Respect Life Sunday
22 years ago I was 17 years old and a senior in high school. My boyfirend was a star soccer player and I was a cheerleader. We planned to get married after high school and he was already enlisted in the Army. In less than a month our lives would be turned upside down as I discovered I was pregnant.
Shocked and scared we would spend the next nine months listening to the well meaning voices who told us that getting married was foolish and having a baby at so young an age even more foolish. Several people suggested an abortion and one person even offered to pay for it.
But thanks be to God, 22 years ago my parish had a pro-life group and I had seen the pictures and heard the facts. I knew it was baby and I felt strongly that killing it wouldn’t make my life better. I had already made one mistake and making another one wasn’t going to fix it.
I’ll admit it wasn’t easy to go through my senior year with an expanding belly or to stand on stage and receive my diploma at 8 months pregnant. But I did and it was surely worth it. No, it hasn’t been easy, but then life rarely is and frankly I’ve stopped expecting it to be so. I’m still married to that star soccer player and he is the love of my life. The baby is our now 21 year old son who, along with his eight other brothers and sisters, is eagerly anticipating the birth of his baby sister in December.
Today is Respect Life Sunday. If your parish has a pro-life group please support them. If they don’t, consider starting one. You never know whose heart you may touch and whose life you might save.
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Oct 1, 2006 - 06:10:23What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing!
Your story brought tears to my eyes….and I cannot help but marvel when I look at the photo of your beautiful family now!
Thanks for this, Michelle. My dh and I have a similar story although we were older. The right path is not always the easy one but the rewards are certainly worth it.
What a beautiful testimony of your faithfulness to God’s teachings and His faithfulness to you!
This is a great post Michele.
Michele,
Thank you for sharing. Having gone through something very similar, and now married to my high school sweetie, I love to see and hear other “success” stories.
May God continue to bless you and your beautiful family.
Steph in CT
Michele, I have goosebumps. My husband and I have a similiar story only we were a year older. Someone even offered to pay for an abortion. God Bless you Michele!
wow, michele, thanks for sharing that. brought tears to my eyes. hey, now i know your baby girl is due in december; for some reason i was thinking it was this month.
God bless you.
caroline from nmsl
All I can say is: rah-rah-zis boom bah - go! go! Quigley’s!
Truly, your life is testimony to the sanctity of life itself. God bless you abundantly as you await yet another gift of life.
We’re celebrating eighteen years this Sunday ourselves. October is a beautiful month to celebrate Life!
Many blessings!
From Ohio to PA
Denise
Beautiful story Michele.
God bless you and your family always!
wow! may i say that you and your handsome dh have hardly changed in those 22 years. looking forward to the birth announcement!
What a beautiful story and a beautiful testimony to the preciousness of every human life.
Well said, Michele.
What a wonderful witness you are.
Shellie,
You made me cry!! I am so proud of you and Tim and all that you have overcome and accomplished. You two are an example for our family. That true love, Godly love will last and carry you thru anything. The picture of y’all brought back memories. You & Tim are beautiful together and you make absolutely beautiful children. I love all of you!
Donna
What a lovely story! I too married young, although not expecting. I was still in high school. We now have 8 beautiful children. Many thought I was foolish to marry so young.