IVF

Tim Walz and family

IVF = In Vitro Fertilisation. It is a  technique that has given babies to thousands of couples with fertility issues - bringing shed loads of happiness and relief to people who were losing hope.

It seems incredible that within the Trump cult there's a lobby of MAGAists who not only vehemently disapprove of abortion under any circumstances, they are also against IVF treatment. These unkind numbskulls claim to be servants of God Almighty but I have searched through The Bible with a fine tooth-comb and found no evidence that God disapproves of either abortion or IVF. It is highly likely that the numbskulls just made it all up to fit in with their bigotry and backward looking philosophies.

Some of you may recall me writing about our grandson Zachary. He came into being with the assistance of IVF, bringing a beautiful child into the lives of his grateful parents - Ian and Sarah. Without him, I think they would have always felt his absence - like an emotional fissure. And of course, Zach continues to bring joy and fulfilment to his wider family. All thanks to IVF.

Meanwhile, over in America, the president in waiting - Kamala Harris has just picked Tim Walz as her  running mate for the upcoming election, He seems like a great guy - in many ways the archetypal mid-westerner. He's decent, fair-minded and funny and his description of Trump and his VP pick as "weird" seems spot on.

Tim married his wife Gwen in 1994. They looked forward to raising a family but the magic didn't happen and so they sought medical assistance in the form IVF. It was a difficult journey but in 2001 they were blessed with a daughter - Hope and five years later their son Gus was born - also with the assistance of IVF.

That challenging but ultimately joyful experience is in stark contrast to the Republican stance on IVF. Back in June,  Senate Republicans  defeated a bill that would have established a federal right to access in vitro fertilisation services. That seems pretty sinister to me but for those seeking IVF assistance it's frightening.

Thank heavens for Hope and Gus and Zachary and for all the other much cherished IVF babies in this world who came to join us.

from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/uZ2h1I5

Backroad, watermelon, well water

 I saw a friend say all they needed was ‘A Carolina backroad, watermelon and well water’. It made me smile. I understood the feeling. What he described I felt in my soul. I can’t drive, but I can just picture riding in an old pickup spitting watermelon seeds out the window while the solo cup I carry from home was some water from the well waiting on to guzzle as I swelter in triple digit heat. 

The radio is blasting my eardrums. The warm breezes brush the follicles. The heat brings the sweat on a tank top that’s seen better days. It doesn’t look great. More like a worn dishrag. The memories it holds. The bonfires in the front pasture sitting on square bales. The days picking up sticks. Fishing with a cane pole. Picking muscadines. Not that I knew what they were until South Carolina became the place I first learned would set my world upside down. 

I learned from the old ladies the hard work of picking cotton and frying fatback. I said so many times there wasn’t anything to do in these backwoods, but I was young and dumb. Now I treasure my privacy and quiet. If nobody knew my name. I’d survive. When the world tells you that what you offer has no value, you don’t worry. 

The thoughts of others no longer resonate. Look above. The world will tell what you want to hear until it decides your old news. Eventually we all become old news. So I will revel in the backroad, watermelon and well water. The land again delivers. The earth teaches enjoyment because one day you return to where you start. 

So Lord, I’m here again. It starts and ends with you. Always has. Always will. I forget it all too often. And in the most simplistic moments you take the time. The time to remind me what will matter. And what never does. 

from R's rue https://ift.tt/KquPL7E