Emily M. DeArdo

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Deo Gratias!

Catholicism, CF, life issues, politicsEmily DeArdo1 Comment

On the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is so appropriate that one of the worst SCOTUS decisions in history is overturned, joining Dred Scot and Plessy on the ash heap of history.

Every since I was old enough to know what abortion was, I—and so many others—have prayed and worked for today. This is a victory for the pro-life movement, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all to take today and celebrate and give thanks for this.

I am happy on a more personal level as well. If you’ve read my book, you know that I have often had people tell me that people with genetic diseases are not “worthy” of living, because our lives are too hard or we suffer.

Ninety-six percent of babies who are discovered to have CF in utero are aborted.

Today, that number will begin to decrease, and more people like me will have a chance at life.

It’s important to note that Dobbs doesn’t make abortion illegal in the United States. Instead, it throws the matter back to the states (which is where it should have been all the time.). Every state can determine their own abortion laws.

This is not the end of the pro-life movement. In the words of Winston Churchill, “It is the end of the beginning.”

We know that there is work to do to change perceptions. We know that more pro-family legislation is needed, and we need to continue to support the work of maternity/crisis pregnancy homes, pro-life charities, and other supportive networks.

If you want to contact your state legislators about this, be sure to do it politely (always, please, especially if you’re calling them).Let them know that you support legislation that helps the vulnerable. See what your state already has and then work to support it, financially, materially, or with your time. I’ll be compiling a list of resources later, but you can always start with the Sisters of Life, who do such great work in the US and Canada.

And let’s stop talking about how children are barriers to our lives, OK? Let’s stop talking about how women have “fewer rights” then men. Women, it’s time for us to stop believing the lies that the sexual revolution taught us. Sex is not free. Having sex with multiple partners is not liberating. Let’s reject this mindset for the lie it is. Let’s teach our daughters that. Let’s not continue to perpetuate a lie—which is really a malicious, twisted lie—that sexual freedom is a good thing, that we are “entitled” to do whatever we want, when we want it. That’s a perversion of our freedom.

There are certainly times when women find themselves in situations that they didn’t expect. The pro-life movement is there for them. We need to champion life in all its stages, and Dobbs gives us the framework to start doing that legislatively—but it also gives us the freedom to start doing more outside of the statehouses, to step up our advocacy and demonstrate that it’s truth that sets us free.

Women deserve better than abortion. Children deserve better than abortion. We all deserve better than a culture that takes innocent lives and treats them like garbage, and cloaks its satanic mission in words like “care” or “health decisions” or “choice”.

Today is a victory for life.

Let’s celebrate it, and then continue our work.

(NOTE: normally, I let the combox be totally open. But I will delete any comments that have bad language on this post, OK? I would do that anyway, but….just a reminder.)

"Life, London, this moment of June"

fun, health, journalEmily DeArdoComment

OK, I’m not in London. (The quote is from Mrs. Dalloway, one of my favorite novels.)

And June can actually be a really hard month for me, because there’s been a lot of medical crap that went down in June. (And I actually have a squamous cell carcinoma that needs removed—that’s next month—that I just found out about, but honestly, I don’t really care, we’ll handle it)

But this June? This June has been pretty fun.

Patty discovers…THE TENT.

I’m going to see Patty and her siblings!

Peanut (Patty’s newest sibling) is growing well! S/he is due in October.

It might be really hot, but it’s super pretty. This I the view from my porch. I love sitting here and reading at night. Right now I’m re-reading Emma* as part of the Jane Summer Re-Read.

Tiffany and I went to see the Columbus Symphony play at a local church as part of their summer night music programming. Cheaper tickets, don’t have to drive downtown, and don’t have to pay to park? Count me in. It was a beautiful program!

How’s your summer going so far?


Maddie: Five Months!

MadeleineEmily DeArdo2 Comments

Folks, I can’t believe Maddie is five months old.

I just cannot.

Do you see her teeth?!

Here’s the round-up!

New Things

 -two teeth! And a third is emerging!

-has rolled back to front!  (Once but rolls on her side all the time)

- can pivot on her belly!  Very close to crawling.

-starting to laugh!

-can pass toys back and forth between hands

-starting to sit up unsupported


Likes

-being on the floor (aka, the Maddie Olympics)

-being in her carrier

-seeing the world

-new toys! Loves knocking over her blocks, the rolling bell.

-caterpillar coffee time! (Caterpillar==her chair. It’s the best.)

- being read to (if she can stay still for it). I loved reading to her when we visited.

-grabbing everything mommy and daddy have (clothing, glasses, food, drinks)

-has pet Duke and Bella. (Duke is their dog, and Bella is their kitty). Bella is neutral on the subject, but Duke licked her feet!

-stroller, as long as she’s looking out!
-playing with her owls in her crib (The owls are a paper banner of….owls (ha!) that are hung on the room-facing side of her crib. She has now discovered she can play with them. I think they might not be long for this world now that she has found this out.)

-listening to audio books to help her fall asleep.

-dancing/ singing to music

-looking in the mirror


Dislikes

-Being held or restrained (unless it’s in her carrier)- she wants to move!!

-Putting her arms in sleeves.

-Being tired

-hungry… again (tired+hungry=hangry baby!)

-wearing her sleep mittens (she will bite them off!)

-having her nails filed.

-being left in her crib too long after waking up (see wants to see people, above)

Monthly photos:

"Thank you, Ma'am"

funEmily DeArdoComment

As you all know, I am an Anglophile, and so I loved the Platinum Jubilee Extravaganza last weekend! (Well actually Thursday-Sunday). So I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos and videos, because we all need some happiness and cute, right?

From the Party at the Palace:

*Paddington and the Queen kicked off the party

* the West End segment! (the WHOLE THING, which we didn’t see here in the US)

There was a CORGI PARADE!

Royal kids stealing the show!

The flypast on Thursday:

Photos:

The Cambridge kids (L-R: George, Louis, and Charlotte) make their carriage debut at Trooping the Colour

Louis was a crack up the entire weekend.

With the queen on the balcony at Buckingham Palace

This is TOO CUTE

Charlotte and George (sandwiched between their parents) at the Party at the Palace on Saturday

The final balcony appearance of the weekend, after the Jubilee Pageant

Catholic Girl Problems

CatholicismEmily DeArdo4 Comments

So I had to read at Mass on Saturday night—Pentecost Vigil. No biggie. I did my job, I pronounced “Bitumen” correctly (that word is not fun to say), and it was time to receive Communion.

As a lector, I am sitting in the front row on the right side of the church. So, I’m fairly visible.

I go up to receive communion. Now, I have done this for 32 years. That’s over 1,600 communions roughly. I have received on the tongue pretty much exclusively for the past 12 years, no problems.

So I get in line.

Then, the following:
Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion: (ECMH) (Holding up the Host) The Body of Christ.

Me: Amen. ( I open my mouth. the EMCH extends his hand, holding the Host, toward my mouth. The DEACON appears, and STARTLES the EMCH.)

THE HOST FALLS.

ALL OUR EYES meet in total panic and confusion.

ME: Where did it go?
Deacon: It went…down your dress. (With discreet hand motion indicating it went….south.)
Me: OK. (To EMCH) Let’s try this again.

EMCH: The Body of Christ.
ME: (receiving in the hand this time) AMEN.

I head back to my seat. I look at the floor I just walked over. No host there. OK. So Jesus is….on my person.
I begin discreetly patting down my dress, wondering if the Host got caught in the folds or the lining or the flounces…

And then I see.

The Host is IN MY BRA.

That’s right. Jesus—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—has taken up residence in my bra cup.

(Did I mention I’m in the front row?)

My dress neckline is a shallow v-neck. So very discreetly (I HOPE), I reach into my dress and remove Jesus from my bra. I then consume the Lord.

I don’t know if Jesus thought that I needed extra grace this week or what, but I totally want to crack up laughing and I’m wondering, OK, what do I do with my bra now? Is it a relic? Am I a relic?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

(What makes it even more humorous is that usually we have altar servers with patens to catch any Hosts that escape like this. We were short one altar boy, I think, on Saturday. So if the altar boy had been there, this wouldn’t have happened! But it did!)

So after Mass the other lector asks me, “What happened during Communion?” I tell him. He cracks up.

Mom asks me the same thing as we head into the parking lot. She starts cackling, and then laughing so hard she cannot breathe. And then I’m laughing.

I mean, the ways of the Lord are indeed mysterious. But I had never thought that The Lord would…decide to fly down my dress.

Whatever Lord. Whatever.