Pro-Life? Pro-Choice? Any Alternatives?

I decided to make a post about a particularly touchy issue in our society, which has been on my mind for the past few days.  If there is anything I have written that is offensive or is said in error, I apologize.  Before I actually begin, I want to make it clear that this post is not intended to be an argument of pro-life or pro-choice, but rather a suggestion of a new (actually it's not that new, but it's still good to bring up) approach to supporting women in need.  You see, while I understand the concerns about the life of a fetus/unborn child in the argument about abortion, I can't ignore the life of the woman that supports it.  Granted, there are some women out there who use abortion as another form of birth control even when they have the means to support a child.  With them I think I will disagree.  However, there are also women who don't see it this way, but their lives are endangered by the pregnancy, or they are the victims of rape, or they simply do not have the resources/support group necessary to go through with the pregnancy.  People - especially us Christians - can do a lot better than simply telling a woman that abortion is a sin and then leaving her on her own to deal with pregnancy, motherhood, and the difficulties that come with them.

Thankfully there are pregnancy centers out there that help women with unplanned pregnancies, but one that especially stands out to me is this pregnancy center.  It stands out because one time, New Heart church members (including myself) visited the Living Well Pregnancy Center to clean up the building's rooms and organize its supplies.  I remember that my mom thoroughly scrubbed their bathroom to a whole new level of cleanliness.  I'm sorry that we never made another visit to help them out some more, because I feel that what this and other pregnancy centers do is a better way to encourage life than simply saying "I'm Pro-Life, and you should be too."  The pregnancy center's mantra "You Are Not Alone" is undoubtedly a more encouraging message to hear.  I think the website best phrases what this center does by saying, "our mission is to provide alternative services and practical solutions to each woman facing an unplanned pregnancy, in order to allow her to make a rational decision without the undue pressure of her other circumstances."  The center even provides post-abortion counseling, showing love even to the women who decided to go through with abortion.  I can't tell you how great Living Well's mission statement is, nor how much better our time would be spent supporting Living Well than condemning women who choose abortion.  I do want to note here that I'm not saying all people who express Pro-Life views are condemning, unloving, or unhelpful people because that's really not true.  I simply want to point out that supporting organizations (with time, money, whatever is on your heart to give) seems a more effective and active way to save lives (and I'm not just talking about the lives of fetuses).  So, Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?  I think the real question should be if we're Pro-Help.

Thank you for reading my personal thoughts on this, and understand that I am in no way trying to guilt-trip anyone into volunteering, donating, or anything like that.  It's just something that I felt needed to be expressed and pondered on, if even for a moment.

Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr. Banks is a movie about fathers.  For a while I hadn't understood the meaning of the title, until my dad explained to me that it was a metaphorical reference, based upon the father Mr. Banks from Mary Poppins.  With this new knowledge in mind, I walked into the theater expecting my heart to be genuinely moved, and it was.  As the movie engages with the story of Walt Disney trying to convince Pamela Tavers to sign over the rights of Mary Poppins, it also smoothly flows in and out of Mrs. Travers' backstory.  We discover her heartache-worthy childhood, heavily influenced by a father who was loving, filled with faults, and - most importantly -  adored by his daughter.

At the beginning Mrs. Tavers is just a stubborn, cranky old lady that I didn't find at all likable.  However, as her frozen demeanor thaws and she connects with Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) and her driver (played by Paul Giamatti) on a more personal level, she comes to grow on me.  Most of all, I begin to respect her for the way she treasures her work of art that is Mary Poppins, so much so that she fights Disney throughout their creative journey.  As a writer, I can appreciate her fears about maintaining the essence of her characters and the tainting that Disney and others may bring to them in the making of the movie Mary Poppins.  However, I know the argument and the walls that Mrs. Tavers erects have little to do with the art of her writing itself, but of the father that she desperately wishes to redeem.  Her story is both poignant and beautiful.

With its great actors, threads of humor, and a meaningful theme tying it all together, I think my father and I can both agree that Saving Mr. Banks is a MUST-SEE.  So, what are you waiting for?

Frozen

Oh man, I have been neglecting this blog MAJORLY.  Sorry about that folks, you know how busy college life is.  I'm back with a new spiel about the latest movie Frozen.  Let's start with the best part: the animation.  The scene where Elsa builds a grand ice castle for herself with a few waves of her hand is absolutely beautiful, and basically any scene where the "snow queen" uses her power is a sight worth seeing.  You can never knock magic sparkles.  Elsa's sister Anna is a very spunky and adorable character whom I enjoyed watching throughout the film.  She's free-spirited, but the love that she shows for her sister is a real tearjerker (especially at the end).  My dad said he would've liked to see Elsa's character explored more, but doing the movie in Anna's point of view does keep things a little more upbeat.

I don't like putting major spoilers on my movie reviews, so I can't tell you all of my reactions to the plot twists (now matter how twisty they were).  However, I can say that I appreciated how the movie's message about love didn't revolve exclusively around the romantic kind of love.  There are certainly other forms of love and I feel that the movie did do a good job of showing that.  As for Olaf the snowman… whew, he is a trip!  Practically every scene he was in made me laugh, and his musical number about how he wishes it were summer only made him more funny/endearing (Kristoff: "I'm gonna tell him.  Anna: "Don't you dare.").  That leaves me with Kristoff, the ice guy.  Pretty handsome dude.  I'm gonna leave it there.

So, what's the final sum-up?  Frozen is a pretty entertaining movie and you should see it if you like funny snowmen, mushy lovey-dovey stuff, and reindeer named Sven.

P.S. I didn't find out until after I saw the movie that Flynn/Eugene and Rapunzel from the movie "Tangled" make a cameo appearance!  You only see their backs, but be on the lookout for them when people are entering the castle of Arendelle for Elsa's coronation.

Me-Shaped Hole

Inspired by this post

Me-Shaped Hole

There is a Me-Shaped Hole

In my parent's house,
Which creaks and groans in mourning
In the wooden desk,
Which stands stiffly and lonely
In the old brown couch,
Which slumps in its silent space

There is a Me-Shaped Hole

In my mother's hands,
Which used to always cook for me
In my father's eyes,
Which used to nightly read to me
In my sister's mouth,
Which used to eat my food for me

There is a Me-Shaped Hole

"We miss you."

There is a Me-Shaped Hole

In my high school's bookshelves,
Which are filled with new favorites
In the scrawling whiteboard,
Which has new lessons, new tricks
In my old teacher's brain,
Which brims with new things to learn

There is a Me-Shaped Hole

In far off friends
Who ventured to distant Dreams
In misplaced classmates
Who have gone to Who-Knows-Where
In acquaintances
Who traveled to AfterLand

"I miss you too."

There is a Me-Shaped Hole

There is a Them-Shaped Hole

What Is Home?

Inspired by my mother accidentally calling my college dorm my "home."

What is home?  Frankly I can no longer tell.  About thirteen years ago I was planted in a humble house that didn't have much to it other than the foundation, the walls, and the roof.  I didn't budge for many years, but oh how my heart dreamt of going beyond the horizon, where the dull flat earth collided with the limitless expanse of the sky.  Sometimes I could envision myself floating up higher and higher, so that my fingertips could slide along the outline of the circle of the sun.  Something real would always pull me back down.

Yet what was imagined is now real, and what I thought was the future is now here.  There is a me-sized hole in my parents' house.  I call it a house because, well, I don't know what my home is anymore.  It is a new reality that I must grasp.  What is mine?  Who have I left behind?  Who is just ahead of me?  Where is my home?  My body is being stretched everywhere at once, but I can't reach far enough to touch anything.  I am suspended between wonderful, almost-forgotten memories of an old world and a new universe that becomes more and more familiar with each day I spend there.  I am no longer content in my parents' house.  They know that, and I know that, but I still think of them everyday.  I want to soar into the new and unknown, but I still embrace the olden days.  Is where I live now my home?  The question spins around my head in an endless whirl of I-don't-know.  Will I ever know?

The answer is to be decided.

Memories

I first started writing this little piece for my youth group at my last summer camp.  After the first draft I didn't touch it until I realized how quickly my time at New Heart was drawing to a close.  So, after A LOT of editing, this is the final product.

Memories

To New Heart Youth Group

Something funny about a memory is that I can never remember it.  I know that day happened, but my mind’s view is as foggy as the mirror after you take a shower.  I wish I could remember so well that it would be as if I’m reliving the moment in its pure, crystal clarity that I’ll never see again.  There will always be an inadequacy when it comes to remembering any time.  The time when we played Apples to Apples for the first time, or I climbed up the rock wall at camp, or someone stole your Koole-Aid.   I will always be reaching, but never quite touching what I long for.  What is it that I truly ache for, and why do I go on about an essence that can’t be regained?  What is the reason I want to remember so desperately?  The reason is you – as crazy and irritating and funny as you are.  Though my last time here will inevitably become a blur, nothing will change the fact that for all this time you have been a very dear friend.

I finished my childhood with you, which automatically makes your place in my life extremely special.  Don’t get me wrong, there were times were I felt like throwing you out of a two-story window – sometimes even a three-story window.  Ah, but I have to admit that you guys were pretty story-worthy.  There was “Kike’s Koole-Aid,” “Picturesque,” a few poems, and memoir I wrote in Creative Writing about the time I got face-slammed by a snowball.  Out of all the memories I share with you, those creative pieces are only scraps of paper out of an entire novel.  You’re my friend, and though I wish we wouldn’t end, know that your face has been permanently sketched into my brain.  Your image, though half-muddled in the chaos known as memories, will be with me for as long as I can hold on.  All I ask is that you hold onto me, too.

Despicable Me 2: Not at all despicable!

So I saw Despicable Me 2 yesterday with a friend, and I have to say that it did not disappoint.  Gru was on the good side, but I could still see the remnants of his former "evil" (i.e. purposely blasting his neighbor with water when she tried to set him up on a date).  True to his role as a dad, Gru continually tried to block his oldest daughter Margo from any association with boys (does it matter if she's texting a boy or girl? no, UNLESS IT'S A BOY!).  The minions (of course) were hilarious every minute they were on the screen, and the three daughters were absolutely adorable.  Gru's developing relationship with his partner Lucy Wiles was great to watch as well; it was endearing to see how nervous Gru got whenever it boiled down to asking a girl out.  Plus, the scene where Lucy first meets Gru - involving a LIP-STICK TASER - was both funny and shocking (pun totally intended!).

Considering the loving family dynamic Gru had with his girls and the comedic antics of the minions, I would say that sequel is definitely on par with the original movie.  I was a little disappointed that Vector didn't make a reappearance as the villain, but the new one served the necessary purpose regardless.  I genuinely enjoyed being reunited with the characters I fell in love with in the first movie.  If you liked the original Despicable Me, get off your butt and watch its sequel!