Ever run into someone from your past and you think, "Wow, how cool was that?" Afterwards you realize that every part of that "chance" meeting was too perfect for it to be chance.
About a month before Easter, I began sitting in the back of the church for mass because I was worried the baby would begin fussing and I wouldn't be near that coveted escape route. I arrived at mass early just so I could attain that golden seat...last row, back corner, near the door! About twenty minutes into the service, the mother of an old friend walked into church. I had never seen her there before, and I hadn't seen my friend in about eight years. She stayed standing in the back and seemed to be looking for someone. Needless to say, I waited for just the right moment to be able to get up and go say hi. To make a long story short, we reunited and I was able to be reunited with her son, my old friend.
At Easter, he emailed to let me know he would be at church and he wanted me to meet his girlfriend. It was so great to get to see him after so many years and to get to meet his new love. I was so happy for him because he seemed so happy. A couple months went by and he emailed me again asking to speak with me. Uh-oh. I was worried. I called him that night after I got all the munchkins to bed, only to hear him say that his girlfriend was pregnant. Even though this was not the most idyllic situation, I, of course, was elated for him because I had always known he was born to be a father. I told him he'd be a wonderful dad and this baby was a gift from God. His voice sounded happy tempered with fear and doubt.
He called me the next week very upset because his girlfriend was contemplating abortion. He knew it was wrong but felt like he was doing the right thing in supporting whatever decision she made. I told him it was his choice too. He was the father and he had a voice as well. That was his baby as much as it was hers. I'm not sure he thought about that as our culture pounds it in to the brains of young people that it's only the mother's choice. The baby doesn't have a choice either? That baby was here for a reason and I had been placed back into my friend's life for a reason...and so I spoke up.
I told him about the Archdiocese Crisis Pregnancy Center where they could get help with baby items, counseling, parenting classes, and information about the life-long damaging effects of an abortion. I reminded him of how the Catholic Church views all abortion...it is murder. I also told him my husband and I would do whatever they needed if they kept the baby. I offered to babysit once he or she was born. We even offered to adopt if they felt they couldn't take care of their baby. I felt like I was racing against a time clock. Her family was in favor of the abortion and she was feeling pressured. I convinced my friend to take his girlfriend to the center. They went. He called me as soon as they left the center to let me know they had decided to keep the baby...that they could never go through with an abortion. He thanked me and told me he really didn't know what an abortion entailed. His girlfriend was really happy, and he was ecstatic. I was, well...over the moon!!! They came to visit a few days ago and they showed me the ultrasound picture of their baby. They both had it on their phones as their screen saver. I cried as soon as I saw their tiny precious baby. They were just like any other happy couple awaiting the arrival of their son or daughter. How everything changed in just a few days. As he put it, "It went from bad to awesome!" God saved their baby...I just happened to be in the right place at the right time!
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