From: John Murtari (jmurtari@AKidsRight.org)
Date: Mon Dec 25 2006 - 12:08:26 EST
Good People & People of Faith,
My best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!
Please understand that our group is not just about the Christian
Faith, or that it is the ONLY faith -- but for most of us these
traditions have strong meanings.
My apologies for falling behind in answering your emails. I hope to
get everything caught up by early January and that we can begin to
execute some plans for making reform a national issue:
http://www.AKidsRIght.Org/archive/archive2006/0053.html
Perhaps this Holiday season can give us time to reflect on what it
takes to make reform happen. Does one key to our success lie in our
faith & willingness to sacrifice? What stops us? Can we work to make
reform a reality for our children and for others? Here are a few
thoughts and maybe we should look in a mirror first - as always, your
FEEDBACK is welcome.
NOTE: Sometimes a lot of this stuff sounds like pie in the sky theory.
It certainly was not theory for me when I was refusing to eat & drink
voluntarily until they fed me in jail. As I grew weaker and lay in
bed, I had plenty of time to reflect on some hard reality - "John, if
these guys don't give you fluids you could lose your kidneys. How does
dialysis for the rest of your life sound? Worth it? Of course, maybe
your heart will just stop. Are you sure you want to keep this up?
Will it matter? Is it worth it? How much faith do you have?"
Fortunately, I didn't have to find out how far I was willing to go
thanks to the efforts and prayers of many of you!
It's not FAIR!
--------------
It's Christmas morning as I type this and I'm alone in the house. My
son Domenic is not here, his flights were delayed by the big Denver
blizzard -- not fair! I pick him up at the airport tonight.
A former spouse or social worker has deprived you of any contact with
your children for Christmas -- not Fair!
You have grown children that were so alienated during childhood that they
want no part of you during the holidays -- not FAIR!
In the jail hospital ward I met a man who was infected with HIV while
a teenager from a sex-partner who didn't care. The doctor delivered
the death sentence to him at 18. He could expect a life of 15-20
years. His time is now running out. He has full blown AIDS and
expects to die, alone, in a prison -- Not FAIR!
Any of us, at our next check-up, could hear (and may have already
heard), from the Doctor, "Sorry, we found something on a lab test,
looks like a very malignant Cancer" -- NOT FAIR!
If there really was this 'loving God', how could he allow all these
things to happen! NOT AT ALL FAIR!
I once read a line in a novel that really stuck with me, "even the
angels look to Earth and sigh (for the chance to experience the
uncertainty and joys of physical life?) ..."
Do you know there are people who are absolutely color blind? Who live
life with the view of a black & white TV. Could you explain to them
what the color red is? Would you be willing to undergo a painful
medical procedure for the 'chance' to see life in color? Would you
put the child you love through such a procedure?
Proof for the existence of an almighty God, hardly. I read a recent
article about a book by scientists 'proving' there is no God --
hardly. It's all about faith.
Who's on the Team / Can we just all get along?
---------------------------------------------
One large obstacle to public action is a lack of sense of "team" or
"union." Right now we are just a bunch of individuals nursing our own
pain first, and not really willing to make sacrifice (and experience
more pain) for the sake of:
* Those crazy Father's Rights groups...
* Those crazy Women's Rights groups...
* Those crazy collections of accused child abusers...yuck!
Some of the Men can't even stand to look at a scene of Mother and
Child happily together without some anger -- b$%tch! And we're
sure many Women have experienced the same after seeing their child
"taken" by their former husband... creeps!
Come on, admit it you Men, deep down, you KNOW you'd be the best
parent! After all, who's the big bad hunter-gatherer! Ladies, that
child came out of YOUR body -- their YOURS, after all possession is
nine tenths of the law! We're talking a biological reality here!
Please, step back and remember the words on which our Country was
founded, "...all men are created equal." That is biological,
psychological, and social nonsense. We are very "unequal." The real
message is what, "we have a right to be treated equally." To the
Founders of this Nation, we were all children of the same God,
deserving of the same opportunities. In the spiritual measure (the
only real measure), we are equal and society is at its best when it
acknowledges that.
A prayer for Family Rights
---------------------------
Almighty and ever-living God, hear our prayer for justice. Give us the
courage and Faith we need to meet the challenges of reform. Help all
people recognize the rights of parents to be secure and treated equally
in their ability to love their children. Inspire us to follow your
example of divine love not only for our children, but for all our
brothers and sisters. Amen.
Hanging on to Hatred?
--------------------
There is some truth that sometimes you have to let go of hatred before
you can be effective for change. Here is an old time reading from a
book of Wisdom. Even if we don't believe, does it ring true? Can we
still think of an 'ex', social worker, or judge -- as neighbor?
---------------
Sirach 27:30
Wrath and anger are hateful things,
but the sinner hugs them tight.
The vengeful will suffer the Lord's vengeance
for he remembers their sins in detail.
Forgive your neighbor's injustice;
then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.
Could anyone nourish anger against another
and expect healing from the Lord?
Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself,
can he seek pardon for his own sins?
If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath,
who will forgive your sins?
Remember your last days, set enmity aside;
remember death and decay, and cease from sin!
Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor;
remember the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults.
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season!
--
John Murtari
____________________________________________________________________
Coordinator AKidsRight.Org
jmurtari@AKidsRight.Org "A Kid's Right to BOTH parents"
Toll Free (877) 635-1968(x-211) http://www.AKidsRight.Org/
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