A Catholic Man Looks Back at His Week

Deacon Tim had a soul-expanding week.....he learned lessons from St. Patrick, St. Joseph, even Senator Rick Santorum.  Keep listening to the end - Senator Santorum's story will inspire you to step out in faith without worrying about the result.  Ladies, you don't have to be a guy to learn something from this show! 

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Comments

[Katrina]

Now it's my turn, Cyndi, to sit at my computer and cry. Through tears I'll share this story. About 3 or 4 years ago I was wandering the aisles of a local store. I happened upon an old classmate of mine. We were never friends but never enemies either. The school we attended was very small, 82 students to be exact. So we were a small community. This girl ran with a different crowd, if you will, she got into trouble often and likely did drugs or other not so nice things. But, over the years, as was apparent, she seemed to have settled down and was trying to make a nice life for herself and her family. We actually had a nice conversation and I was so happy to see that she turned out 'ok'.

Then she proceeded to tell me something. The story she told me I did recount to my sister but then I stuffed it away and have pretty much decided that there is no way, I'm too small, no way little me, ME of no confidence, could have had this type of impact on someone. What she told me was that years and years prior we had some kind of speech we had to give in an English class or something. I couldn't even tell you what grade we were in, I had forgotten the speech long ago. She told me that I gave a speech about abortion. I've always been very pro-life and my parents instilled a most beautiful and precious respect for life in us children. As young girls we used to make mother's day corsages with our mom every year to benefit a pro-life cause in our state. We even visited North Dakota one year with mom when we were VERY young to hear Phyliss Schlafley speak! I was too young to understand a lot of things but it always made perfect sense to me that God gave us life and that we must protect it. I am not, however, very outspoken so it's rare that I would take a stand especially in public school and just call it like I saw it. My classmate told me that she never forgot that speech or my words and how a life is a life and it is sacred. She told me that when she became pregnant while unmarried and still a teenager, she remembered what I had talked about and that because of my message, she did not abort her daughter. She pointed to her teenage daughter right there in the store and told me, "here she is, because of you". I couldn't really process that information but I believe I may have been in shock. I hardly knew her, barely remembered her, and here she was telling me this with such conviction and with such love. I believe it took humility and grace to tell her story. I think I stuffed it away (I just saw her for the 2nd time in 3 years last week and while talking to her, didn't even remotely recall this story) because it felt as though I was taking 'credit' for something but I realize now that the credit is God's and he was just using me to reach her or to save His precious child. You never know, you really never know who you affect or how. So I do not doubt for one second Mr. Santorum's story--there must be millions like it. And I will never stop believing in speaking for the unborn. I only wish I could do more. Thank you for reminding me of this today.

[Laura]

Trina told me about how she was recalling this story TONIGHT, on our way out to eat with our sisters. I gave her even more shivers when I told her that I had not thought about that story either until YESTERDAY when I recounted it to my good friend, Paula! Here I was, bawling as I was telling it JUST ONE DAY before Trina had been reminded of it by Deacon Tim's story. Amazing. (I had brought up the story while we were talking about English class, because our kids were getting their standardized testing done at her house...I had the same debate in that same English class two years earlier. I am two years older than Trine). I think I was mentioning things to my friend about our English teacher which reminded me of Trine's story). The lesson, of course, was that you NEVER KNOW the effect your spoken beliefs, behaviors, or convictions might have on someone...good or bad!
We do owe so much to the people before us (Mom, especially) who with God's inspiration, have enabled us to step out and do something that may initially cause us suffering, but in the long run, may even save someone's very life!

[Cyndi Kane]

Wow - what a beautiful story, and a testament to how God can work if we just step out in faith. Katrina, your humility is so inspiring to me, too.

Peace be with you two sisters!
Cyndi