A touching story. (long but worth reading)

Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor
by TED HARVEY
She sings the anthem to applause, then her secret is revealed to stunned silence.
I want to share with you an awesome experience I had in the Colorado House of Representatives on May 8. It is a humbling experience to look back and realize that God used me to play a role in His divine orchestration.
I was leaving the House chambers for the weekend when our Democrat speaker of the House announced that the coming Monday would be the final day of this year's General Assembly. He went on to state that there were still numerous resolutions on the calendar which we would need to be addressed prior to the summer adjournment. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned that one of the resolutions we would be hearing was being carried by the House Majority Leader Alice Madden, honoring the 90th anniversary of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
As a strong pro-life legislator I was disgusted by the idea that we would pass a resolution honoring this 90-year legacy of genocide. I drove home that night wondering what I could say that might pierce the darkness during the debate on this heinous resolution.
On Saturday morning, I took my 8-year-old son up to the mountains to go white-water rafting. The trip lasted all day. As we were driving home, exhausted and hungry, I remembered that I had accepted an invitation to attend a fundraising dinner that night for a local pro-life organization. One of my most respected mentors had personally called me several weeks earlier and asked me to attend, so I knew I'd have to clean up and head over.
After our meal, the executive director of the organization introduced the keynote speaker. I looked up and saw walking to the stage a handicapped young lady being assisted to the microphone by a young man holding a guitar.
Her name was Gianna Jessen.
Gianna said "Hello," welcomed everyone, and then sang three of the most beautiful Christian songs I have ever heard.
She then began to give her testimony. When her biological mother was 17 years old and seven and a half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to have an abortion. As God would have it, the abortion failed and a beautiful 2-pound baby girl was brought into the world. Unfortunately, she was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors thought that she would never survive. The doctors were wrong.
Imagine the timing! A survivor of a Planned Parenthood abortion arrived in town just days before the Colorado House of Representatives was to celebrate Planned Parenthood's "wonderful" work.
As I listened to Gianna's amazing testimony, the Lord inspired me to ask her if she could stay in Denver until Monday morning so that I could introduce her on the floor of the House and tell her story. Perhaps she could even begin the final day's session by singing our country's national anthem!
To my surprise she said she would seriously consider it. If she were to agree, she wanted her accompanying guitarist to stay as well. A lady standing in line behind me waiting to meet Gianna overheard our conversation and said that she would be willing to pay for the guitarist's room. Gianna then said that she would think about it.

As I was driving home from the banquet, my cell phone rang. It was Gianna, and she immediately said, "I'm in, let's ruin this celebration." Praise God!
When Monday morning came, I awoke at 6 a.m. to write my speech before heading to the Capitol. As I wrote down the words, I could sense God's help and I knew that this was going to be a powerful moment for the pro-life movement.
Following a committee hearing, I rushed into the House chambers just as the opening morning prayer was about to be given. Between the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, I wrote a quick note to the speaker of the House explaining that Gianna is an advocate for cerebral palsy. I took the note to the speaker and asked if I could have my friend open the last day of session by singing the national anthem. Without any hesitation the speaker took the microphone and said, "Before we begin, Representative Harvey has made available for us Gianna Jessen to sing the national anthem."
Gianna sang the most amazing rendition of The Star Spangled Banner that you could possibly imagine. Every person in the entire chamber was completely still, quiet and in awe of this frail young lady's voice.
Due to her cerebral palsy, Gianna often loses her balance, and shortly after starting to sing she grabbed my arm to stabilize herself, and I could tell that she was shaking. Suddenly, midway through the song, she forgot the words and began to hum and then said, "Please forgive me; I am so nervous." She then immediately began singing again and every House member and every guest throughout the chambers began to sing along with her to give her encouragement and to lift her up.
As I looked around the huge hall I listened to the unbelievable melody of Gianna's voice being accompanied by a choir of over 100 voices. I had chills running all over my body, and I knew that I had just witnessed an act of God.
As the song concluded the speaker of the House explained that Gianna has cerebral palsy and is an activist to bring awareness to the disease. "Let us give her a hand not only for her performance today, but also for her advocacy work," he said. The chamber immediately exploded into applause — she had them all in the palm of her hand.

The speaker then called the House to order, and we proceeded as usual to allow members to make any announcements or introductions of guests. For dramatic effect, I waited until I was the last person remaining before I introduced Gianna.
As I waited for my turn, I nervously paced back and forth praying to God that he would give me the peace, confidence and the courage necessary to pull off what I knew would be one of the most dramatic and controversial moments of my political career.
While I waited, a prominent reporter from one of the major Denver newspapers walked over to Gianna and told her that her rendition captured the spirit of the national anthem more powerfully than any she had ever heard before.
Finally, I was the last person remaining. So, I proceeded to the microphone and began my speech.
At this point the chamber exploded into applause which lasted for 15-to-20 seconds. Gianna had touched their souls.
"Members, I would like to introduce you to a new friend and hero of mine — her name is Gianna Jessen. She is visiting us today from Nashville, Tennessee, where she is an accomplished recording artist.
"She has cerebral palsy and was raised in foster homes before being adopted at the age of four."She was born prematurely and weighed only 2 pounds at birth. She remained in the hospital for almost three months. A doctor once said she had a great will to live and that she fought for her life. Eventually she was able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster care.
"Because of her cerebral palsy, her foster mother was told that it was doubtful that she would ever crawl or walk. She could not sit up independently. Through the prayers and dedication of her foster mother, she eventually learned to sit up, crawl, then stand. Shortly before her fourth birthday, she began to walk with leg braces and a walker."She continued in physical therapy and after a total of four surgeries, she was able to walk without assistance.
"She still falls sometimes, but she says she has learned how to fall gracefully after falling for 29 years.
"Two years ago, she walked into a local health club and said she wanted a private trainer. At the time her legs could not lift 30 pounds. Today she can leg press 200 pounds.
"She became so physically fit that she began running marathons to raise money and awareness for cerebral palsy. She just returned last week from England where she ran in the London Marathon. It took her more than eight-and-a-half hours to complete. They were taking down the course by the time she made it to the finish line. But she made it, nonetheless. With bloody feet and aching joints, she finished the race."Members would you help me recognize a modern-day hero — Gianna Jessen?"
At this point the chamber exploded into applause which lasted for 15-to-20 seconds. Gianna had touched their souls.

Ironically, Alice Madden, the majority leader and sponsor of the Planned Parenthood resolution, walked over to Gianna and congratulated her.
As the applause began to die down, I raised my hand to be recognized one more time.
"Mr. Speaker, members, if you would allow me just a few more moments I would appreciate your time.
"My name is Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey, but, please, let me tell you the rest of the story."
"My name is Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey, but, please, let me tell you the rest of the story.
"The cause of Gianna's cerebral palsy is not because of some biological freak of nature, but rather the choice of her mother.
"You see when her biological mother was 17-years-old and 7-and-a-half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to seek a late-term abortion. The abortionist performed a saline abortion on this 17-year-old girl. This procedure requires the injection of a high concentration of saline into the mother's womb, which the fetus is then bathed in and swallows, which results in the fetus being burned to death, inside and out. Within 24 hours the results are normally an induced, still-born abortion.
"As Gianna can testify, the procedure is not always 100 percent effective. Gianna is an aborted late-term fetus who was born alive. The high concentration of saline in the womb for 24 hours resulted in a lack of oxygen to her brain and is the cause of her cerebral palsy.
"Members, today, we are going to recognize the 90th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood?"
BANG! The gavel came down.
Just as I was finishing the last sentence of my speech — the climax of the morning — the speaker of the House gaveled me down and said, "Representative Harvey, I will allow you to continue your introduction, but not for the purposes of debating a measure now pending before the House."
At which point I said,
"Mr. Speaker, I understand. I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today."
Silence.
Deafening silence.
I then walked back to my chair shaking like a leaf. The Democrats wouldn't look at me. They were fuming. It was beautiful. I have been in the Legislature for five tough years, and this made it all worthwhile.
The House majority leader wouldn't talk to me the rest of the day.
Was it because I introduced an abortion survivor, or was it because we touched her soul? She could congratulate an inspirational cerebral palsy victim and advocate, but was outraged when she discovered that the person she congratulated was also an abortion survivor.
The headline in The Denver Post the next day read "Abortion Jab Earns Rebuke." The majority leader is quoted as saying, "I think it was amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."
Yes, Representative Madden, Gianna Jessen is a human being. She was when she was in her mother's womb, and she was when she sang the national anthem on the floor of the Colorado House of Representatives.
The paper went on to quote Gianna, stating she was glad I told her story.
"We need to discuss the humanity of it. I'm glad to be able to speak up for children in the womb," she said. "If abortion is about women's rights, where were my rights?"
All I can say is, "Glory to God!" He orchestrated it all, every minute of it, and I was so honored to have been chosen to play a part. May we all continue to be filled with and to fight for the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Ted Harvey. "Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor." CERC.Reprinted with permission of Ted Harvey.
THE AUTHOR
Ted Harvey is Assistant Minority Leader in the Colorado House of Representatives and is currently running for the State Senate. Visit his web site here. E-mail him here.
Copyright © 2006 Ted Harvey

Joshua's First Run

On Father's Day our whole family got up at the crack of dawn and rode our bikes (with kid trailers attached) downtown to the YMCA sponsored race. The whole thing was so well done...lots of families were there and there were lots of activities for all ages. It was only 7:30am when we pinned Joshua's number to his shirt and got ready for his race. He was excited and smiling until he saw the 30+ other kids...then the apprehension that he got from my genes hit him. He got nervous. When the starting bell rang he had no intention of following the mass of yelling and screaming kids that were running down the street. If I hadn't been holding his hand he probably would have run faster than any of those kids...in the opposite direction. I did my best to try to convince him that everything was going to be ok and that all we had to do was get over to the big balloon arch. We only got a few steps when his feet turned to lead, he said "it's too hard, I can't do it." I gently pulled him along for the whole two blocks with him protesting the entire time. Lots of nice people on the side walk cheered for him. When he crossed the finish line a pretty young blond girl was putting metals around the finishers necks, he didn't want anything to do with them.

Shortly after, when he realized that it was all over and that he had finished, he was quite proud of himself. In fact, he wanted to wear his pinned-on number for the rest of the day so that everyone could see that he had run in a race like daddy. Sure, he didn't finish first, but he was a true winner just for doing battle with his fear.

Anna and I ran the 5k with both bike trailers transformed into jogging strollers. Anna did really well, half way through she even started smiling, showing her enjoyment brightly on her face. Joshua asked if he could get out and run with me for a little while which he did marvelously well for a few blocks.

It was a really fun Father's day morning.

Being a Father...Being a Man

Do you ever feel that you are still just a kid? It doesn't matter how old I get (not that 25 is ancient or anything) but sometimes being an adult feels just like being a kid...With more responsibility. As I reflect on being a father, after a rather enjoyable Father's Day, I thought I'd mention that simply being a dad does not make you a leader...just as being a male does not make you a man.

Induction into guyhood is a much more frequent occurrence...Budweiser makes guyhood simple...just say "wazzup" (or perhaps a few profanity) to other beer drinking guys and you have made it. Congratulations, being a GUY is about as worthy of praise as having a pulse.
Manhood on the other hand is earned by working, not avoiding work; by being responsible to commitments, and calling others to do the same. A man can have real fun, but it's not at the expense of others, especially women.

Fathers are many; fathers who are the leaders of their family are harder to find. The reason for this may be that leadership is difficult. Yeah, that much is sure. Finding values that are founded on truth is tricky with all the counterfeits in the mix. And then once you've discovered what is good and true, trying to decide what's most important and setting priorities appropriately is a skill that needs constant attention. Finally, being consistent with those values is perhaps the hardest.

I am blessed that my wife, the mother of my children, helps me to find the values, set them up so we know which ones should command our attention, and then we need eachother to stick with it. We're far from perfect, but I think that since we have been married we have helped eachother to paint a shared picture of what we want our family, and the souls in it, to look like.

Never Trust a Liar

One of the most interesting of God's creatures is the Lyrebird. It's obvious by the picture where he gets his name. I'll bet King David would have loved this bird for his looks and his talent.

The lyrebird is a ground-dwelling bird from Australia (they get all the cool creatures) that has a rather amazing ability to reproduce almost any sound it hears. Like, for example, other birds, cameras, car alarms, and chain saws. Celebrate naturalist David Attenborough's 80th birthday by enjoying
this video clip featuring the lyrebird.

The Amazing Swingset

Our kids just love being outside. The swingset in the back yard provides hours of fun! Even Sammy, who clamors to be held while indoors, will sit for long periods of time on the swinging bench thing.
Joshua and Maria are still trying to figure out how to keep the swing in motion while they are sitting on it. But they can do crazy things with their tummy's securely in the seat. Joshua will launch himself up into the air over and over again. It looks like he is going to fly.

Flying Around a Thunderstorm

This is claimed to be FAA time-lapse video of FedEx air traffic flying into Memphis during some severe weather. Not sure if it's real but it's fun to watch.
Thanks Wohba.

Like, do you know any teenagers?

Just wait until today's teens are like running the show...

A great run...with a side order of humility

We had a great run: Anna and I both beat our personal goals. I mentioned earlier that my goal was 65 minutes for the 10K, but this was somewhat modified...let me explain. The night before the race I made a list of all the things we would need, the jogging strollers, water bottles, gatorade, snacks for the kids, etc. I packed the van up with care, fitting both strollers into the back of our Odyssey perfectly. So this morning when we woke up at 6:00am we didn't have to worry about anything. Well, when Anna's dad was dropping me off first at the 10K start I began swiftly assembling the folded up stroller...I realized that I forgot one detail: the handle for the stroller was missing. Oh no. I was so bummed. After all the planning and packing, and preparing Joshua emotionally for the fun we would have together, I had to tell him that I wasn't able to take him. He happily went back with Grandpa Bolster, but I had to walk to the starting line alone.
It was sad to not be able to share the experience with my son, but I decided to make it up somehow by beating last years time of 60 minutes. I finished 6.2 miles in just over 54 minutes, a record time for me.
Anna's sister Catherine was kind enough to run alongside Anna to keep her company during her first race. They also pushed along Maria and Sammy in the Chariot. They finished the 5K about 10 minutes ahead of me. They both said they had a good time with the other runners and all the cool musicians who were playing along the way.

Thanks to Dad Bolster for driving us to and from the race. Thanks to my dad and mom who came to watch us finish and took this picture. My dad and younger sister Emily plan to join us next year!

Sammy is a ruffian

Sam is such a funny baby. All of us big people were just sitting on the couch together eating popcorn...Sam was standing up eating the few kernel-less pieces that we were giving him. His eyes were on the bowls that at his eye level must have looked like treasure chests filled with tasty booty.
When we were least expecting he went in for the sting. Using both his hands in two swift and calculated motions he firmly grabbed the bowl with his right, and pulled out a handful of popcorn with his left.
Now, we have dealt with curious kids before; Joshua and Maria had their share of attempted food-snatching, but with Sammy it's serious. He is strong for an 8 month old, and he is determined.

He made about a half dozen popcorn stealing attempts before we were done, but Anna and I were able to pry his little hands open before he got any.

Sunday's Race

Anna and I ran our last practice run on last Monday before our race tomorrow. I am running the 10K, pushing the two kids along in the double jogger, while Anna pushes Sammy along for the 5K. My goal is 65 minutes, which is 5 minutes longer than last year's finish, but I wasn't pushing 2 bug-a-boos last time. This is Anna's first race, so I pray she enjoys it as much as I do.

I'll post our finish times and anything exciting along the way!

Pyro

Joshua said the funniest thing yesterday. We were just sitting down to a nice dinner of spagetti and meatballs, Anna was lighting a candle to accompany us during dinner. Joshua asked in a very matter-of-fact kind of way, "what can I light on fire?"

What can you do but laugh at the funny things that kids say...