On Children and Alligators and Gorillas and Polar Bears

I spent a restless night tossing and turning, thinking about the little boy killed by the alligator at Disney this week. I think it is exactly the fact that his dad fought with the alligator that gets my attention. 

I remember some years back when my young son with reactive attachment disorder was in intensive family therapy I read about an Alaskan mom whose child was attacked by a polar bear. She fought it off so savagely it left the child alone. I told my son this story because I felt I would gladly be that mom if it would help him to understand that I loved him.

But there has been no real healing in my son's life. And I feel that I have fought that alligator fiercely, and have seen my child deliberately hurl himself into the pit with the gorilla, over and over, his whole life. So I identify with these parents. 

There are some alligators you cannot stop. There are some children who cannot be stopped from throwing themselves into danger. I am glad to know the One who does rescue from the dragon and bring up from the pit. I pray He will be merciful to these families, to my son, and to other children like him.

March for Life 2015

This week we went to DC for the March for Life. It is my first time going and I'm glad to have been there.

There was a huge crowd, maybe half a million. How amazing would it be if the crowd matched the number of babies aborted in America since the decision, currently around 57 million? Inconceivable.

I remember when the Supreme Court passed down the decision. I never thought it could stand, not in America. Boy, was I wrong. I would never have believed this march would still be going on so many years later. I think most people would never have believed abortion would be so common.

But my main reaction was to the women carrying the "I Regret My Abortion" posters. Four of our children came to us by adoption. I saw those signs and was just so glad that my children's birth moms were not carrying one, at least not for my child. And I thought of all the families that did not get to know and love someone as wonderful as my children, whether as their birth family, foster, or adoptive family. So incredibly much loss, and we have done it to ourselves.