Why My Fundraising Campaign Deserves Your Support

This is the time that many of us see as the season to focus on giving.

Interested in helping to save lives through helping girls and women who face crisis pregnancies?

Here is how the cause I'm raising funds for, works. Save the Storks is a public charity that exists to partner with and empower pregnancy resource centers to expand their lifesaving work. The Storks do these things through providing pregnancy resource centers with grants, mobile medical centers that make them more accessible to more women, and are always developing more high-tech ways to empower pregnancy resource centers to save more babies through helping more pregnant girls and women in crisis. The above photo, and the other photos in this post, are just one example of a pregnancy resource center which has expressed a desire to access a "Stork Bus" (a mobile medical center) to enhance the many practical things they do to assist pregnant women in crisis, and thus empowering many of their clients to choose life for their babies.

Here are what pregnancy resource centers are, for all of those aong my readers who may not be familar with them. That is nothing against you, for our media seldom cover these centers, and it is doubtful that many caring professionals may not be aware of them to be able to recommend them to you. In fact, the media tend to cover these centers only when there have been complaints that they use deceptive or misleading tactics to get clients in their doors. I'm sure that some of these accusations may be true, as these centers are staffed by imperfect people like you and me. In general, though, the evidence for these centers is that they do lifesaving work in many different ways, with often limited resources. Unlike Planned Parenthood facilities, these centers do not get government funds or fat grants from big-name celebrities. They normally depend on many smaller donations from faithful, generous donors, as well as from life-affirming private businesses.

These pregnancy resource centers provide alternatives to abortion. All their services are free and confidential. They typically provide counseling, pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, maternity and baby clothes, diapers, toys, prolife books, Bibles, post-abortion support, adoption referrals, parenting classes and support, physician referrals, social services referrals, and other referral services. They do not, however, perform abortions or abortive drugs, or referrals for them. These centers, however, can do even more when they are given grants, mobile medical centers and more. But none of that can be done without funding from us who care about pregnant women in crisis, and their babies.

The photos you see here are only a sample of pregnancy resource centers that Save the Storks exists to empower and extend the lifesaving services of. Many on their staff have been touched in some way, themselves, by abortion. Typically and tradionally, girls and women have had to find these centers on their own. "Stork Buses" bring these centers to them; these mobile medical centers are placed at places where abortion-vulnerable women are most likely to be found, especially at Planned Parenthood facilities or at college campuses. Statistically, over three out of every five women who get on these "Stork Buses" choose life for their babies.

It is now Thanksgiving. Will you give pregnancy resource centers, and the pregnant women in crisis they serve, reason to be thankful for you and your help? You can! Click here to see how you can help!

Blessed Thanksgiving,

Lisa DeSherlia

The above photos are provided courtesy of Mary's Pregnancy Resource Center, a nonprofit I'm not a partner of or affiliated with.

Thanksgiving, What It Means to Me & What It Can Mean

It's that time of the year where we are "supposed to" focus on being thankful and giving, on peace and reconciliation. I see countless posts and hear countless lectures of the subject of gratitude that seem to scold hearers about "not being thankful." Yes, God has been good to each one of us. He loves us and, in Christ His Son, has sacrificed all things to rescue us from the power and penalty of sin. He has good plans for our lives. I can fully understand why we are so often shamed and scolded into "being grateful." It's forever trite but true that no matter what we may face in life, others are facing what they, at least, consider to be worse and more traumatic events and struggles. I agree that we all need to be reminded that life does not revolve around any of us and that everyone faces suffering and struggles in life. These are undisputed facts. When I was growing up, in St. Louis, Missouri, I was always being told that I was a "chronic complainer" and I'm sure that there was a lot of truth in this. Complaining is defined as "expressing dissatisfaction with something." There is nothing wrong with expressing such dissatisfaction; it's where our focus lies, on what we have or what we don't have. No matter who we are or what we face, we all lack many things we wish we could have. All of us also have many good things in our lives. As my late stepdad would say, "Whatever the good Lord gives you to face, He always balances it with something good."

I'm the first to admit that thankfulness does come hard when I deal with depression spells that I believe to be induced, at least in part, by the long-term use of anti-convulsants. Thankfulness does come hard when I see how many people, who seem to not give God a passing thought and who don't help others, seem to skate through life and enjoy health and wealth. And "preachers" give off the false impression, in their "teachings," that if we serve God and love him, that we will be "blessed in life and enjoy health and wealth." The Bible says that those who obey God are "blessed in all they do," but this does not reference good, easy, fun circumstances. The Son of God, when He lived a perfect life as the God-Man, suffered more than all of us put together, especially in right before and as He was dying a horrific death on a cross. Thankfulness comes hard when I think of the people whom I have helped and shown support to, who have often "repaid" me by removing me from their lives because I had shown them my fallibility. But I am learning that it is by focusing on Jesus, NOT on people, that makes it easier to give thanks 27/7 and 365 days a year. For as long as we look at people and compare our life's journeys, whether they are better or worse, we fall into the old comparison trap that is a waste of time.

Thanksgiving is that time of the year when we look forward to "taking a break" from watching our weight and our typical diets, and "splurging." I'm not saying that's wrong! I'm looking forward to eating a bit more this upcoming Thursday than I usually do. Not much. I would not okay using the holidays as a license to drink, because that contributes to drunken behavior and drunk driving, which kills people. It is also the day before what we call "Black Friday," which can be another topic altogether. We all are aware of the hype about that day, with all the commercials. This is a "tribute" to the greed and the materialism of so many of us who insist on shopping as early as possible to save a few bucks. We give lip service to the need to focus on our blessings and to spend time with family, but Thanksgiving, like any holiday, is a time of unrealistic expectations. We confuse "the holiday spirit" with "being happy," whether we mean "the Thanksgiving spirit" or "the Christmas spirit," with "being happy." We forget that "giving thanks" is not an emotion but is an action, and can be done even when we don't "feel happy" or our dreams don't come true.

During these holidays, I'm thinking especially of all of those who are estranged from family members or other once-important people in their lives, often because of greed or disputes. I'm thinking of all those who have lost loved ones in the past 12 months. I'm thinking of all those who will spend their holidays behind bars, because of wrongful or overly-harsh convictions. I'm thinking of the victims of recent weather disasters like the people in the Philippines. I'm thinking of those who are fighting terminal illnesses. I'm thinking of those who are spending more holidays missing a loved one or who have not found justice for them. I'm thinking of those who are being put down as "extremist" because they choose not to participate in the holiday traditions or in "black Friday." I'm thinking of all those who dread, rather than look forward to, these holidays because their disabilities keep them from liking the rich holiday foods or social gatherings. For many these holidays are a hard time.

What do the holidays, including Thanksgiving, mean to me? Frankly, because of my life circumstances, I have often not looked forward to them. Yes, I'm thankful for God, for His love, for my family and my life. For starters. I'm also thankful for you who visit this blog and who read it. I'm thankful for those of you who have signed my autism petition. I'm thankful for each of you who have signed up to follow this blog. And I'm thankful to those of you who have "liked" any of my Facebook pages, found on the main page and on a static page, of this blog.

Warm Thanksgiving wishes to each and every one of you who read this, and to all the important people in your lives!

The first photo is courtesy of MorgueFile, is by Seemann, and is found here.

The second photo is courtesy of MorgueFile, is by JessaIrene, and can be found here.

Outraged About Black Friday? This One's For You!

This time of the year ushers in a season that is filled with hype. I'm talking about what we call "Black Friday." I heard it in the news the other day, that some people were actually pitching tents in front of their chosen department stores and staying there many days in advance. I remember sneering at their show of materialism and greed. All to save a few bucks. They would forego spending Thanksgiving with their loved ones? Why are so many of us so frenetic about saving a few dollars? Why are so many of us willing to fight huge crowds and stress ourselves out? All for one day of the year? To purchase items that often are later exchanged or set aside? We can condemn stores all we want, but they are only caving into our materialistic, greedy demands. They are just giving us what so many of us are demanding. The greed and materialism have become so acute and so pronounced that most stores have decided to go as far as to stay open on Thanksgiving. They are willing to sacrifice even one day off and time to enjoy food and time with family and friends.

But some stores, according to research, have stood their ground and decided to NOT open on Thanksgiving. They are proving the point that some things are more important than even business efficiency. Here is a list of those stores, as listed in this article that I found here. They are, as follows:

A.C. Moore

Ace Hardware

Apple

American Girl Place

Barnes & Noble

Bass Pro Shops

Bed, Bath, and Beyond

Big Lots

B J's Wholesale Club

Burlington Coat Factory

Cabela's

Costco

Dollar General

Dillard's

Fred Meyer

Fry's Electronics

Harbor Freight

Home Depot

Jo-Ann

Lowe's

Marshall's

Meijer

Nordstrom

Patagonia

P.C.Richard & Son

Pet Smart

Radio Shack

REI

Rite Aid

Ross

Sam's Club

Stein Mart

Sur La Table

TJ Maxx

Thank you to each of these stores! A Blessed Thanksgiving to all of you and to your families!

There is plenty of room for more of you to added to this list!

This photo at the top of this post is courtesy of MorgueFile, is by cohdra, and can be found here.

"Tis the Season

The holidays are upon us in the free world and in less than three days, the USA will observe Thanksgiving as an official holiday. And this holiday is known as "Turkey Day" to many people just as Christmas is known as "Xmas" to many others. I know that whether we are talking about Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday during this season, many may indeed see these times as seasons of celebration. These holidays also are full of expectation that they be somehow prefect or issue some sort of "miracle" in our relationships simply because it is "that time of year again." It is around this time of year that appeals from both churches and nonprofits for donations of money and time are highest because it is the "season of giving." People seem to be more in what is often called "the Christmas spirit" which is the same things as happiness, a positive spirit, a passion to give, and caring for others. Thanksgiving, which is coming up in only days in the USA, is the time when we are expected to focus on our blessings and thanking God for them.

I recall a time growing up when I was riding the bus to a special class and I was not happy with this arrangement of being sent to special classes, always feeling that I was blamed for my extensive bullying at middle school and sent to special classes as my "solution." One afternoon, at one point, I do not know if I was complaining or simply looked unhappy. Or perhaps she was directing this question to all the kids on the bus. But the bus driver, I recall, told us,, "Where is your Christmas spirit?" In other words, no matter how we feel at all other times of the year, we somehow are expected to set all that aside and adopt a spirit of enthusiasm, happiness, and positive thinking simply because 'tis the season to have a certain spirit.

Growing up, I have noticed that all the expectations surrounding the holidays seemed to so stress our mom and my stepdad so that they argued even more than they did during the rest of the year. I'm sure that, unless I'm missing something, that the expectations of the familiy on holidays drives many families to argue even more on holidays. You take into consideration the fact that families are hit hard by ads screaming for their business and so they feel that to "give their loved ones a holiday worth remembering," they have to spend, spend, spend and even if they must run up debt. Our materialistic culture gives us the notion that if we "really love" our loved ones, we will spend a large amount of money on them, even if we must run up extensive credit card debt to do this! These cultural pressures weigh most heavily on middle-class and low-income families, who are pressured to
"give their kids a memorable Christamas" with money they often do not have and to take on even major debt through charging up their credit cards.

It is not only the materialistic aspect that weights so heavily, and this one affects virtually everyone. I'm talking about relationships and how it seems that around this season, we are all expected, no matter what our issues the rest of the year, to set all these aside and somehow to "get along with everyone." Single people find this time of year especially lonely, as do those who have lost loved ones and especially in the first year of the loss. People who suffer from infertility also suffer especially around the holidays which is considered a "family time." There are many other people who do not find the holidays a time to exactly celebrate. People who are not on speaking terms with first-degree relatives like moms, dads, sisters, brothers, sons or daughters suffer during this time of the year. So the "holiday spirit" is very difficult for many people to comeby. Research tells us that the suicide rate goes up around the holidays, especially on Christmas Eve. I'm sure many of us are aware of and may have even viewed a Chrismas Eve movie called "Silent Night, Lonely Night." The title is self-explanatory. (A recent article refutes this, however, claiming the suicide rates do not spike at this time of the year but rather in the summer months; however, the article does not deny that many people have a hard time during the holidays. This article can be found at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/05/holiday-suicide-myth-persists-research-says

I have never been a friend of tradition. I know that many, maybe most, people are. Tradition tells us that, on Thanksgiving in the USA, we are to cook and eat turkey, gravy, dressing, and all the side dishes. Growing up, We as a family went to my maternal grandmother's to eat and  was stressful not only for her, but for the rest of us. We all had to be at her home on time and her home was filled with people from her extended family. We would hear Nana sigh to herself, "This is all very hard." Yes, there was the turkey, dressing and the other tradional food. I wondered then and I especially wonder now, why do we use one day, supposedly to focus on giving thanks for our blessings, to gorge on rich food while over half the world does not have enough to even live? How does "pigging out" on rich, calories-laden food do anything to show our gratitude to God for providing for our needs and many of our wants? Would it not be a superior show of giving thanks to share this abundance with those who do not have enough to eat?

And I know that I myself am not immune to the increased expectations of the holidays. For I have an active petition campaign call for funding to cover all people with autism, including those children of families with low incomes or minority families, and underserved adults. I am beginning to, guess what? I'm using the holidays as a platform to motivate people to not only sign the petition but also to join me in circulation it. When I post my petition, in my header text, I have been including this: "All I want for Christmas is to see new signatures on and shares of this petition." Like most others in my culture, I'm making the most of "the Christmas spirit" that I see in many people, to get support for my petition in the form of new signatures and increased "shares" of it. In my family, the deaths of many relatives and the estrangement of some, means that holidays are not an unmixed celebration. Holidays give me an awareness, not always pleasant, of the passage of time. When I was seeking to conceive a second child for many years, I especially did not enjoy seeing so many families with two or more children.

There is another thing about holidays, the pressure and the expectation to not only have but to enjoy social get-togethers and often with people we don't see the rest of the year. For those of us who are touched by autism or related conditions, holidays can be especially difficult. The tastes and textures of the kinds of food we eat on holidays differs from most of the food we eat during the reast of the year. The social or family get-togethers and often the preparations, involved lots of noise and confusion. And we are expected to participate in all this, to make eye contact, to converse, and to not only tolerate but to enjoy tastes and textures of food that we don't usually eat the rest of the year. All thse things pose a challenge for many people who have any form of autism or related differences. This affects many families who have children or loved ones with any of these challenges as well as many individuals themselves. At best, many may find this time of year plain confusing and overwhelming.

From the standpoint of all of those who struggle with weight and food, holidays are tough. Research tells us that the average weight gain around this time of year is from four to seven pounds. Too many of us have fallen for the notion that it is somehow rude or ungrateful to say "no" to food, even if we know that we do not need its calories or should not eat it. I have heard it said that the average amount of calories in a given holiday meal are more than we should consume in any given day. The fact that Thanksgiving is often called "Turkey Day" betrays that fact that many see these holidays as an excuse to stuff ourselves and forget the nutrition rules that we are expected to observe the rest of the year. And then, after the holidays, ads hit us with their call to purchase weight-loss products and to make weight loss our "New Year's Resolution."

Thanksgiving is coming up within hours and is purpose is obvious. But are we to give thanks only on this one day of the year? We know better, I think. I have been seeing numerous posts on this holiday about what people are thankful for, such as loved ones and treasured friends, and other valuables. I have seen many posts expressing gratitude to the military and to veterans. This holiday's purpose is praiseworthy. I'm not trying to bad-mouth food, fun, and togetherness, only all the expectations that they stress many people with that are unrealistic and the abuses of materialism, hedonism and gluttony that get worse around the holidays. The reason that holidays so often do not live up to our cultural expectations is that, the rest of the year, the things these holidays represent tend not to be a reality in our lives. It is, I think, understanding that so many people do not find the holidays "the most wonderful time of the year" and caring for them, that we are remembering the caring, love, sharing and giving that are meant to symbolize this time of the year.

Thank you, God

Thank you, my God, that because of the many ways that You have blessed each and every one of us, whatever troubles we endure or needs we have, every day can be thanksgiving;

Thank you, my God, for without You and Your goodness we could not observe even one official Thanksgiving Day;

Thank you, my God, that You were there long before I was conceived in my 15-old young mother;

Thank you that You were there when the news of my conception was met, not with joy, but with heartbreak and anger;

Thank you for Your goodness and Your wisdom in planning me, though I was unplanned; thank you that You love and bless every person regardless of the circumstances of our conception;

Thank you for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank you for being there during my childhood years when my cluster of neurobiological problems caused others in my life to often react to me with frustration, confusion, and even anger; thank You that You are not limited by our pasts to bless us so we can bless others;

Thank You that You were there when my devoted, well-meaning but overwhelmed and uneducated young mother was not given the resources and support she needed to understand me and teach me as I needed;

Thank You for You for the current scientific discoveries and for the minds You have given to those who have made them, so now I'm able to make sense of the senseless;

Thank You for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank You that You were there when  I was led to believe that attending worship services was more a matter of looking good and avoiding any appearance of difference, rather than attending and participating out of a deep sense of need for You and love for You;

Thank You that You were there when much ignorance flourished when it came to addressing the special needs of the many children in my generation; thank You for all the discoveries, awareness and advocacy of those who have done so much to undo this ignorance;;

Thank You  that because of this, the children of this generation, and future generations, will benefit from what we have been learning;

Thank you for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank You that You were there when my differences in thinking, behavior and learning causes the bullies in my school and neighborhood to do their thing with me, repeatedly;

Thank You that You were there when my bullying experiences were met with adult ignorance, insensitivity and indifference; thank you for my parents who did try, all to no avail, to get help;

Thank You that You possess the grace and the power to redeem any experience, at any time in our lives, so that we can serve You and bless others;

Thank You for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank You that You were there when I tried to connect with You and to understand Your ways but did not have any understanding of Your grace;

Thank You for Your tireless efforts to reach me through the devout adults You placed in my life, especially my wonderful, loving, late grandmother;

Thank You that long before I ever sought You, You were seeking me; thank You that long before any of us ever reach out to You, it is only because You have been seeking us first;

Thank You for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank You that You were there when I was internalizing my life experiences and believing that I was basically bad, lacking, and without options or hope;

Thank You that You were there when my emotional baggage kept me from understanding Your grace, Your wisdom and Your ways and from reaching out to others;

Thank You for Your peerless grace to me and to each one of us;

Thank you for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank You that You were there, even when I reached the breaking point in coping and I reacted defensively;

Thank You for Your grace and Your forgiveness even when inappropriate drug therapy and my other addictions caused me to act out in ways which to this day make me cringe;

Thank You for graciously putting in my life a few people who modeled Your grace and Your love;

Thank You for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank You that You were there through my early adult years as I entered the world of typical people, most unprepared to relate to them and to understand a world I did not feel a part of;

Thank You that You were there as I was trying to "pass as normal," and to find my place in a world where for those of us who were differently-wired there was no place;

Thank You that You have a place and a plan for each and every one of us no matter who we are or where we have been;

Thank You for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank You for meeting me as as I came to realize Your grace to me in that in Your Son Jesus You have made me right with you, as is Your way with all of us who come to believe in and love You;

Thank You that because of what You did in Christ through giving Your life on a cross and returning back to life, You can treat me as though I had lived Your life and You, mine;

Thank You offer Your grace and Your salvation to every person;

Thank You for being You, good, holy and loving;

Thank You that You are with me today today even as stress, interpersonal conflict and perceived or real hurts cause me to easily withdraw;

Thank You for Your grace to me even when past experience causes me to distrust people, even Your people, this very day;

Thank You for what You are making of me and will make of me;

Thank You for being You, good, holy and loving.