Let’s Take a Walk

Six weeks ago today Hubby and I attended a West Cost Event held in San Francisco each year. You could not have asked for better weather. It was a beautiful day for a beautiful cause.

If you have never been to a Walk for Life Rally, it’s not about protesting or demonstrating or judging or even politics. Sure, at some of the bigger rallies (like DC) you have some well-known politicians and people in political office addressing the 100,000 plus crowds. That can draw politics into it. For the most part the speakers at many of these rallies are ordinary people who speak on the experience of abortions first-hand having gone through an abortion; or were adopted rather than aported. Some are the children who; by the grace of God, have survived abortion. These rallies are not about judgment or preaching morality. It’s about speaking the truth of what an abortion is. To call this a routine medical porcedure is a lie. There is nothing routine about taking a life. There is pain. There is suffering. And there is a sense of loss for all involved. The baby sufferes. The mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts and even the doctors and nurses often experience physical and emotional heartbreak. Before anyone can say I am Pro-Choice, they should take the time to educate themselves as to what an abortion truly is. You cannot boil it down to a single catch phrase – My Body My Choice. There are two sets of DNA invloved from the moment of conception. Two individual persons. Let’s start with that little fact. The life within you is not your body, but the choice you make is yours.

For me, these rallies are about support. People come together to support one another. It’s not just about celebrating the joys of parenthood and adopton. We share the sense of pain and the loss, too. A March for Life Rally is really two-fold. The first is to publically promote an awareness as to exactly what an abortion involves. The second, greater reason is that of healing. The women who have chosen abortion are not evil, sinful women. Often they are the victims of a lie told to them in a desparate situation, or worse, forced to suffer through an abortion by well-meaning parents, boyfriends and others. These women don’t need judgement, they need understanding. They deserve compassion. Most of all our daughters deserve options other than death.

---

Hubby and I have attended four different Pro-Life events since joining our parish. For us to attend the West Coast Walk For Life, it meant heading to our parish in the wee hours of the morning for a bus ride into the city. Each year a Mass is held at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. Over 2,000 of those participating in the walk also attend the Mass ahead of the rally. It’s not every day Hubby and I have the opportunity to knee before the Archbishop and receive communion. It’s about as close as we might get to the Bishop of Rome. For us, the entire experience is worth getting up at 4 in the morning, pack a lunch for later and find a seat on one of the many buses making the pilgrimage. From the Cathedral it’s a short stroll to the Civic Center Plaza. After all the speakers have been heard from, 20,000 or more march together down Market Street to the Embarcadero. All in all you walk about 5 miles. While tired, it’s one of most exhilarating kinds of tired a person can feel.

And Sub Sandwiches never tasted better!

Hikers Sub Sandwich Picnic
1/2 cup Iceberg Lettuce
1/4 Red Onion
3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1-1/2 tablespoon Yellow Mustard or to taste
2 French Bread Sub Sandwich Rolls
8 oz sliced Smoked Deli Ham
8 oz sliced Mesquite Peppered Deli Turkey
4 oz Deli Salami

Stack lettuce, shred and set aside. Cut a wedge from the whole onion. Peel and thinly slice the wedge, break apart and set aside. In a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise and mustard for a two condiment spread.

Split rolls open. Spread about 1 tablespoon or so of mayonnaise mixture inside each sandwich. Wrap rolls tightly in plastic wrap and set aside.

Cut a piece of butcher paper approximately the size of a bun. Lay paper in the center of a piece of plastic wrap. Fold and stack the sliced meats on top of the paper, followed by a scattering of onion and finally the shredded lettuce. Wrap the sandwich filling tightly in the plastic wrap. Pack both the roll and the sandwich filling in an insulated bag.

When ready, open the roll. Lift the filling from the butcher paper, place inside the roll. Cut in half and enjoy. Great with fruit juice and a granola bar.

Note: The meat filling can be put together the night before and kept in the refrigerator. This is perfect for a pre-dawn departure. All you need do is prepare the rolls and pack it all up.

---

Do not say that faith in Christ alone can save you,
for this is not possible if you do not attain love for Him,
which is demonstrated by deeds. As for mere faith:
The demons also believe and tremble
James 2:19