There is a new Mr. Deity episode.

Last night I decided I would write a positive post about my lovely parents. I feel as though many of the posts about them on this blog come across as negative. While we may not agree on many things including: god, religion, politics, gay marriage, the environment, the bush administration, civil rights, feminism and a long list of other things…they were good parents who diligently tried to raise their children to be good people. As I stated in one of my comments on the last post, they succeeded. All three of my parents’ children are successful members of society who include a social worker, a member of the air force and a special education para-pro. Their spouses include a real-estate agent, a hard working fork lift driver and an editor.

My mom and dad tried very hard to instill positive values. They took us to church and involved us in a strong, loving church community. While, I don’t currently attend church I do miss the community. Many of my parents’ friends are people they met in church and with whom they formed life-long friendships. One of my closest friends was a former youth leader of mine.

As their oldest child, I was the first for everything: the uncomfortable sex talks, the first to drive, the first to date and the first to move out. They tried their best to make sure that each transition was positive and made it clear that they were still there to support me.

I still remember my dad taking me to TCBY to talk about sex. My parents had received a note from the school stating that they had started sex education and my parents felt strongly that they wanted me not only to learn the mechanics of human reproduction, but they wanted me to have values that matched that knowledge. My dad talked about how sex was special and how one needs to be careful with whom they have sex, as there are so many emotions involved. When I was eleven, this talk was probably very uncomfortable for me, but today I appreciate my father’s sentiment. He really didn’t want me to get hurt. Plus, I never really felt the undertones of judgment or pressure to believe as he did about pre-marital sex (although I certainly felt it from the church). I do distinctly remember him saying that if I ever became pregnant as a teenager, they would love me and support me in whatever choice I made.

I remember camping trips and family vacations, which were sometimes stressful, but always fun. My dad was the one who would stress and my mom the one who would calm him down. They wanted to make sure that we traveled and experienced things outside of our daily lives. When I was 14, they saved money for six months so that I could go on a trip to Washington, DC with my schoolmates. When my sister was 13 they sent her to England with a group called People to People. I remember the trips to Disneyland, to the beach and visiting our relatives in Easter Washington.

They exposed us to politics (although they may have been a bit skewed). However, they taught us to think for ourselves and always encouraged us to learn more about something we were interested in. When we didn’t know what a word meant, my mom would direct us to the dictionary or the encyclopedia. They saved and bought us a really nice set of encyclopedias before the internet existed. My dad, being a computer guy, always had the coolest new PCs. I remember when we got our first computer with CD Rom. All of us were huddled around the computer screen watching video clips.

When I divorced, my parents were right there to support me; never judgment, only love and support. They helped me completely paint the outside of my house so that I could sell it. They helped me move in with them for a bit, while I decided the next move.

When I moved to Portland, they helped me pack all my stuff up and brought it down in my dad’s truck and trailer.

When I told them I was engaged for the second time, they rejoiced with me.

Through everything, they have loved me and supported me. My parents often tell me how proud they are of us and our spouses.

They are good people, who have made this world a better place in their own individual way.
I guess what prompted this post was a call from my dad last night. He was excited about posting an ad on Craigslist to give away a bed for free. Later he called me back and stated that he was proud that he had saved something from going to the dump. He said, “I guess an old dog can learn new tricks”. As someone who highly values recycling and reusing, I told him I was also very proud of him.

I'm a fortunate women to have had such great parents.

A recent post, on a blog on frequently read, prompted me to write a very long comment. Here's what I wrote:

I grew up in a very conservative Christian home. I remember my mother having me listen to a book on tape by Frank Peretti (a man who has a very interesting world view) called Tilly when I was about eight years old. It’s a very sad book about a woman who has an abortion and is haunted by it. I can clearly remember listening to it on my parents’ couch and sobbing. In the mind of a well cared for, healthy, average middle class, Christian girl, I couldn’t understand how someone could take the life of an unborn child. Fast forward a few years later. My parents had me participate in an anti-abortion rally. I remember other church members participated and it was so large that we even made headlines with what my father calls the “liberal” Seattle new media. I remember my mom explaining that we were pro-life and while the other group called themselves pro-choice, they were really about killing babies.

Abortion is still a very sensitive issue in this country and I can understand why. These two things stick with me today. Now in my mid-twenties, these memories impact my thoughts on abortion today. However, they impact in a different way than they did ten years ago…

When I was about 19-years-old, I volunteered for the American Red Cross as a CPR instructor. I was asked to do a CPR class at the only abortion clinic in the small town, somewhat rural town in which I lived. Even though I was still anti-abortion, out of curiosity I went. When I arrived, the building had no address labeled on it and there was no sign. I rang the bell at the front door and a security guard opened the door a bit and asked who I was. I identified myself and he let me in. I noticed that many of the women who worked there were young and had crosses around their neck. I was shocked and a bit appalled. I didn’t understand how one could believe in Jesus and work in an abortion clinic. The staff wasn’t ready to do the CPR class, as something had come up. Instead I spent an hour talking with the manager of the clinic. We talked about the threats they receive often, hence the need for the security guard. We talked about the young women who they serve. I told her I had once heard that many women had mental health issues after an abortion. She stated that many statistics put forth by the pro-life lobby were very skewed and that like their clinic, most abortion clinics only perform abortions when the women has been counseled and is absolutely sure that abortion is the choice she wants to make. She further stated that if a women who was under aged came to the clinic with a parent who was demanding she have an abortion, they would only go forward if their on-staff counselor was sure that it was the young woman’s choice and not her parent’s choice. We talked about sex education in this country and how it’s so inadequate, we talked about the disadvantaged who simply feel they cannot raise a child and we talked about those were victims of rape or incest.

The clinic manager was very kind and patient. She answered each of my questions in a very thoughtful manner. She and her staff very much showed me another side to what I had always been taught. They showed me the human side. They showed me that women who seek abortion often feel it is their only choice and they, as a staff, attempt to care for these women as they make that choice.

Today, I would consider myself pro-choice and I have four things to say about the anti-abortion lobby. 1) I think the tactics that are used to indoctrinate Christians, into believing that they must be pro-life to be good Christians, are inappropriate (and yes I am making a value judgment, but I am also speaking from experience). 2) I think that many pro-lifers need to sit back and realize that those fetuses that they are trying to protect will someday be people. Here’s a question, do you have a plan to care for these children when they are born? Are you going to help a single mother or a victim of incest or a woman on crack once that fetus becomes a living, breathing human being? Probably not, because most pro-lifers vote for politicians who cut back public funding to support these women once their child has entered the world. As I caseworker for Child Welfare in my state I know this to be true. I’ve seen the crack babies and the abused and neglected children, I’ve held them in my arms, and I’ve seen their abused and battered bodies. I’ve seen their broken souls. 3) Those two individuals who were killed in the bombing were two living, breathing adult human beings. They had families and friends who deeply mourn their loss. They will never get to see their children grow up and their children will never get to have their parent around for guidance and support as they grow. It’s ridiculous to compare abortion and the actual murders of two people. 4) Not to say all pro-life people do this, but to hold the position of pro-life and then to vote for an administration that lied its way into war is contradictory and hypocritical. 3,000+ Americans and countless Iraqis have been killed because of our bogus war. I can’t fathom how one can so adamantly fight against abortion, but support an administration that has sacrificed thousands and thousands of people for an unjust cause.

So, these are my thoughts. I realize it’s a bit inflammatory, but I had to get it out anyway.

I am so exhausted. I worked over 50 hours this week and I am working tomorrow. Thank God I have wonderful fiance who has kept the house clean so haven't had to worry about it.

I also found another series that's pretty funny. Go to YouTube and type in God Inc. You won't be disappointed.

You must must must go to this website and watch these hilarious short films about a flippant god named Mr. Deity. My personal favorite is Mr. Deity and the Big Favor. I also really like Lucifer.

http://www.mrdeity.com/