Wednesday, July 14, 2010

In a Moment

She's a perfect, tiny human.
Her little face shows all the beauty of her mother and father.
Her tiny little feet and hands are breath-taking.
She's so small, she's wiggled out of two diapers today. Each time, they were found around her knees. The little mittens on her long nailed hands fly off every few minutes she's awake. She's going to be a pistol.
Elena came so quickly, the midwife had only just set her purse down in the nurse's station before she appeared. I keep giggling at the memory of the nurse trying to hold her head in for just a few more moments so the midwife could sit down.
She was born less than 7 hours after Becka awoke to contractions.
She was born with such relative ease (less than 20 minutes of pushing) and the wonder in Becka and Noeli's faces was so beautiful... it was like falling into an icy well the moment the nurse snatched her from Becka's stomach, yelling for help.
She wasn't crying.
She wasn't breathing.
It was only a minute... the passage of only moments...
But it's amazing the memories that can fit into such a few moments.
The moment we were told that week-old Becka's heart wasn't functioning like it should... The 7 minutes between pulling Daniel from the bath water and his first rattling breath... the moments when pertussis stole 6-week-old John's breath, turning him blue.
It's amazing too, the intensity of prayer that can occur in only moments.
It was only a minute before the resuscitating bag gave Elena that first breath she needed to take over on her own.
My brave, strong Becka broke down and we cried together to the joyous sound of an intensely irritated, wailing newborn. Poor Noeli stood between the two ladies in his life, not knowing who to comfort first.
Then the nurses swaddled his daughter and laid her in his arms. He looked in her little eyes then looked up to meet Becka's gaze.
In that moment, we witnessed a family born.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Blog Response to the Comments Section...

of this post.

It's sad to see general internet truths so plainly proven in the wonderful combination of trolling comments on this article. (yes, there is sarcasm)

The basest examples of our society can truly stand out and shine online. Also, if there are two sides to be argued, 99.9% of respondents will take a hard-line stance on either side, without genuine consideration of the other.

From my personal experience, 1 in 10 proclaimed Christians online spend far more time arguing their point than living it. Ditto for the over-generalized and belittlingly titled group known as "non-believers". I find the opposite to be true offline. That is... when I take the time to get to know people beyond a spiritual or religious label. (BTW: I do not count the overlap of those people I know both on and offline)

Why? Because, it's far easier to be an obnoxious, attention seeking zealot of ANY cause, attitude or belief on the interwebs. It's harder to yell and scream in the real world without being forcibly removed. Hence the reason such extremest groups as Westboro Baptist Church make a lot of noise yet really only contain a tiny number of members. Freedom of speech only gets you so far and, generally, an individual behaving as boorishly in public as many (on all sides) behave online would be written off as a loon. Online you can get away with it.

I've been reamed by "both" sides for proclaiming my faith in Jesus while refusing to lower myself to the same level as those so desperate to be heard they never listen. I tolerate being called deluded and unintelligent by those who don't share my faith and condemned as deceived of Satan by those who do.

Why? Because... I choose to take those two simple rules of loving God and loving my neighbor as myself quite literally. It was asked why, if those two rules are what really matters, do we have such a big bible? It's because no skill, discipline, way of life, whatever is achieved all at once. A beginner cellist first learns about the instrument, then about the music, then how to pluck out notes all before they are ever taught how to properly hold a bow or play a complicated musical piece. If you don't first learn the basics and you aren't preternaturally gifted, you'll never be more than mediocre.

Those two rules are pretty much the second step in the foundation of the belief. Until that's truly grasped and understood, all other biblical knowledge is trash. The bible is big because life is complicated and there's a heck of a lot to learn and understand.

What a lot of people who have taken the first step of this faith (Entering into relationship with Jesus) forget is that it's none of our business to be critical of anyone who has not chosen to take that first step. We also cannot change anyone's mind by raging about it or reminding them of the rules of a faith we're supposed to live by example... Not everyone is meant to preach. Quite often those who do aren't gifted for it. We can be more Evangelizing in our actions than in our words. Words are best reserved for answering questions.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to see all people put a little more focus on being responsible for themselves and their actions... good or bad... online or off ... than they do in pointing out the hypocrisy (or whatever else is the pet-peeve) in those who believe differently? That was, I believe, the point of this article.