Naturally

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

My poor Markie was super sick on Saturday.  I don't know if it was food poisoning or what but it flattened him.  Like mothers everywhere, seeing our children sick makes me sad and wish I were sick instead.  I think at such times about mothers whose children are really grievously sick and my heart aches for them.

Saturday night Braeden was using Adam's phone to read scriptures to us and Mark texted from the basement (cell phones = intercom).

Braeden had Adam's phone so he's the one that texted 4 days.  Adam was not an innocent bystander of this deceit of my poor baby though.  He told Braeden to text Mark that we had his yearbook (which they're passing out at school on Tuesday).

I told them they were terrible and I went to see Mark.

He was feeling a bit better after his little nap.  I rubbed his back and talked to him and he told me that he felt like he was in a Masterpiece movie and he was one of "those girls" that's so sick and their mother comes rushing to their side.

I said, "At least we didn't bleed you."

Mothers rushing to the side of their sick children--that is the most natural thing in the world.  It's what we do.

*

**

There have been a few school shootings since I started volunteering at an elementary school.  One time I wondered what I would do if a gunman was in the school.  I knew immediately.  Even though I don't know any of those kids really well, I am pretty sure I would stand between them and danger.  It feels like the natural thing to do.  Instinct.

*

**

I have been haunted all weekend by a picture I saw of women cheering after Ireland voted to lift the ban on abortion.

I didn't read the news article because the picture was enough to break my heart.

To my eyes, the picture showed women cheering because now it is legal in Ireland to kill babies.  How is that possible?  It struck me as the most unnatural thing in the world.

All the arguments of "my choice" and "my body" fall on deaf ears for me.  I figure proponents of abortion have got to rationalize the choice by convincing themselves an unborn baby is less than human (the same way I imagine slave owners rationalized their slaves were less than human).

Otherwise, how could you ever be in favor of such a thing?

I know what it's like to have a baby growing inside of me.  I know how that feels.

That's why that picture haunted me.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again