I will never forget what it felt like to hold my son for the very first time. He was born on a Sunday but I didn’t get to hold him until the next day and when he was placed in my arms it was love at first sight! After two traumatic miscarriages and the doctors telling me I would likely never have another baby after the birth of my first daughter, adoption became our only option to have another child. By God’s design, our son became our chosen child, born to a young unwed teen mom. She could have chosen an abortion, but instead she made the tough, courageous decision to give her child up for adoption. Her selflessness allowed us to parent our precious son to adulthood, and allowed our older daughter, who was eight when he was born, to be a “big sister”. That God blessed me with a baby girl three years after our son was born, proving the doctors wrong about me carrying another child, was just another example of God’s grace to me. My three children are my greatest gifts from God and just five weeks ago my son and his wife blessed us with a new grandson! Our third grandbaby!
When my son was a young child, I became involved with the Crisis Pregnancy Centre in our small town. They asked if we would open our home up to have an unwed teen mom live with us. Scared and ostracized by her family, she became one of several young moms whom we cared for through their pregnancies. Two of the girls elected to parent their babies, another opted for adoption. In each case, I grew to have compassion and great love for the girls and an even greater appreciation for the young woman who chose life for our son.
In 2010, I published my first book, Shoot the Wounded, and one of the themes focuses on a young, unwed teen mom. Ronnie’s character is a tapestry of the teen moms we have known and loved through the years.
As I was holding my new grandson, shortly after he was born, I couldn’t help but wonder how he will fit into God’s Great Big Story. As I posted yesterday, 60 million babies never had the chance to live but neither did the millions of offspring THEY might have had! Again, I feel an overwhelming sense of loss!
So, this past week I have been trying to raise awareness of those precious babies who cannot speak for themselves. Abortion ends their hopes and dreams forever; not only theirs but THEIR children!
This past week, I came across a Facebook post that had me weeping with joy as I read it. I’ve asked Heidi if I might share it:
“So I typically keep things pretty light on Facebook but I have something weighing heavy on my heart:
I have been watching, on all platforms of social media, the #womensmarch that has literally broken records and brought so many together. I have felt proud to be a woman and yet in a way I’ve never felt more disconnected from my fellow womankind.
You see, while I agree that women should have equal rights to vote and live and work and enjoy life, the “right to choose” is one …that is tough for me.
The picture on this post is of my grandma and I (just after her 80th birthday). My grandma is a very kind and generous woman who has blessed many lives. My grandma is also a strong woman. My grandma is a fighter. My grandma is a miracle.
My grandma is a failed abortion.
In May 1935 my grandma was aborted at about 26 weeks. When my great-grandmother was induced and birthed my grandma live, the doctors and nurses told her that this fetus would not survive… she did!
My grandma has 2 of her own living children, 6 grandchildren (me included) and 7 great-grandchildren who are alive today because it turns out she was a baby girl who would become a woman; and she had to fight for her right, not just to choose, but her right to live.
I’m so grateful she had the strength to survive and thrive.(Before you react or comment, please understand I’m only sharing my story. I’m not judging others, nor can I begin to comprehend the vast circumstances and life experiences of the potential readers. I just felt compelled to share my heart.)
I am blessed to have strong women in my life. If you are a woman reading this, thanks for sharing in my journey. Let me know how I can support you in yours.”
To all my Journey Thoughts readers but especially to all women, if you must march for something that will make a real difference in this generation and the next, March for Life on Friday, January 27 in Washington, D.C. In Canada, the Campaign Life Coalition has information about marches for life that are held throughout the year in each of the different provinces.
March to honour the 60 million babies who were never born, and march for the ones who still have a chance to live and to discover their unique place and purpose in God’s Big Story.
Lynn Dove's Journey Thoughts 
Love this story😊 I wonder how different my life would be had I not aborted my baby. I know that FatherGod has forgiven me .I’m still haunted at times with empty arms that ache for my child and possible grandchildren. C M
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Thank you for your e-mail; I really appreciate what you are giving us, because through your teaching and advice we have made many changes and improvement. You have told us you printed your first book the year 2010, so how can we get eve one copy? To help us learn more. Say hay to your grandchild and other family members, be blessed.
Yours Pastor Joseph Mbogo.
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Joseph, thank-you for your recent enquiry about my books. You can order my books from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Shoot-Wounded-Lynn-Dove/dp/1926676394?SubscriptionId=0V4JT1H35KWYMF0SKQR2&tag=spea06-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1926676394 or directly off my blog site here: https://lynndove.com/my-books/
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Beautiful piece
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Beautiful!!!. Thanks for sharing
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Thank you for sharing my story as well as your own journey.
Just my thoughts:
I think regardless of where women stand on this subject, it needs to be with love.
I think the march for life is great. I think it is also important it’s not just the march. If it is, it’s just noise that joins together those who already believe in your cause and alienating those who don’t. It needs to be prolife everyday. Connect in a personal way with those who are pressured to make this choice. We need to take day-to-day action to spread kindness and acceptance of people (even when we don’t share their convictions) Many are willing to shout pro-life but I think it’s in the action: a kind whisper of encouragement to a pregnant team mom, offering a home to the abused mom who is pregnant; holding abandoned babies in the NICU; lovingly show acceptance and support to the mom who has had an abortion… maybe more than one. Those moments will speak louder, have more impact; and likely save more lives in the end than any public demonstration. This march may be a great catalyst to get those are ProLife to live it daily, not just one day a year.
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Wholeheartedly agree, Heidi! Blessings to you and yours!
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Thanks so much for sharing this. A beautiful story and a wonderful post. I also am all in support of the women’s march but I find it so difficult to digest the abortion bit because it’s a sin before God. How do I support one part of a group’s mission and ignore the other? Especially when it’s such a phenomenal movement? Thanks so much for your clarity and for sharing.
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Lynn, what a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing. Yesterday, I posted Janet Thompson’s blog on my blog. We must be diligent to tell our stories that share the real life exposition of the Truth of the Word of God. May God continue to bless you and your family.
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