moon, Dancing, Memories, Moon Cakes, Green Tea, My Husband and the daughter that brought this celebration to our lives…

I Give Thanks!

KOR

P.S.  If you know a song about the moon that we missed please leave it for us in the comments…

Here’s a pic of our moon cakes!

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Injured

On By runnergirl02In Biblical ReflectionsLeave a comment

I’m injured and I’m bummed.  I’ve been training for the Monterey Bay Half Marathon, used to be the Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay.  My husband and I have run every single one since the very first one.  My knee is bugging!  It is interfering with my training.  It aches.  The PT guy doesn’t think it’s an injury that needs surgery etc..He thinks the muscles around my knee are aggravated.  They aren’t the only thing that’s aggravated.  Sigh.  I HATE being injured.  I don’t like not being able to do what I love doing.  Is that a double negative?

I love how I feel when I run.  I love feeling out of breath and feeling like I’ve given my all at something.  I can’t run like that when I’m injured.  I’m running more like a Heffalump these days.  I know I should be grateful that it’s not worse.  I know I’m just being whiny.

Let’s see I am thankful for a few things today:

1)Dinner was really yummy.  I’m still doing Whole 30.  Tonight I made Walnut Crusted Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Noodles and Zucchini for dinner.  It was tasty and there is some left over for breakfast tomorrow.

2)My knee isn’t constantly aching.  I’m able to get around without constant pain.  It’s mostly just when I run.

3)My foot with the Plantar Fasciitis isn’t acting up and feels good.  That’s the foot on the opposite leg.  It hurt for like two years so that’s a positive.

4)I got to spend the afternoon listening to nice uplifting music while my daughter did her Math homework and found a couple of new songs I’ve never heard.

5)Ice Packs.  I’m really thankful for Ice Packs today and ice in general.  I suppose it wasn’t always so easy to get ice.

Hope you’ve had a good day.  Pray for my knee!

For all these things…I Give Thanks!

KOR

Here’s one of the new songs I bought today 🙂 I’m just going to have to trust God will be Right on Time with my recovery from this injury!

 

 

 

Made it!

On By runnergirl02In Biblical ReflectionsLeave a comment

Sometimes it feels like I just finished a marathon when I make it to a Friday intact. This week was BUSY! I had a ton of grading to get finished and no real hope of getting it ALL done but somehow Friday morning came and the grading was done and the weekend was calling my name!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those, I live for Friday, persons. I enjoy my job, it’s part-time, sort of, a great schedule and I like what I do so I’m not living for Friday’s.

Anyway I have some things to be thankful for this week:

1)My health continues to improve on Whole 30. I didn’t want it to be true but it is…if you feed your body healthy food, you will be less tired, have more energy and move easier. I’m thankful my husband supported me and is doing the Whole 30 with me. Today is Day 47. So far we’ve lost 15 pounds each!

2)We got up every morning and did some type of exercise, either running or walking the dogs.

3)I like watching my daughter at her horseback lessons, fun to watch. She’s so brave!

4)I got my grading done and though I have another pile on my desk from today, it can wait until Monday. We all need to take a break now and again, even school teachers.

5)My knee hurts less and running is feeling easier again.

6)We started this week with a beautiful run in Monterey, Ca. I’m glad we got a chance to run there. It was spectacular running part of our seven miles on the hard packed sand on Asilomar beach for a couple of miles with the ocean waves crashing, the sun shining and the ocean blue in all its glory!

I enjoyed listening to this song while I ran :

I’ll check in again soon but for these things…

I give thanks!

Keep on Running!

Haven’t Been Here in Awhile!

On By runnergirl02In Biblical ReflectionsLeave a comment

Well it seems like that is an obvious statement.  I used to have a blog over on Multiply and I met a few nice people over there but slowly they all went their separate ways and so did I.  I’ve played around with a few other spaces to blog here and there, mostly Livejournal but it’s been even longer since I have logged into that site.  I have an old friend whose blog I came across the other day and started thinking maybe I should get back to mine, instead of scrolling around on hers.  We aren’t friends anymore, sadly.  After Trump was elected president we had a disagreement about Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator.  She was upset that the president threatened them with “fire and fury”, at least that’s what I think she was upset about.  Anyway, at the time I didn’t see the big deal, the president was still fairly new and his rhetoric well known so I wasn’t concerned.  To be honest, I can’t tell you for sure that I understand what made her so upset, all I know is she unfriended me on Facebook and hasn’t talked to me since.  Go figure, sometimes there’s just nothing to be done.  I miss her though.   We both shared certain traits that made it easy to relate and understand, a similar world view you might say.  Well, a world view, at least where God is at the center, though I’m not certain of that now.  Seems to be so easily tossed aside, maybe we didn’t share anything?

If I think about that situation too long I get sad, not because I think I did something wrong but because I don’t understand how you just toss away a friend.  A friend who went to visit you when you were doing chemo, who changed vacation plans so her and her family could be there to support.  A friend who shared her heart with you.  A friend who loved you.  I have grown too old, maybe, to believe that I am not worthy of better from a “friend”.  I’m not a perfect person but I try my best to follow God and do good things.  I feel I am deserving of a friend who loves me and doesn’t consider me toss away material.  I feel that strongly and so I don’t think I’ll ever talk to her again because that would require her to realize what she did and apologize.  I have noticed not very many people are willing to apologize when they are wrong.  I’ve noticed even fewer who actually think they are wrong. It’s a crazy time we live in, isn’t it?

So what kind of friend do I deserve?  If I look at the bible, it tells me I am “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  The Bible tells me I am “God’s beloved.” It also says not to “fear” and to “have faith.” Other bible verses about friendship:

1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Proverbs 27:6

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

1 Peter 4:8-10

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

Hebrews 10:24-25

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Romans 1:12

“That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

Proverbs 27:10

“Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.”

Job 2:11-13

“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.”

There are more verses about friendship in the Bible but if I take all of these and look for common themes, a few emerge, like, love, encouragement, presence, empathy, faithfulness.  These are hard virtues to come by these days in a friend but when I’m looking for answers I think God always has the best ones.  His words never lead me astray and so I have come to the sad conclusion that even though my friend also loves God, our friendship was not meant for Earth.  There is too much noise here to see past each others motives.

Not exactly upbeat thoughts to start blogging about but it’s a start and hopefully I”ll be back and writing more.  I’m out of time for today.

Things I’m thankful for today:  I was able to put out a fire in my classroom.  My sister’s wedding is almost here.  The class I substituted for today was good.  My husband.  My knee is getting better so I will run again soon.

For these things…IGT!

KOR!

The Some Women’s March

On By runnergirl02In Uncategorized

I wanted to write down some of my thoughts on this weekend’s Some Women’s March. If you are interested then all I ask is that you really read and try to understand my viewpoint. I’m not looking for any fight. I’m not looking to be right. I’m not looking for anything, just a place to write down what I personally believe about the issue. I have a facebook and facebook is going crazy over yesterday’s Some Women’s March so it’s not a safe arena for my thoughts right now…maybe not ever..but this is my blog and my daughter might read it someday so I want her to know what her mom was thinking about.

I read an article, on Facebook, that a pro-Life Women’s group was not being allowed to help sponsor the march and I thought that was weird, since it was a Women’s March and they were Women. Apparently the main goal of the March was to make sure Abortion rights were not taken away by the new president. The new president…sigh…I don’t have any real concrete feelings about the guy but the few I do have lean toward negative ones…just trying to provide full disclosure.

Anyway, I found it weird and divisive that pro-life women weren’t wanted at the Women’s March. To be totally honest, I was insulted. I’m a nice woman. I’m a good person. I could be a better person most days. I’m a smart lady who cares about other women. I care that they are treated with dignity and respect. I care that they are not objectified. I care that men don’t call them bitches, or talk about grabbing their pussies, breasts or any other body parts. I care that we don’t call each other bitches or nasty women. We aren’t and those names don’t empower us and we should not pretend they do. I care that women aren’t sold into sex slavery. I care that they aren’t forced into pornography or prostitution. I care that they have access to health care. I care that they aren’t in poverty. I care about all those things and more. I care that if they decide to get married that they marry men of integrity who see them as an equal and who treat them as such. I care that if they decide to be mothers that they have access to good child care and they have time off to spend with their new babies whether they have adopted them or given birth to them. I care that they earn salaries that make sense for their experience and education. I care about all these things, but that didn’t matter, none of that mattered because of one issue I also care about.

Abortion.

Talk about a single issue separating people. I didn’t matter to some of these women because I was not the kind of woman they wanted representing their cause. None of the things I cared about mattered because the women in charge of the march couldn’t get over their own preconceived notions of what a pro-life woman cares about or who she really is.

The stereotype of the pro-life woman. Evangelical Christian, middle class, republican or an uneducated minority, probably Catholic, probably poor who is too stupid to think for herself and just follows blindly what her church teaches. Hostile, don’t forget hostile. Hostile to other women, unkind, unloving, inflexible, intolerant and unable to understand what is really at stake if we, heaven forbid, lose Planned Parenthood or pass a law that says you can’t murder your own children. Yep I said it murder, kill, commit homocide…it’s all the same.

Let’s see I fit exactly two of those stereotypes. I am a Catholic. I am middle class. I am also tired. I am tired of being considered a second class woman by some because I personally don’t believe other women should have abortions. I am tired of people lecturing me about separation of church and state, telling me the bishops of my church, citizens of this country, shouldn’t be allowed to write letters to their elected officials. I am tired of people telling me they personally don’t believe in abortion but they don’t think it is their place to tell other women what to do with their bodies. I am tired of being told I am a hypocrite because by not supporting universal health care over this one “little issue” I am not caring for the poor and Christians are supposed to care for the poor. I am tired of people talking to me like I am an idiot somehow in need of enlightenment.
I could list all the reasons I believe abortion is wrong but if someone already has their mind made up it doesn’t really matter, does it?

Well maybe I will try anyway. Number one, I can’t seem to get around the fact that if you suck the fetus out of your body it will die but if you leave it where it is and take proper care of it, it will more than likely live. I can’t seem to get around the fact that there is more than ample birth control available. The morning after pill is not birth control, it is abortion. Abortion itself is not birth control it is a medical procedure that can have complications both physical and mental. My own church does not advocate birth control but it is widely available so I see no real need for abortion. You don’t have an abortion because the baby is inconvenient or imperfect, that’s not a good enough reason. Please don’t bring up rape or the health of the mother, those cases are few and far between, they certainly don’t number to the 51,888,303 abortions that have been performed from 1970-2013. Yes that’s 51 million babies, in case you were wondering if you read that right, that were not allowed to see the light of day and if I had to guess I would say predominately minority and poor. This is just in the United States. What would the numbers look like if we included China? Staggering.

Our own constitution guarantees the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. How can you pursue liberty or happiness if your own mother kills you? The right to life is a fundamental right, it is the right that all us living people fight for. It’s fundamental, that means it is a foundational right, without this right everything else falls apart.

The same people who are so quick to march for civil rights, rights for LGBQT, rights for animals and the environment are some of the very same people refusing to march for the right for another human being to be allowed to live and you call me a hypocrite?

What has become of a society so worried, so concerned about who can or can not get married, who is or is not getting shot by police, who does or does not get thrown in jail for drug use but yet they can not or will not make room for someone at their march that just wants little babies to be given the chance to live? Am I the only one that sees something very wrong with this picture? I was not welcome at the march for women, but Madonna and her profanity laced speech was? That’s who we want representing women?

Instead I was called a hypocrite. Instead I was called intolerant. Instead I was told I just didn’t understand the real issue. I am irritated. I am mad.

Abortion is a real evil that is destroying our country and the countries of the world. If you don’t believe me just look around, are women really fighting with other women about whether or not they should keep their babies? Why? Why are we separating ourselves over this issue? Why? Life is a fundamental right, there is no getting around that. Period.

The next time you have a march make sure it’s an ALL Women’s March and I will be there, even if the person next to me is not Pro-Life.