Joseph Karl Publishing continues to compile very moving personal accounts for the new pro-life book God Moments III: True Love Leads To Life. The book is shaping up to fulfill its mission as a life-changing, life-saving instrument of God's unfathomable love for every person.
Joseph Karl Publishing is grateful to the lovely people who have given of their time so gen
erously and shared their stories in this vital third book in the God Moments series.
erously and shared their stories in this vital third book in the God Moments series.
The following account, written by award-winning author Ellen Gable Hrkach, is a clear reminder that we are wise to recognize the timeless and unfathomable love of God extended to us through every single life and to truly value this precious, irreplaceable gift.
God, the Author of Life, is pro-life. Are you?
God’s Surprise Gift
by Ellen Gable Hrkach
For several days after my mom shared the news, I remained shocked and surprised but very, very happy. My 47-year-old mother was going to have a baby.
One thing was certain: I had never seen my mom so happy. She became a widow at age 44. Then she met and married my stepfather. Although my stepfather had four daughters from his first marriage and my mother had four children from her marriage to my father, neither imagined that there would be any children from their union.
The challenges became apparent as soon as she began to tell people. My mom’s obstetrician/gynecologist (the same doctor who delivered me 22 years previous) scowled when my mom asked for an “official” pregnancy test, explaining that she had taken an “at home” test and it was positive.
“You’re not thinking of having it, are you?”
“Of course I am.”
“You can’t have it! You have a one in ten risk of having a child with Down Syndrome, not to
mention all the abnormalities that come with increased maternal age.”
“I want to have this baby.”
According to my mom, the doctor continued pushing and pressuring her into having an abortion. However, my mom had always had a strong personality. She didn’t back down nor did she acquiesce to his wishes.
Finally, she said, “I’m having this baby.”
The doctor replied, “Then you’ll have to find another doctor. I won’t be delivering it.”
When she arrived home, my mom was angry. She spent the next ten minutes yelling and pacing the floor. She was frustrated with the irony of the words “pro choice.” She wasn’t given any choice but to abort. She eventually found a Catholic pro-life doctor to deliver her baby. Since it had been 20 years since her last pregnancy, there were some concerns and challenges. However, this doctor took very good care of her.
Of course, her previous doctor wasn’t the only one who reacted negatively. Some friends and relatives thought my mother and stepfather were crazy to be happy about an “unplanned pregnancy.”
“This is obviously an accident,” one person commented. My mother’s response: “This isn’t an accident. It’s a surprise. Those are two different things.” Another person said, “It was obviously unplanned.” My mom would shake her head and say, “Not unplanned, just a surprise.”
The day came for my mom to deliver. It was a rainy Tuesday evening. My siblings and I waited outside the delivery room. Finally, we heard a baby crying. We were soon given the news that my mother had given birth to a baby girl. We were thrilled! We had a new baby sister to love, and my mom continued to call her “God’s surprise gift.”
“God’s surprise gift,” my youngest sister, is now 30 years old and a novice with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville. Before entering the convent, she worked for many years at a crisis pregnancy center and spent most Saturday mornings praying in front of an abortion clinic.
My mother passed away in 2007. However, our entire family remains grateful that she and my stepfather chose life for my sister. I can’t imagine the world without her.
Ellen Gable Hrkach is a wife to James, mother to five sons, award-winning author of three novels, Emily’s Hope (www.emilyshope.com), In Name Only (www.innameonly.ca) and Stealing Jenny (www.stealingjenny.com) and one non-fiction book called “Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship (www.comemybeloved.com). Her blog is at http://ellengable.wordpress.com. She is a reviewer for Catholic Fiction.net, a monthly columnist for CatholicMom.com and www.AmazingCatechists.com. She is a frequent contributor to Catholic Exchange, Family Foundations magazine and co-creator of the Family Life cartoon. She and her husband are a certified NFP teaching couple for CCL and are active in marriage preparation in their diocese.
God, the Author of Life, is pro-life. Are you?
God’s Surprise Gift
by Ellen Gable Hrkach
For several days after my mom shared the news, I remained shocked and surprised but very, very happy. My 47-year-old mother was going to have a baby.
One thing was certain: I had never seen my mom so happy. She became a widow at age 44. Then she met and married my stepfather. Although my stepfather had four daughters from his first marriage and my mother had four children from her marriage to my father, neither imagined that there would be any children from their union.
The challenges became apparent as soon as she began to tell people. My mom’s obstetrician/gynecologist (the same doctor who delivered me 22 years previous) scowled when my mom asked for an “official” pregnancy test, explaining that she had taken an “at home” test and it was positive.
“You’re not thinking of having it, are you?”
“Of course I am.”
“You can’t have it! You have a one in ten risk of having a child with Down Syndrome, not to
mention all the abnormalities that come with increased maternal age.”“I want to have this baby.”
According to my mom, the doctor continued pushing and pressuring her into having an abortion. However, my mom had always had a strong personality. She didn’t back down nor did she acquiesce to his wishes.
Finally, she said, “I’m having this baby.”
The doctor replied, “Then you’ll have to find another doctor. I won’t be delivering it.”
When she arrived home, my mom was angry. She spent the next ten minutes yelling and pacing the floor. She was frustrated with the irony of the words “pro choice.” She wasn’t given any choice but to abort. She eventually found a Catholic pro-life doctor to deliver her baby. Since it had been 20 years since her last pregnancy, there were some concerns and challenges. However, this doctor took very good care of her.Of course, her previous doctor wasn’t the only one who reacted negatively. Some friends and relatives thought my mother and stepfather were crazy to be happy about an “unplanned pregnancy.”
“This is obviously an accident,” one person commented. My mother’s response: “This isn’t an accident. It’s a surprise. Those are two different things.” Another person said, “It was obviously unplanned.” My mom would shake her head and say, “Not unplanned, just a surprise.”
The day came for my mom to deliver. It was a rainy Tuesday evening. My siblings and I waited outside the delivery room. Finally, we heard a baby crying. We were soon given the news that my mother had given birth to a baby girl. We were thrilled! We had a new baby sister to love, and my mom continued to call her “God’s surprise gift.”
“God’s surprise gift,” my youngest sister, is now 30 years old and a novice with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville. Before entering the convent, she worked for many years at a crisis pregnancy center and spent most Saturday mornings praying in front of an abortion clinic.
My mother passed away in 2007. However, our entire family remains grateful that she and my stepfather chose life for my sister. I can’t imagine the world without her.
Ellen Gable Hrkach is a wife to James, mother to five sons, award-winning author of three novels, Emily’s Hope (www.emilyshope.com), In Name Only (www.innameonly.ca) and Stealing Jenny (www.stealingjenny.com) and one non-fiction book called “Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship (www.comemybeloved.com). Her blog is at http://ellengable.wordpress.com. She is a reviewer for Catholic Fiction.net, a monthly columnist for CatholicMom.com and www.AmazingCatechists.com. She is a frequent contributor to Catholic Exchange, Family Foundations magazine and co-creator of the Family Life cartoon. She and her husband are a certified NFP teaching couple for CCL and are active in marriage preparation in their diocese.
Thank you, Ellen, for sharing your beautiful story of great courage and great love with us.
God is at work in you!
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