26 Weeks Letter Challenge: A

I've decided to participate in the 26 Weeks Letter Challenge, where I'll post photographs of things that begin with that week's letter. Feel free to play along in the comments or on your own blog. It's a great way to use some of those pictures taking up space in your computer. Let's get started!

Anniversary

Arizona sky

Arizona desert beauty

Adoption day

Aspens in Glorieta, NM

Linda

My Volunteer Work

Happy Me Monday! I thought I'd share with you what I do every Monday morning from 8:30 to 1:00. I volunteer at the Choices Pregnancy Center in answer to the call God placed in my heart last August. You can read about that here.

I finished my training and have been a peer counselor to women for almost three months now. When I'm there, I feel like I'm right where God wants me to be. I'm doing something that makes a difference and helps women who are at a pivotal point in their lives.

Many of the gals who come in just want verification of their home pregnancy test. They're happy to be pregnant and look forward to parenting. For others, news of a pregnancy isn't good. They may be in school, unmarried, financially strapped, or in a bad relationship. We offer them support and educate them in their three choices: parenting, abortion, or adoption.

Parenting
Some women want to parent their child, if only their circumstances were different. They don't like the idea of losing their baby to adoption or abortion. CPC connects them to resources that can help them financially and support them emotionally. Our center also provides Earn While You Learn classes that allow women and one other person who attends with them to earn baby bucks to spend in our baby boutique. They can each earn up to four baby bucks every time they come to class, while learning about pregnancy and parenting skills. The baby boutique contains brand new baby clothes, diapers, blankets, and lots of other things moms will need for their babies. This is one of many ways CPC supports women who want to parent their babies.

Abortion
CPC cares about the health, safety, and well-being of women. Because of this, we educate women about abortion procedures and risks, both short and long-term. Pregnancy is a big deal to women. If it weren't, the decisions associated with it wouldn't be so hard. That's why it's important women receive all the information about all their choices. They deserve to know the truth. Abortion isn't a quick and easy procedure with no emotional effects. The trauma that accompanies it is real, as most post-abortive women will attest to. We support whatever decision women make, including abortion. But at least they know that we told them the truth. We also offer post-abortive classes for women who choose abortion, to help them in their recovery process.

Adoption
There are lots of outdated ideas about adoption still floating around out there. The truth is, it's just another positive way to provide for your baby. The birth mother can call the shots in how open or closed they want the adoption to be and how much contact they want to have with their baby in the future. CPC provides women with referrals to adoption agencies and supports them emotionally through this difficult decision.

Most of all, CPC offers a non-judgmental listening ear to women and helps them work through the pros and cons of their pregnancy choices. There are even male mentors available to chat with the fathers of the babies. It's a caring, supportive environment where parents can come regardless of their plans for their pregnancy. We pray they'll feel safe, loved, and more informed because they came.

I'll be walking in the CPC Walk for Life in April. If you'd like to sponsor me with a one-time tax deductible donation, please click here. Thanks!

So that's my Monday work. I absolutely love it and the women I talk to. I love supporting them and sharing Christ with them when opportunities arise. Because that's where true hope and healing begins.

Linda

My Wedding Anniversary

Today is my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Yep. Twenty-five years (and fifty pounds) ago I said, "I do" to this wonderful man, Rollin Carlblom. Doesn't he look fun? Well, he is!

My Rollin

As a matter of fact, he's so fun that he coined the phrase "fun faces" for pictures where people look really happy and like they're having fun. Here's a picture of us from 2012 with our fun faces on. We were on a sunset cruise in Hawaii with some of our dearest friends, Ron and Janet.

Hawaii Vacation, 2012

One of the best things about Rollin is that not only is he super fun, but he's also a hard worker. Seriously, early on in our marriage I had to begin the process of teaching him how to relax. He was always working on something. He has successfully owned and operated his own computer consulting business for most of our marriage and provided for our family faithfully and without complaint. This allowed me to live the dream of staying home with our children and launch a writing career, neither of which supplements our income with any regularity. Most years he has been the sole bread-winner. Other years we can go out to eat a time or two on my writing income. Yeah, writing isn't the glamorous job it appears to some. He's an honorable man who cares for his family. Did I mention he doesn't even complain about it? That's just the kind of guy he is. 

When we married back in 1991, I had two kids, ages seven and four, from a previous marriage. Rollin loved those kids like his own. Then, a year later, he adopted them and gave them his name. On their adoption day, his eyes filled with tears and he told me, "I didn't think I could love them any more than I did, but somehow I do now that they're really mine." He's been their dad, completely, and we added one more to the mix five years later.

Adoption Day

Above all, Rollin loves his family and his God, not necessarily in that order. Both are at the top of my list for most important qualities in a husband. He's a great example of how to walk with God in everyday life, in his everyday dealings, both at work and at home. His faith dictates his conduct. And though his work is super important to him, he always makes time for his family. He never missed a kid's concert, birthday party, or other important event. He's always there for me, even when my introverted, independent self doesn't know that I need a strong shoulder to lean on. But when I do lean on him, it's a relief. And just to know that he's there no matter what? Well, that's pure gold. And it's not just our immediate family he cares for. He also tenderly helps my aging mom and so many others in our church family. He's a fabulous grandpa to our seven grandkids. He can fix anything and does so with a loving, servant heart.

Rollin with grandson, Solomon.

So today I honor my husband, the great love of my life, my best friend, my spiritual leader, and fellow adventurer. We've been on lots of vacations to fabulous places and there's no one else I'd rather share those special times or my life with than this kind, loving, faithful, fun man. Happy anniversary, Hon. I'd do it all over again. 

Linda