A year ago, a pretty, blond young woman in her mid-20’s came to one of the 6 Dallas abortion centers to terminate her pregnancy. She was surely scared and frightened of the responsibilities and life changes that would accompany being single and pregnant. This was Independence weekend – a time when we as Americans celebrate our Independence from oppressive rulers, from tyranny, from slavery. We celebrate our freedom to worship, freedom of speech, freedom to organize and demonstrate, freedom to a fair trial, freedom to elect those who will honor and respect our freedoms. This young woman wanted freedom from the consequences of her actions – surely she feared the impact having a child would have on her life and she must have believed that the best she could do at that time was to be free of this child. Fortunately, this woman had the courage to respond to God’s grace and the prayers of those on the sidewalk, as well as the prayers of those at home and in church, that fervently prayed for her to be open to listen to the sidewalk counselor who was there at this center that July weekend. God gives us all Free Will and this freedom gives us the choice of responding positively or negatively to the graces that God bestows. God sets before us Life and Death, and it is ultimately our choice to decide which way we will go. Thankfully, this young woman chose life for her child and for herself.

This past 4th of July weekend this same young woman returned to this Abortion Center. As she approached the driveway, she smiled and waved at the sidewalk counselor and two prayer warriors who were fortunate enough to be there this day so as to meet this young, beautiful mother. She parked in the first lot next to the sidewalk, rolled down her window and said, “I was here a year ago to have an abortion and one of you spoke to me on the sidewalk and I just wanted to show you my son .” She pulled her car around near us, rolled down her son’s window and said, “This is my beloved son, Jonathan. Thank you so much for being here.”

I couldn’t help but be grateful for all of the graces God has bestowed. I thanked God for the fact that we were at the clinic an hour longer than usual and that this woman happened to drive by this street at this point in time and had it placed on her heart to stop and share her story and let us see the face of her beloved Jonathan. Standing on the sidewalk outside an abortion center, on a Saturday morning, praying for each of the women and men who enter this house of death to have the courage to respond to God’s grace of hope is not always easy, especially since the results of your efforts are not always known. However, when a connection is made and someone has the courage to respond to good counsel, it makes each day worth it because the whole world is changed by each life that is given the opportunity to grow in the fullness of life. I can’t help but wonder what this young woman’s life would have been like had she chosen death – would she have mourned for a lifetime the face of her beloved JOnathan that she would never see, of the hand that she would never hold, of the immense potential that now exists because her beloved Jonathan does exist and how grateful and happy were the smiles of this young woman because she chose life.

Thank you to those who ministered to this young mother in need a year ago – the fruit of your labor was seen this day!

Submitted by Shelly
Catholic Pro-Life Committee Sidewalk Counselor
August 10, 2006

Labels: Sidewalk Counseling stories