Early post...

because this is burning a whole in my heart. And always has. Abortion. It only takes knowing someone who went through one to know how it tears at the fabric of one's soul. My heart still breaks for my friend. I know there are individual cases that may require the ending of a tiny life, but it is not an acceptable form of birth control, ever. I'm not going to argue birth control pills or other planned forms of control. I know where my personal line is, and I'm certainly not in any position to declare myself better than anyone else. That being said, I'm the one who has to live with my conscience.

One of the sites I follow on FaceBook had a comment that people should stop supporting Komen and other charities because they support Planned Parenthood. This was my reply because blanket statements drive me crazy: Please do the homework. Susan G. Komen's support of Planned Parenthood is related to breast cancer, not abortions. There is an open letter on their website regarding their involvement with PP. I went to komen.org and typed into the search box "planned parenthood." I don't support PP, but if you're going to stop supporting everything that has anything to do with abortion, which I do strongly oppose, then you better take your kids out of school because the NEA (teachers union) supports PP, and many of the companies whose food you eat make donations, and companies that make everything from electronics to clothes to entertainment. Pick your battles, but make sure you know who you're really fighting; it may not be who you think.

I'm learning that I must stop depending on everyone else to figure things out and making my decisions on what others tell me I should/ought/better believe. I must put in the effort and time and energy and work to learn for myself what I believe, what I will take into my heart and make a part of who I am. I'm me. No one else. I am what I do and what I want and what I believe. If those things are not in harmony with each other, then I need to make some changes. It's time.