Good morning out there! What a beautiful day! Blue skies, some white, cotton candy type clouds, no wind, 47 degrees at 9:30 am CST, with the high temp expected to be 67 (give or take a degree or two!). Maybe I should start off my blog by writing "Sharla's weather report for the day!" Just to change things up a bit!
This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad!
I know that the many events for the March for Life in Washington is happening right now! Praise God for all the pro-life people who are in attendance! Maybe one day I'll be able to be there! I thought I'd share a memory from January 2015. That was the first year Jim and I drove to Austin for the Texas Rally for Life. It was an amazing experience! I'll include both posts - Part 1 and Part 2 - Titled "Coffee and a Road Trip for Life" - hope you enjoy my stories!
One more thing! I look at the map of the world that is shown on my blog stats. The countries where people read my stories are slightly colored in and it lists the names of the countries. I'm always humbled and amazed that my stories are read by people that I know, so I'm truly blessed when I see that my stories are read by people in other countries also! I place my hands over the map of the world and pray for each of you, that God blesses you and your families, near and far, wherever you are! Thank you for reading my stories - I pray that they warm your heart, bring a smile to your face, and maybe make you laugh out loud! But most of all, I pray that my stories help you see how much God loves each and every one of us! I pray that the scriptures and prayers help you with your faith journey and whatever difficulties you might be dealing with.
Psalm 139:14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
That means YOU, yes! YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made!
The stories (part 1 and 2) will be below the following picture!
Monday, January 26, 2015
Coffee and a Road Trip for Life
Hello out there! I have so much to share with y'all, but I also have to go to the
grocery store, so I will post part of my story today, and the rest tomorrow! Guess
where Jim and I were on Saturday? That's right! We were at the Texas Rally for
Life in Austin, TX. The whole day was an amazing experience! It was such a huge
blessing to be with so many pro-life people of all ages.
Our day began at 2:00 am, no that is not a typo, the alarm went off at 2:00 am!
Jim got up and went in the kitchen and poured coffee in our mugs and brought
them back to the bedroom. I was still in bed thinking what in the world are we
doing waking up at this time of night? By the time I rolled out of bed, approximately
2:15 am, Jim was already dressed, and telling me to get moving. After drinking
about half a cup of coffee, I started waking up. By the time I finished that cup and
started another, I was roaring to go! We left the house at 3:00 am, by this time I was
talking a mile a minute! Jim nicely reminded me that he was not quite as talkative
as I was that early in the morning and to try and just enjoy the drive for a little bit!
Well that lasted all of ten minutes or so! Anyway, he drove to Mason and then we
switched and I drove to some little place right outside of Austin, then Jim took over
so I could navigate/pay attention to where we needed to go!
This was our schedule:
7:00 am - Met in front of the Planned Parenthood on Ben White in Austin to pray
the rosary with other pro-life Catholics.
9:15 am - The Living Rosary at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Austin, TX
The children pantomimed the Joyful Mysteries and the students lead the congregation
in praying the Rosary for Life. The Dominican Sisters of Mary organized this
beautiful Living Rosary. Absolutely precious, awesome, heart warming, etc.!
10:00 am - A Pro-Life Mass was celebrated, and the church was packed! We
were shoulder to shoulder in the pews, and there were teenagers from parishes
all across Texas standing all along the walls! My heart was so full, and still is
when I think about all the young people who are pro-life and proud of it!
I'll have to tell you about the March to the capitol and the Texas Rally for Life
on the capitol steps and lawn tomorrow! Wonderful, amazing, incredible, so
very, very thankful we were there!
I have to go to the store now, my dogs, Bella and Stormy, need food, and so do we!
Y'all have a great day! I keep thinking about this bible verse:
Seek and ye shall find...I so wanted and needed to see an abundance of other pro-life people and what I witnessed on Saturday will stay in my heart for the rest of my
life! Blessings to you and yours! Bye for now, Sharla
grocery store, so I will post part of my story today, and the rest tomorrow! Guess
where Jim and I were on Saturday? That's right! We were at the Texas Rally for
Life in Austin, TX. The whole day was an amazing experience! It was such a huge
blessing to be with so many pro-life people of all ages.
Our day began at 2:00 am, no that is not a typo, the alarm went off at 2:00 am!
Jim got up and went in the kitchen and poured coffee in our mugs and brought
them back to the bedroom. I was still in bed thinking what in the world are we
doing waking up at this time of night? By the time I rolled out of bed, approximately
2:15 am, Jim was already dressed, and telling me to get moving. After drinking
about half a cup of coffee, I started waking up. By the time I finished that cup and
started another, I was roaring to go! We left the house at 3:00 am, by this time I was
talking a mile a minute! Jim nicely reminded me that he was not quite as talkative
as I was that early in the morning and to try and just enjoy the drive for a little bit!
Well that lasted all of ten minutes or so! Anyway, he drove to Mason and then we
switched and I drove to some little place right outside of Austin, then Jim took over
so I could navigate/pay attention to where we needed to go!
This was our schedule:
7:00 am - Met in front of the Planned Parenthood on Ben White in Austin to pray
the rosary with other pro-life Catholics.
9:15 am - The Living Rosary at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Austin, TX
The children pantomimed the Joyful Mysteries and the students lead the congregation
in praying the Rosary for Life. The Dominican Sisters of Mary organized this
beautiful Living Rosary. Absolutely precious, awesome, heart warming, etc.!
10:00 am - A Pro-Life Mass was celebrated, and the church was packed! We
were shoulder to shoulder in the pews, and there were teenagers from parishes
all across Texas standing all along the walls! My heart was so full, and still is
when I think about all the young people who are pro-life and proud of it!
I'll have to tell you about the March to the capitol and the Texas Rally for Life
on the capitol steps and lawn tomorrow! Wonderful, amazing, incredible, so
very, very thankful we were there!
I have to go to the store now, my dogs, Bella and Stormy, need food, and so do we!
Y'all have a great day! I keep thinking about this bible verse:
Seek and ye shall find...I so wanted and needed to see an abundance of other pro-life people and what I witnessed on Saturday will stay in my heart for the rest of my
life! Blessings to you and yours! Bye for now, Sharla
Friday, January 30, 2015
Coffee and A Road Trip for Life - Part 2
Good Morning Out There! I know I told y'all that I would post the rest of my story
about the Texas Rally for Life on Tuesday and today is Friday, so I am three days
late, I'm sorry! Life happens and sometimes things just don't go as planned! I hope
you all have had a good week, and I'm sure that your week has been busy also! I
stopped my story on Monday right before the part about the March for Life and the
Rally! If you didn't read my post before this one and you have time you might want
to read it just to get "the whole picture!"
The Texas Rally for Life in Austin on Saturday, January 24, 2015 was an incredible
experience. In my previous post I told you how our day began praying the rosary
at the Planned Parenthood on Ben White. Beginning the day this way, really puts
things in perspective, I mean, this is why we march. I can't adequately describe the
feeling of standing in front of a fenced facility where abortions are performed. Just
knowing that babies lives are taken from them at that place leaves a sick feeling in
your stomach. A surgery center is suppose to be a place of healing, a place to help you
get better. When someone goes to an abortion facility it isn't to get better, it is to pay an
abortionist to end the life of their baby. It is a very sad and sobering experience.
Arriving at St. Vincent de Paul Church and seeing a packed parking lot was uplifting.
Going into the Sanctuary and seeing the young children pantomime the Joyful
Mysteries of the Rosary while the older youth lead the prayers was a much needed
reminder about God's love and a visual image of the strong pro-life presence of families,
and people of all ages. As we sat shoulder to shoulder, stood side by side, kneeled
right next to each other, with young adults from youth groups all across Texas
standing along the walls, I was overcome with joy and peace and happiness, because
together, with God, we are strong. A Pro-Life Mass was celebrated by
Most Rev. Joe Vasquez, Bishop of Austin. He gave a wonderful homily, and the
entire Mass was beautiful. I remember kneeling and praying at the end of Mass,
thanking God for such an amazing morning.
Driving to get to the March took a little time but we made it. We found a parking place
pretty quick. I was so excited when I saw all the people parking and walking towards
the gathering area for the March. We ended up towards the front. The Knights of
Columbus led the March. It was awesome, there were pro-life people everywhere!
I loved all the different pro-life t-shirts, the banners, the signs! I loved when we prayed
the mysteries of the rosary, sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and when someone would
holler out, "We are" and the rest of us would holler back, "Pro-Life!" It was great!
Back to the signs, several of the teenagers held signs that said, "My Generation Will
End Abortion" others held signs that said, "We are the Pro-Life Generation!" Many
of the signs were hand written on poster boards. One of these signs said, "1/3 of My
Generation is Missing" another one said, "I Survived, but Roe v Wade won't Survive
Me!" Another one said, "A person is a person no matter how small!, Dr. Seuss!"
We marched several blocks to get to the capitol. The weather was perfect, and being
with so many pro-life people of all ages, so many teenagers and young adults, was
absolutely fantastic!
As we walked onto the Capitol lawn, pro-abortion protesters jumped out at us yelling
in our faces, waving their signs with crude statements. We just kept walking and totally
ignored them. We stood in the shade of the trees and listened to the Guest Speakers
for the Rally. Each one had a story to tell, Abby Johnson was the MC, and she shared
a little of her story as she introduced each speaker. I don't have time to tell you about
each speech, but I do want to at least tell you about one.
Her name is Claire Culwell, and the story she told brought tears to my eyes. I listened
as tears streamed down my face, she was adopted when she was about 2 1/2 months old.
She was premature and only weighed a little over 3 lbs. when she was born, and she
had several problems that required casting for her little legs and lower body. She looked
for her birth mother when she was grown, she is in her mid to late twenties now. The
story her birth mother told her changed her life. Claire survived the abortion that
killed her twin. I can't imagine hearing those words. Claire's story is one you should
read about. If you go to the Texas Alliance for Life page and click on pictures from the
Texas Rally for Life, you will see her beautiful picture, and you can read the rest of her
story. When all the speakers were finished we walked back to our vehicles. There were
at least 2,500 pro-life people there, I've heard different numbers, even as high as 6,000.
That wouldn't surprise me, there were people as far as I could see and then some.
Jim and I headed back to San Angelo, tired from waking up at 2:00am, but energized
from the wonderful experience the entire day had been. I was disappointed with the
media coverage. The liberal media refuses to acknowledge the huge pro-life presence that is growing stronger each year. The liberal media refuses to acknowledge the young
men and women who carry signs that say, "My Generation Will End Abortion!" You
know what? I believe their generation will end it! Thanks be to God!
about the Texas Rally for Life on Tuesday and today is Friday, so I am three days
late, I'm sorry! Life happens and sometimes things just don't go as planned! I hope
you all have had a good week, and I'm sure that your week has been busy also! I
stopped my story on Monday right before the part about the March for Life and the
Rally! If you didn't read my post before this one and you have time you might want
to read it just to get "the whole picture!"
The Texas Rally for Life in Austin on Saturday, January 24, 2015 was an incredible
experience. In my previous post I told you how our day began praying the rosary
at the Planned Parenthood on Ben White. Beginning the day this way, really puts
things in perspective, I mean, this is why we march. I can't adequately describe the
feeling of standing in front of a fenced facility where abortions are performed. Just
knowing that babies lives are taken from them at that place leaves a sick feeling in
your stomach. A surgery center is suppose to be a place of healing, a place to help you
get better. When someone goes to an abortion facility it isn't to get better, it is to pay an
abortionist to end the life of their baby. It is a very sad and sobering experience.
Arriving at St. Vincent de Paul Church and seeing a packed parking lot was uplifting.
Going into the Sanctuary and seeing the young children pantomime the Joyful
Mysteries of the Rosary while the older youth lead the prayers was a much needed
reminder about God's love and a visual image of the strong pro-life presence of families,
and people of all ages. As we sat shoulder to shoulder, stood side by side, kneeled
right next to each other, with young adults from youth groups all across Texas
standing along the walls, I was overcome with joy and peace and happiness, because
together, with God, we are strong. A Pro-Life Mass was celebrated by
Most Rev. Joe Vasquez, Bishop of Austin. He gave a wonderful homily, and the
entire Mass was beautiful. I remember kneeling and praying at the end of Mass,
thanking God for such an amazing morning.
Driving to get to the March took a little time but we made it. We found a parking place
pretty quick. I was so excited when I saw all the people parking and walking towards
the gathering area for the March. We ended up towards the front. The Knights of
Columbus led the March. It was awesome, there were pro-life people everywhere!
I loved all the different pro-life t-shirts, the banners, the signs! I loved when we prayed
the mysteries of the rosary, sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and when someone would
holler out, "We are" and the rest of us would holler back, "Pro-Life!" It was great!
Back to the signs, several of the teenagers held signs that said, "My Generation Will
End Abortion" others held signs that said, "We are the Pro-Life Generation!" Many
of the signs were hand written on poster boards. One of these signs said, "1/3 of My
Generation is Missing" another one said, "I Survived, but Roe v Wade won't Survive
Me!" Another one said, "A person is a person no matter how small!, Dr. Seuss!"
We marched several blocks to get to the capitol. The weather was perfect, and being
with so many pro-life people of all ages, so many teenagers and young adults, was
absolutely fantastic!
As we walked onto the Capitol lawn, pro-abortion protesters jumped out at us yelling
in our faces, waving their signs with crude statements. We just kept walking and totally
ignored them. We stood in the shade of the trees and listened to the Guest Speakers
for the Rally. Each one had a story to tell, Abby Johnson was the MC, and she shared
a little of her story as she introduced each speaker. I don't have time to tell you about
each speech, but I do want to at least tell you about one.
Her name is Claire Culwell, and the story she told brought tears to my eyes. I listened
as tears streamed down my face, she was adopted when she was about 2 1/2 months old.
She was premature and only weighed a little over 3 lbs. when she was born, and she
had several problems that required casting for her little legs and lower body. She looked
for her birth mother when she was grown, she is in her mid to late twenties now. The
story her birth mother told her changed her life. Claire survived the abortion that
killed her twin. I can't imagine hearing those words. Claire's story is one you should
read about. If you go to the Texas Alliance for Life page and click on pictures from the
Texas Rally for Life, you will see her beautiful picture, and you can read the rest of her
story. When all the speakers were finished we walked back to our vehicles. There were
at least 2,500 pro-life people there, I've heard different numbers, even as high as 6,000.
That wouldn't surprise me, there were people as far as I could see and then some.
Jim and I headed back to San Angelo, tired from waking up at 2:00am, but energized
from the wonderful experience the entire day had been. I was disappointed with the
media coverage. The liberal media refuses to acknowledge the huge pro-life presence that is growing stronger each year. The liberal media refuses to acknowledge the young
men and women who carry signs that say, "My Generation Will End Abortion!" You
know what? I believe their generation will end it! Thanks be to God!
Ask, and you will receive.
Seek, and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened to you.
For the one who asks, receives.
The one who seeks, finds.
The one who knocks, enters. Matthew 7:7,8
