Get Your Free Prayer for the Child in the Womb Copywork and Consider Offering Spare Change to Spare a Life

Happy New Liturgical Year!  We pray your Advent has opened with plenty of time for prayer, preparation, and joyful anticipation of the commemoration of when Christ was born, of His coming to us daily through grace and through the Eucharist, and of when Christ comes again.

This morning, as we began celebrating Advent, a baby bottle again took a place on our table as a daily reminder to pray and give alms to the unborn and their families.

For years now, my children have eagerly picked up a baby bottle from a bassinet in the back of our church to take home and fill from Advent through Epiphany.

Doing so, has become a meaningful Advent tradition in our home that we initially enjoyed in conjunction with our family's Count, Pray, and Give initiative, and, now, participate in more simply - just dropping spare change into the bottle through Advent and Christmastide and having the bottle sit on our table as a continual reminder to pray.

This year, I have also made a Prayer for the Child in the Womb copywork set, using the words of a prayer from the Irish Catholic Bishop's Conference.  I share it here in case your children would like to use it for your family or classroom.

Get it here.

The FREE Prayer for the Child in the Womb Copywork Set includes the prayer in print and cursive, as well as lined sheets to copy it on.

We are grateful to the Respect Life Committee at our church for introducing us to the Spare Change-Spare a Life Baby Bottle Campaign and pray that by sharing about it here, you may be inspired to initiate a similar tradition in your home, co-op, church, or community.

May we each choose life 
in every decision we make! 

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An Open Letter to You, Pro-Life Man

Dear Pro-Life Man,

Twice this weekend, I heard comments about why men should stay out of discussions about abortions, and both times, the remarks were made by blatantly rude women who spoke with much scathing accusation, but little sense.

Amidst their vulgar language, these women claimed you have no right to speak out against abortion simply because you are a man.

How ridiculous it that?

As a man you might suffer over the loss of a child, yet you may not speak about the heinous act that takes approximately 3,000 lives in the U.S.A. alone each day and about 125,000 lives worldwide.  No, Sir, your hurt does not count claim some women.  You have no womb, so you can have no wound.  Abortion is none of your business.

And, lo, Man, if you are the father of a child conceived without forethought, do not stop and think even for a moment. You may have shared in the creation of that life, but you have no say over what will happen to it.  Yes, yes, forget about being encouraged to invest in that child, share in responsibility, and care for the child and mother.  You. have. no. say.  Whatever the mother wants, goes.  The child may live or die.  It is not up to you.  Be quiet.  

Be quiet, that is, unless you want to speak out for the death of unwanted children.  If you want to join the chorus of men lauding the choice to kill babies, have at it.  Be loud.  Be proud.  Man up and be Bro-Choice.

Indeed, dear Man, you must only lock your lips if you want to speak out against abortion, some women say.

Oh, and while you are speaking, please dare you not be chivalrous, protecting the innocent and standing up for the weak and oppressed.

Because you cannot get pregnant, you cannot understand things, and you must not respect, nor protect, life.  Got it, Man?

Oh, my dear, Pro-Life Man, I am so glad you are able to ignore such fallacious, illogical viewpoints.  Indeed, I am so glad you have the courage to speak truth even in the face of misguided accusations from women who claim you are a misogynist, an insensitive brute, an idiot, or worse. 

I assure you, Man-Who-Speaks-Out-Against-Abortion, that not all of us women scorn you. Many of us applaud you.  Many of us thank you.

In fact, I, personally, thank you for speaking out against abortion.  I thank you for letting you voice be heard and being the voice for those who can not cry out from the wombs of women who want them silenced. 

I thank you for ignoring the ignorant demand of women who say that you have no place in discussions about abortion, since you cannot get pregnant, cannot have an abortion, cannot understand what a woman goes through, and, therefore should not speak your thoughts. Indeed, I thank you, kind Pro-Life Sir, for standing firm with women like me who recognize you just might have a part in the conception of a child and you might wonder how that child's life might change yours... You might, indeed, go through much.  For male or female, you are human.  You are alive.  And you have every right to speak.

So, thank you, dear Pro-Life man, for exercising your right.  I welcome your voice in the conversation and am heartily grateful that you unabashedly support truth and life.

Speak on, Pro-Life Man. Take every opportunity you can to defend life from conception to natural death.  Do not be shouted down.  Do no be silenced.  Do not fall into the misconception that abortion is a women's right's issue.  Keep recognizing it as what is truly is: a human rights issue.

Unborn children are human beings and you have every right to defend the life of a fellow human being.

Pro-Life Man, I apologize for the loud, lacking in love voices of some of my fellow women who seek to shame you into silence, and I remind you, then in matters like these, there is no shame but that of silence.

We cannot stay quiet.  We must speak for those who cannot. Your voice is powerful.  Keep using it.

Stand together with other men and women - and me - who seek to respect and protect life, building a better future - one where all human beings may have the right to life!

With deepest gratitude and endless encouragement, I thank you, Pro-Life Man.

May love sound!

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Have You Read Any of Kayla Jarmon's Books? {Review}

What a delight it was to receive three e-books by Kayla Jarmon to share with my children.

We read all three books in two sittings while looking at them as flipbooks on our computer screen.

Another day, I asked my children to re-read the books onscreen again with me, so each child could write a review of one of the books.

A Boy and His Dog

My youngest child, at seven, asked to review A Boy and His Dog.  He said:

A Boy and His Dog is a 40+ page e-book about the adventures of a boy and his dog.  It is told in pictures and words.  Each page is mostly a picture with a few sentences to a paragraph.  So, it is a quick read.

The illustrations are bright.  One was comical.  It was a dog and his boy who got covered in mud so they could not be recognized.

The story itself was okay.  It tells about the boy's and dog's daily life.  The boy has no lessons.  He just plays with his dog all day.  They are good friends. 

I think people with dogs or people who want to get dogs would like this story.  It is also good for people who like a quick story, and people that like simple illustrations.

Dog lovers and those with children who like loads of outdoor play will appreciate this book!

Don’t Forget Me (First in the Discussion Book Series)

My 10-year old daughter was eager to be the reviewer of Don’t Forget Me and even asked me if she could read it to me before she narrated her review.

She said:

Don't Forget Me is a 70-page, picture e-book. It is about a baby in the womb who gets born.  God talks to the baby and keeps reminding him, "Don't forget me."  The baby is curious, saying things like, "Why do I feel like I'm stretching"  "What's that?"  "It's getting tighter in here."  

While the baby is in the womb, we learn that his mom and dad like to talk to him, and that the baby doesn't like sad.  He also keeps telling God, "I know, I know... How could I forget you?..  I won't forget you.  You made me..." 

When the baby comes out, he's like, "Wow!  This place is so big.  It's almost too big.  Is this my new room?  Where's Mommy?"  He is given to his Mommy, his Mom and Dad pray, and they keep saying, "Shh.  Shh."  The baby says, "Hey, really, it's okay, God can hear us all at the same time."

The books is a really cool, fun book.  It has just enough words to get the story line and is mostly pictures.  The pictures are cool, because, when the baby is in the belly, it is cool to see how he grows in the belly.

It is also cool how they color the text.  The text is highlighted with different colors for different people.  God has a yellowy gold color.  The doctor and nurse have a blue color and the mom and dad have a pink color.  The baby is just regular old print.

I like this story the best of all three, and I think it would be good for kids that are just starting to begin to read, pregnant people who have other kids, and pro-life people.  The book shows how the baby grows inside the belly and celebrates life!

While the baby is in the womb, we learn that his mom and dad like to talk to him, and that the baby doesn't like sad.  He also keeps telling God, "I know, I know... How could I forget you?..  I won't forget you.  You made me..."  

When the baby comes out, he's like, "Wow!  This place is so big.  It's almost too big.  Is this my new room?  Where's Mommy?"  He is given to his Mommy, his Mom and Dad pray, and they keep saying, "Shh.  Shh."  The baby says, "Hey, really, it's okay, God can hear us all at the same time." 

The books is a really cool, fun book.  It has just enough words to get the story line and is mostly pictures.  The pictures are cool, because, when the baby is in the belly, it is cool to see how he grows in the belly. 

It is also cool how they color the text.  The text is highlighted with different colors for different people.  God has a yellowy gold color.  The doctor and nurse have a blue color and the mom and dad have a pink color.  The baby is just regular old print. 

I like this story the best of all three, and I think it would be good for kids that are just starting to begin to read, pregnant people who have other kids, and pro-life people.  The book shows how the baby grows inside the belly and celebrates life!

There are Scripture references at the back of the book, too.

Dying Is Part of This World (Second in the Discussion Book Series)

My 12 year old son decided to review this book.  He said:

Dying Is Part of This World is a 58-page, chapter e-book with a few pictures.  It is a discussion between a child and his mom about death.  At the end of each chapter, there are discussion questions.  The book also has Scripture references.

I liked the illustrations in the book.  They are black and white and show everything from the kids' point of view,  and I like the drawing style.

A lot of people are scared of death, so I think the author did well to write a book like this.  She was clever in using an analogy of a baby being born onto earth and us dying and being born into Heaven.  She tried to be honest and comforting without claiming to know everything. 

I had trouble with some of the theology in the book.  When people who are not Christian die, they do not automatically go to H-e-double-hockey-sticks.  God has mercy.  If someone does not know Him, because they have not been introduced to Him, they might still get to Heaven.  The book makes it seem like only Christians can go to Heaven.

Another point I disagreed with was when she said God forbids talking to the dead.  This is not true.  Talking to the dead is just like talking to someone who is alive.  They are still part of the Universal Church and the Communion of Saints.  It is perfectly fine to talk to the dead (but be sure to know they probably are not going to answer you.)

Obviously, there are some things wrong with this book, but there are some things great with it, too.  The author is very good at getting how a kid and Mom would talk to each other and that can get real kids and parents talking about death.  

 I would not recommend listening to all of the theology in this book, but I would say it may be a good book for parents and kids to read together if they can discuss it.  Parts of it are good.

Final Thoughts

Obviously, our family has theological differences with the text of Dying Is Part of This World, but we all could appreciate parts of it, and I truly appreciate the author's efforts to make a tough topic easier for parents and children to discuss.  She deals with some difficult concepts well!

Overall, we enjoyed A Boy and His Dog for its simplicity, playful humor, and cuteness, but our collective favorite was Don't Forget Me. It is the one book of the three we'd appreciate a hardcopy of and would consider gifting to and sharing with friends and family who have little ones, work with children, or are active in pro-life ministry.

We have heard audio files associated with each of these books are coming, so stay tuned for them.

Learn More

Fifty Homeschool Review Crew families reviewed these books.  Find links to all the reviews the Homeschool Review Crew.

You can find Kayla Jarmon on social media at:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kaylajarmonauthor/
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/kaylajarmon
• Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/kaylajarmon/

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Pray, Fast, and Give on the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

January 22nd is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children and so, in our home, we'll be taking a bit of a break from our usual life and lesson activities to focus on extra measures of prayer, fasting, almsgiving. We encourage others to do the same.

Prayer

Of course, attending Mass and praying for unborn children, for their mothers, and for our nation to respect the rights of the unborn child is an ideal choice for the day. 

Praying an intentional Rosary for Life is, too. 

Or, for those who seek shorter prayers, the Prayer to End Abortion by Rec. Frank Pavone at PriestsforLife.org is a powerful one.

Fasting

Ideally, all healthy adults will participate in fasting, eating only one full meal and two smaller meals which do not equal one full meal. 

Children (and adults!) might choose to offer penances by:

• abstaining from meat

• abstaining from a particular food or beverage 

• fasting  from one meal

• offering up the day’s challenges and inconveniences 

• giving up some form of entertainment for the day

•  offering up extra works of charity

Almsgiving 

Everyone in the family might offer some money to give to a pro-life organization. 

Or, perhaps, the family can shop for baby items to be brought to such an organization or simply collect like-new items from home to gift forward.

For crafty kids (and grown-ups!) decorating bibs and onesies to donate can be fun and meaningful.

Family Time

Counting our own blessings with gratitude is important, too.  So, our family will likely gather to chat about specific ways each of us blesses others - affirming the unique gift each person truly is. 

I can foresee this leading us into a trip down memory lane, sharing stories and pictures from birth and early childhood and, perhaps, singing our Song of Jack and for each of our other children.

To keep the warmth of family time going, I have also already begun stacking up favorite books for a "read in", when our family snuggles together to read book after book after book together.  

{Disclosure: Some of the links that follow are affiliate ones.  Should you click through them and make any purchase, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.}
 
Some of our pro-life favorites are:

The Preborn Christ

Before You Were Born

Angel in the Waters

Also, since we all enjoy family movie-time, I've also put The Altar Gang's Skif and AJ's Fantastic Voyage in our pile.  It's a beloved DVD around here.

Surely, on January 22, we can all set aside some time to pray, fast, and give, praying for legal protection for unborn children and giving thanks for each of our lives.  Perhaps, we'd like to start now:

God our Creator, we give thanks to you, who alone have the power to impart the breath of life as you form each of us in our mother's womb; grant, we pray, that we, whom you have made stewards of creation, may remain faithful to this sacred trust and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

~Collect Prayer

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