Some families go around their Thanksgiving table taking turns listing what they're thankful for. Some families aren't all at one table. Recently, a former co-worker of mine commented that every person who passed through the doors of the clinic, whether employee or client, became a part of a family of choice, and those women, wherever they are, are with me. I've made it my personal policy not to tell client's stories on this blog, as much as they touch me, because they are not my stories to tell. But their gratitude and their graciousness is mine to share. In their words:
"Thank you for being here."
"I'm so glad to have my life back."
"I will feel so relieved and so free after this abortion."
"Que dios te bendiga mucho."
"Maybe I'm not selfish for doing this. My son needs me to be there for him."
"Now I can finish school. When the time is right, I'll be able to provide for my baby."
"I've never met so many non-judgmental and supportive people."
"I don't want to be responsible for a child suffering."
"Tu eres una angel."
"I'll never forget you."
"Thank you for being so nice to me. I promise you, I'll never identify as pro-life again."
"You really listen to me."
"Thank you for normalizing this procedure."
"I can't wait to tell people that an abortion clinic helped me KEEP my baby."
"I wish this doctor could be my primary care doctor."
"I like you. You let me know that it's OK to crack a smile today."
"You're doing good work for women."
"God's with me today. He knows what's in my heart."
"I've always preached against this. Now, I've walked in another man's shoes."
"I trust you."
"I'm glad you let me know that it's OK to mourn."
"This experience let me take control of a tiny part of my life."
And thank you, readers for hearing our stories and for letting us know we have allies. Thank you, abortion providers of the world. And thank you, fellow Abortioneers, for being you.
Your aside about sharing others' stories touches, of course (in light of my latest post), on something I've been thinking about. I'll be honest, I can't count how many times I've gone back-then-forth on it. When I do, it's because I've concluded that it was in some important way also my story...but is that sufficient? Most days my position is the same as yours, and yet it changes periodically. I'd like to see an Abortioneers discussion on that!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this was a great post, don't let my rambling suggest it was anything other than poignant. Thanks for your words and theirs.
I'm glad it was familiar to you, too. And I hesitated to write that statement because I didn't want it to sound at all critical of the Abortioneers who DO share. And part of it, I'll admit, is my extreme fear of accidentally violating HIPAA.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. I recently shared about horror stories haunting me at times. I must say I heard thank you 1,000+ times for every sad story, and I'm thankful to remember those kind words.
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