It's worth the time and energy

My Thoughts

By Dr. Bill Atwood

(Updated: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 5:02 PM)

The old adage, "it's a walk in the park" explains that whatever is being discussed or considered is going to be a simple task. So it can be with many aspects of our lives. Many of our activities are as easy as a walk in the park.

The same isn't always true with a pregnancy. In fact a pregnancy is never a walk in the park. Pregnancy brings so many complications of health, financial, emotional and life changing proportions that it could never be considered an easy walk for anyone under even the best of circumstances.

Most pregnancies are welcomed, cheerful events, and the families on both sides of the two parents are excited and show a great deal of support that will make that pregnancy easier.

The sad fact is that there are some pregnancies that are events that are unplanned or unwanted by the parents of the fetus. I agree with many that the two folks should have shown a great deal more judgment and that the problem belongs to the parents.

The problem is that the fetus becomes a baby or it becomes one of the sad statistics of being aborted. There are just a great deal of unwanted pregnancies and therein lies the problem.

Some of the unwanted pregnancies happen in later years for married couples who have the surprise of becoming pregnant years later than they ever thought possible.

Most unwanted pregnancies come as a result of a couple of kids engaging in an activity that creates babies before they are really ready to care for the baby completely on their own.

This creates a philosophical problem for folks like me. I believe in holding people responsible for their actions, but I don't agree with the concept of abortion. What to do?

It comes down to one simple fact. It's a baby. The baby is coming and like the reasons or not, the baby is innocent of any blame and if folks like me expect the parents to accept the responsibility of raising the baby and not aborting the baby, then we need to lend a hand. It's not a hand out but a helping hand. We have all needed a helping hand at some point in our lives so don't even think that you did it all on your own. Each of us needed a hand at least once.

I can settle my philosophical problem of holding the parents to being responsible by deciding to offer help to the baby, not to the parent per se. If the offer happens to help the mother and the father raise the baby, so be it. I just remind my self that it helps the baby.

On May 3, the fine folks at Helping Hands will be having their annual walk-a-thon in the park. The folks who walk do so to raise money in the form of pledges that help support the work of Helping Hands.

Helping Hands conducts classes to guide the mothers and fathers through the pregnancy since those young parents have little to no family support to help them through that important nine months.

The parents learn and earn mommy dollars that can be exchanged for items that the baby will need. It may be diapers or food or a blanket, but the baby needs those items.

The mothers get help with counseling as well. The classes and the counseling offer help with child raising or with assistance in putting the baby up for adoption. The baby needs our help.

I have two wonderful friends who are walking in the park that day for the babies. I had a choice to make which one gets my donation or do I split my donation and support both. My pastor, Rev. Gordon Kamai always says that when life gives you a choice, do both. His words meant to me to support the two ladies by doubling my donation.

There's enough need, so the money will be welcomed.

During the next few days one of your friends may ask you to support those babies who are on the way with a donation for the walk-a-thon.

Sign up. If you are not asked by someone you know, then call Helping Hands and ask them to connect you with one of the walkers. If you want to walk, call the office at Helping Hands and lend your pair of helping legs to the cause. If you can't walk, they also take pledges for "rockers" who will rock in a chair for two hours. The babies are coming and the girls who are carrying them are trying to make the best of the situation. They don't need our judgment--what they need is a helping hand from a kind heart.

If you can imagine the situation of being pregnant and alone and wanting to do the right thing by your baby then imagine how you would feel when someone lends a helping hand.

Being involved in an unwanted, unplanned pregnancy is anything but a walk in the park.

Helping out is.