Greetings for a Happy Mother's Day!
From: Webmaster (webmaster@kids-right.org)
Date: Sun May 14 2000 - 14:50:59 EDT
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Good Mothers,
>From all of us who are members and associated with Kids-Right.Org,
our best wishes for a Happy Mother's Day! A special greeting to those
of you who may not even see your children today. A special greeting
to those of you who may not even have received a card from your
little ones because your former spouse just doesn't care and is blind
to your value as a parent. A special greeting for all those "awkward"
moments this Holiday can bring: "Did your kids send you flowers?",
"I got a beautiful card from my daughter, how about you?", "We are all
going out for dinner tonight, and you?"
A VERY special greeting to those of you who have to deal with family
members & friends who say, "Well, best to accept it, life goes on!",
"I'm sure whatever happened was all for the best...." Please understand
they just don't know. Would you have used those words in talking to
a slave in the 1850's? Would you have used those words in talking
to a black forced to the "back of the bus" in the 1950's? Admit it,
maybe you would have -- until you learned to understand.
On this very special day, please remember, yes, they can take away
your children -- but only you can give them your dignity. We may not
be perfect, but that does not mean we don't have a God given "right"
to participate as an equal parent in our children's lives.
--------------- About God & Faith & Mother's Day, a personal perspective
This is John Murtari (jmurtari@kids-right.org). I help create a lot of our
messages, sometimes folks question the "faith" slant in what I say.
Please understand I'm not trying to "convert anyone to Jesus" as you
read these messages or the web site. Faith is a deeply personal thing.
Honestly, and probably like many of you, I'd like to believe but at times
I am more an "agnostic" (one who questions the existence of God). To
be quite honest I'm 43 years old -- faith has become a bit of a habit. If
I had watched the pain my son has experienced in my early 20's -- I
don't know where I'd be now. If I would believe very much at all.
So please don't get mad at me for spreading the "opiate of the masses"
as Karl Marx would say. Just take it at face value -- someone trying to
share his perspective on life. I am often accused of not being "practical",
of letting people "walk over me", or even worse -- of subverting the
whole "movement". What I try to share, in the moments of life when I
do "believe" -- is a way for us to change the system, to regain our rights
as parents, based on the ultimate reality, the ultimate pragmatism --
that of faith in a Loving God.
----- A bit "long winded" of a thought ----
I am a former Air Force Pilot, a graduate of a military Academy. I was
trained to "kill", not out of pleasure or revenge, but out of duty. It may
come as a surprise to those not familiar with the Military tradition, but I
was never taught to "hate" the enemy. Even though we were going to
be pilots, we were trained in bayonet combat (and please don't try this
at home and forgive the graphical nature, the purpose will be clearer
below) -- an upward thrust of the knife into your opponents chest,
right below the sternum, penetrating their diaphragm, then moving in
a violent slash downward through the tender abdomen, splitting
the liver, intestines, and several major arteries -- all the work of several
seconds.
With that imagery in mind -- Let me share with you one of the most
amazing sermons I ever heard from a Military Chaplain.
"Some day you might be locked in hand to hand combat with the enemy.
Each fighting for for your families, to defend what you believe. It might
even happen that you draw your knives and spill each others blood
while locked together in an embrace -- in a ballet of death.
You might then both awaken in eternity, still in each others arms. It
would be true -- 'the spirit never dies'. You would be surrounded by
family. What Joy! What Happiness there would be then! I'm sure
you would both hug each other.
In a moment, all your questions and doubts would be answered.
You would know. You wouldn't even need to apologize for spilling his
guts -- it was just duty.....
But suppose you had really hated that person in life, thought of them
as a subhuman monster -- the kind of emotions that cause military
massacres, men acting as animals -- then you might owe him an
apology for your foolishness -- and of course they would accept.
. . . .. Let's try not to be that way."
Good Mothers, Good Fathers -- Let us try not be that way! How many
of you right now don't have your children (you know how that pain
feels in your gut)! How many of you would like to 'eviscerate'
your former spouse so they could feel that same pain? PLEASE,
remember the ultimate reality -- they are your brother, they are your
sister. Yes, in eternity, you will be together with the Judge's, with
the Lawyer's. Yes, disagree, and stand up for what you believe
in -- but remember who they are. Remember what you will say
to them in eternity -- and what maybe they will say to you.
Don't think in terms of "getting even" or about "revenge" -- just
want to be with your children.
Jesus of Nazareth used to preach "turn around, the Kingdom of
Heaven is here." -- if we could make ourselves feel that way toward
others -- it would truly be here. If we could only believe for long
enough.
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