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General Discussion / The Cure for a Troubled Heart

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 18, 2023, 03:55:36 PM »

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2022/08/15/the-cure-for-a-troubled-heart?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=222598303&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_MWGha26MtOngNVDMpIKDRRgvu93LuXfYGABihjHeN7Z_LucRG87ajqnKbm6DFjVm8B6Sk6QIn7g_VKfrlf5xfM8TmRg&utm_content=222598303&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

The Cure for a Troubled Heart
August 15, 2022
by Joanna Weaver

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 (NIV)

It had been a terrible, no-good day. My husband had said something that embarrassed me, and I was mad. We’d tried to talk about it, but John couldn’t see the problem. I, on the other hand, couldn’t see anything else. While he went to an appointment, I wandered through the small town we were visiting. In one of the stores decorated for Christmas, I fell in love with a set of brown wooden blocks that spelled out “peace.” Festooned with pine cones and holly, the blocks could be displayed all year long. Best of all, the whole set was only $8. Later, at the coffee shop where John had agreed to pick me up, I ordered a mocha and started rehearsing a short but powerful speech that would help my husband understand the depth of my hurt. But when he arrived and I started to climb into the truck, another set of words came out of my mouth. “Stop!” I exclaimed. “I’ve lost my peace!”

I ran back into the coffee shop and searched frantically for the small bag of blocks. But it was nowhere to be found. “Someone stole my peace!” I told my bewildered husband as I got in the truck and swiped away a tear. I really loved those blocks.

The next morning, I called the gift shop to see if they had more in the back. The woman on the phone offered to check as I whispered a prayer. “Good news! I found another set,” she said, but then she added, “Hey I just noticed a bag of blocks under the counter. Do you think they’re yours?”

Suddenly the Lord put everything together. No one stole your peace, Joanna. And you didn’t lose it. You left it, My dear, He whispered gently to my chastened heart. It’s easy to leave behind our peace with all the uncertainty and chaos in the world. Even as Christians, we can become so consumed by the cares of life that we miss the inner calm Jesus came to give. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you,” Jesus says in John 14:27. “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

This peace from God is truly remarkable. It’s meant to infiltrate every part of our being, giving us peace within and peace without. A deep-rooted stability that isn’t easily ruffled, stolen or misplaced no matter what touches our lives. It’s the kind of life Jesus lived when He came to earth. Fully dependent on God, Jesus never seemed to rush from one place to another. He was purposeful rather than driven, available rather than busy, touchable rather than distant. Because He was led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus saw everything and everyone as part of God’s will for His life. And because He trusted that the Father had everything under control, His life was marked by a beautiful peace. Imagine what our lives would be like if we did the same. It starts with the instructions found in John 14:27: “Do not let your hearts be troubled …” (emphasis added).

In a very real way, worry and even anger at our husbands when they hurt our feelings is a choice. I know we don’t always feel like we have an option when something produces a strong and immediate emotion. But until we understand we have a choice, we will remain powerless and peace-less. Perhaps that’s why Jesus, in John 14:27, repeats a phrase found in John 14:1: “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (NIV, emphasis added). Then He tells us how to do it: “Trust in God, and trust also in me” (John 14:1, NLT).

Trusting God is the only cure for a troubled heart, so I find myself repeating these verses from John 14 often. My wooden blocks have also helped. They sit on my bedroom dresser as a constant reminder not to abandon my peace but to guard it carefully. And there’s one more lesson God taught me from that little bag of blocks. When I retrieved the paper bag of blocks from the store, I noticed the saleswoman had written on it three large letters in marker: P.I.F. “paid in full.” The peace you and I need has already been purchased by Jesus and His death upon the cross. What we do with that peace is up to us. So when fear comes knocking and it will, my friend don’t let it trigger panic. Let it trigger trust instead.

General Discussion / This Isn’t Where I Thought I’d Be

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 18, 2023, 03:35:25 PM »

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2022/08/12/this-isnt-where-i-thought-id-be?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=221877990&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8VmLERLMnYCLIQsTHyUTWMUOHNkYc1lm8aXeyfDoeTcyLNzcGHAVZrFoPXCpWRPGwQ3QtFt1BNZY8pYyhk99iF8bge1g&utm_content=221877990&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

This Isn’t Where I Thought I’d Be
August 12, 2022
by Donna Jones, COMPEL Training Member

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” 1 Peter 1:1-2 (NIV)

This isn’t where I thought I’d be at this point in my life. w2Chances are you’ve had this thought; I certainly have. When all my friends were buying houses, I struggled to buy groceries. When the plus sign on the pregnancy test left other women elated, the negative sign on my test left me defeated. When others watched their careers soar, I saw mine get sidetracked. More than once I’ve hung my head in grief, anger, regret or shame and whispered, “This isn’t where I thought I’d be.”

It’s almost second nature to measure ourselves by where we are in life. We define our position relationally: single, married, widowed, divorced. We define our position professionally: top of the ladder, bottom rung. We even define our emotional well-being in language that alludes to where we are, with phrases like, “I’m in a good place” or “I’m in a tough spot.”

Why do we depend on defining ourselves by where we are?

I suspect it’s because, deep down, we’ve bought into the belief that where we are in life defines who we are in life. But what if this notion simply isn’t true?

Tucked away in the greeting of 1 Peter, we read words that might be easy to miss: “To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces …” (1 Peter 1:1).

Where were Peter’s readers?

They were in exile. Who were Peter’s readers?

They were God’s elect, “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood …” (1 Peter 1:2).

Exiled by others, they were elected by God. Rejected by culture, they were chosen by Christ. They were out yet in. Scattered yet secure. And so are we. Where we are is not who we are. And yet where we are affects us, doesn’t it?

The great temptation is to allow where we are to influence how we are rather than allow who we are to determine how we are and, therefore, how we live.

Like those early exiles, only when we maintain a firm grasp on who we are in Christ — chosen by the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, sprinkled by the blood of Christ — can we live obedient to Jesus, especially when where we are is not where we want to be.

The world, circumstances and other people may determine where we are, but only Jesus determines who we are. This truth is as vital for us to embrace as it was for Peter’s original audience. The success of our faith depends on the choice to live based on who we are rather than where we are. To go the long haul with Christ, who we are must inform how we live, wherever we live.

When we finally find ourselves at home in the place where who we are trumps where we are, we discover grace and peace in abundance.

Because no matter where we are — further along than we dreamed or further behind than we hoped — where we are isn’t who we are.

Articles / Man, 70, whose illegal birth certificate said his adoptive mother and ....

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 12, 2023, 11:40:46 AM »

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12397781/Man-70-illegal-birth-certificate-said-adoptive-mother-father-BIRTH-parents-left-unmarried-woman-Catholic-orphanage-Ireland-reveals-eventually-real-mum.html

Man, 70, whose illegal birth certificate said his adoptive mother and father were his BIRTH parents after he was left by an unmarried woman at a Catholic orphanage in Ireland reveals how he eventually found his real mum

EXCLUSIVE: Retired Bernard McGrath, 70, was born in Ireland in 1953
READ MORE: Emotional moment woman tells Long Lost Family 'half of me is missing' as she hunts for father who left her as a baby

By Jessica Green For Mailonline

Published: 18:32, 11 August 2023 | Updated: 18:43, 11 August 2023

A man whose birth certificate illegally said his adoptive mother and father were actually his birth parents after he was left at a Catholic orphanage in Ireland has revealed how he finally found his real mother. Retired telecoms worker Bernard McGrath, 70, was born in Ireland in 1953, to an unmarried woman. He had been taken by his adoptive parents as a baby from the nursery at Temple Hill. His adoptive mother who shockingly appears as Bernard's birth mother on his original birth certificate had an aunt who was a nun and she arranged the adoption. Appearing in a special episode of Long Lost Family on Monday night, Bernard recalls: ‘She was brought into a room with three cots in it and she was saying which one would you like?'

It wasn't until the age of 40 that Bernard heard rumours that he was adopted and confronted his late mother, who finally told him the truth. But upon searching for his birth certificate through official channels in the hope of finding his birth parents, he tells FEMAIL he was shocked to discover it was 'fake'. In the False Identities special episode of Long Lost Family, the team follows Bernard as he recalls his difficult search for his actual birth mother and father. He was born in Ireland to an unmarried mother at a time when having children outside of marriage was seen as sinful, and the Catholic Church went to great lengths to cover it up. In the last five years, 151 illegal registrations where no formal adoption order ever took place and instead the adoptive parents were named falsely and illegally on the register of births as the birth parents of the child have been proven including Bernard’s. According to the programme, these are thought to be just the tip of the iceberg. It had been a criminal offence to enter false information into the register of birth since 1874, and yet the practice was relatively widespread during the 1950, ‘60s and ‘70s in Ireland. Speaking to FEMAIL about his illegal birth certificate and discovering he was adopted, Bernard says: 'I didn’t know anything about it. It’s the only registration that was done for me. Before I heard I was adopted, I hadn’t a clue. I didn’t know anything about it. Then I went down to my mother and said "I’ve heard I was adopted".

She said "where’d you hear that". I said "it doesn’t matter, is it true?" And she said "yes". So I went from there. It turns your whole world upside down,' admits the retired 70-year-old. 'You’re wondering who am I and where did I come from? Why was I adopted, why was I not told? All those mixed emotions. It was very upsetting, because your whole life is changed.'

Bernard, who now lives near Hereford in England with his supportive second wife, Sally, grew up in the suburbs of north Dublin as an only child with his parents Dan and Margaret McGrath. They were quite remote, and his mother a disciplinarian. But aged 40, Bernard discovered he was adopted. His adoptive mother didn’t have any information about his birth parents at all so Bernard ordered his birth certificate to find their names. But shockingly, Bernard read his adoptive parents’ names on the registration as though they were his birth parents. Bernard recalled: 'As soon as it was confirmed, I went to the registration office and asked for my birth certificate, and as soon as I got it, I said to the girl who gave it to me, I said "this is a false document. I was adopted, I’ve just found out. Can you go and get my proper birth certificate."'

But a manager told Bernard that while he was adopted, that was the only certificate they had for him. To learn his true identity, Bernard approached the Irish Adoption Authority, but was redirected to St Patrick’s Guild, the agency run by the Sisters of Charity the order of nuns who’d arranged his adoption. Bernard knocked on the door and a nun came out. At first there was a refusal to give Bernard any information. But after he revealed that his aunt had been a mother superior, they relented and told him his birth mother’s name: Theresa Scully. They wouldn't give him her address but offered to pass on a letter to her. He received his first letter back from her in October 1994. It read: 'Dear Bernard, I am so very, very sorry for this long delay to your letter. You have no idea of what I felt when I looked at the pictures, especially of the ones of you as a little boy my baby that I never seen grow up through the years.'

It concluded: ‘God bless you. And remember, I think of you every day. All my love Teresa.'

Bernard and his birth mother who had moved to Philadelphia then started corresponding via letters and phone numbers. She never told her husband but her two daughters knew. Eventually, Bernard travelled to America to meet with his birth mother in person, recalling: 'We met in a shopping mall. I got there first and I was just looking at everybody coming in you know. All the women of a certain age is that her? Is that her? And eventually she walked in, and I knew straight away and she looked at me and knew straight away, then we had a big hug.'

Bernard’s birth mother sadly died in 2017, 22 years after they met. But before her passing, she told Bernard the name of his birth father. Bernard’s mother believed his father Patrick Bowden was living in England. Feeling he didn’t have the means to find him, Bernard put his search on hold until some years later DNA testing seemed a possible avenue. Even then, he wasn’t able to find a close relative. Bernard’s breakthrough came in 2022. Following years of activism by adopted people, they were finally granted full access to their adoption files (thanks to the new Birth Information and Tracing Act). There was also help for those whose births had been registered illegally. Bernard was put in touch with a genetic genealogist, who very quickly identified Bernard’s birth father, Patrick Bowden. The expert was able to let Bernard know that Patrick, a lorry driver, had died in 1972, but before that had married and had three daughters and three sons.

Bernard sent his sister Mandy, who grew up in Bradford in the UK, an email asking what she could tell him about her father, Patrick. She asked him why he wanted to know, to which he replied: 'I think he might be my father too.'

A surprised Mandy asked him when he was born and for a photograph, before responding: 'Yep, you're my half-brother, no doubt about it, you look just like [Patrick],' recalls Bernard.

DNA testing confirmed they were related and what's more, when Mandy learned from Bernard that his birth mother’s name was Teresa Scully, she realised that his birth mother was her father’s one-time ballroom dancing partner, Terry Scully. Mandy doesn’t believe her father could have known about Bernard, revealing that when her own mother gave birth to her outside of wedlock, her father insisted on marrying her mother as soon as he discovered he had a daughter. Bernard explains: '[Mandy's mother] became pregnant, she went back home to her parents or grandparents house and had the baby and the baby was Mandy, but she had family support. [My birth father] had gone to England to work and he came back to Dublin for a holiday I suppose and he was out with one of his friends [who said] "remember that girlfriend of yours, she had a baby". He got on the next train for where she lived, went into her parents or grandparents and said: "I'm marrying her, she has my daughter, so I’m marrying her straight away" and they got married. So that’s the type of person he was. He didn’t shy away from his responsibilities [he was a] gentleman.'

Bernard admits that his birth mother never told him why she didn't tell his birth father about him, adding: 'We reckon that if he had have known, he would've married her, because of the type of person he was. He never knew.'

Last September, Bernard met his some of his siblings, who have welcomed him into the family with open arms. 'Before that we had been exchanging messages. They said: "no you’re not a half-brother you’re our brother and that’s it. No doubt about it, none of this half stuff", so they accepted me straight away,' explains Bernard.

He adds: 'We get on very well now [and are] constantly messaging.'

He also admits: 'It’s like a big weight off your shoulder, you know who you are, you know who you came from, you know the type of people who are your siblings and it’s great.'

Bernard and his paternal siblings are all meeting up with one another once again at the end of this month. Elsewhere, during Monday's episode, co-presenter Nicky Campbell also meets with one of the leading experts in Irish adoption law, Professor Conor O’Mahony, at University College Cork. Professor Conor explains that an illegal birth registration occurred when a child was placed with parents other than its own parents to be raised by them as adoptive parents, but no formal adoption order took place. Instead, the adoptive parents were named falsely and illegally on the register of births as the birth parents of the child, as if the child had been born to them. In 20th century Ireland, women who became pregnant out of wedlock were often forced to give birth in now infamous mother and baby and homes. It’s not known how many were pressured into giving up their babies up for adoption, but nearly 60,000 children were born in institutions like these. The practice of falsely recording the identity of illegitimate children was shrouded in secrecy. Only now is the full scale of it coming to light. Despite the illegality of the practice, at the time the state did not act to prevent it. In Ireland, over 180 institutions dealt with placing children. It’s not known exactly how many babies were illegally registered.

General Discussion / Learning To Live Faithfully Right Where You Are

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 12, 2023, 11:18:46 AM »

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2022/08/10/learning-to-live-faithfully-right-where-you-are?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=221790283&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_QjhDhN7-erM4mGr3QeXOFe3BwLjDtfOZHlS51wkSI4GabkyEfDAkrMLFmrNO2tmIz5EmK6vDczZPGQcNFN6wCORmgkg&utm_content=221790283&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

Learning To Live Faithfully Right Where You Are
August 10, 2022
by Ruth Schwenk

"He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30 (NIV)

I unfolded the scrap piece of paper to find a Bible verse scribbled on it. It was a verse I had never read but one that would change my life in countless ways in the years to come. At the time, I was 15 years old and a new Christian, still just taking my first steps toward Jesus. I hadn’t been to youth group in weeks, so when my friend delivered a note from my youth pastor, I was anxious to open it. The Bible verse I read that night was John 3:30: “He must become greater; I must become less.”

My youth pastor’s gentle message was clear: I needed to stop living for myself! Up until that point, my life had been centered around me. At that moment, I began to learn what we all must learn: My life every part of it is to be lived for Jesus. And even more significantly, it matters for eternity. In the Bible, the life of Moses’ mom gives us a peek into why this is so important. Her story has a lesson for all of us, and it is a beautiful account of someone who was faithful when no one was watching, no matter the cost, and not for accolades but for the glory of God. Moses’ mom’s name was Jochebed, and she knew, as every Hebrew woman did at that time, that to give birth to a baby boy in Egypt was a death sentence for that child. (Exodus 1:15-17) After she gave birth to Moses, she hid her young son for as long as she could. The day came, though, when she had to do the unthinkable. Desperate, she put Moses in a basket in the Nile River.

Moses’ sister, Miriam, watched from a distance as Moses was soon discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter. And it was Moses’ sister who approached Pharaoh’s daughter to suggest a Hebrew woman would be a fitting person to nurse this abandoned baby. With Pharaoh’s daughter’s permission, Miriam reunited young Moses with his birth mom but only for a short season. (Exodus 2:1-9) The time would come when Jochebed would have to let him go again. (Exodus 2:10) Jochebed’s hidden faithfulness in caring for her son may have seemed insignificant, but God was using her beyond what she could’ve imagined. Moses would grow up to save a nation of fellow Hebrews from slaughter, becoming Israel’s great leader and the man to whom God gave His law. Jochebed’s obedience had an eternal impact on generations to come. She was faithful to what God called her to when no one was watching. This lesson I learned at the young age of 15 is something I keep coming back to over and over again: The way we live our days is our greatest testimony. No matter what God has called us to, it starts right where we are today. At home. At work. In the grocery store. With our neighbor. It starts with who we really are our integrity and our character. Every season is different, and every season demands a different capacity from us as humans. Sometimes we will be busy and distracted. Sometimes we will feel like we have it all together. Sometimes we will feel close to God. And sometimes we will feel far away from God. But no matter how we feel or what is going on in our lives, the call is still the same to keep being faithful to God in the seen and unseen moments of our lives. We must become less, allowing Jesus to live His life in us and through us, trusting God will use our hidden faithfulness today for His glory tomorrow.

General Discussion / Running on Empty

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 12, 2023, 11:05:47 AM »

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2022/08/09/running-on-empty?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=221790268&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_yV3TD6PZ8Cihq2qvAc3DN02FRpzRfo5WWKwzAOc68GK4o1ZnVfgPQ-suRqc2PWY7aIkUCIT4WKsh-xCMqTrs4uvZt_A&utm_content=221790268&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

Running on Empty
August 9, 2022
by Meghan Mellinger

“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” Genesis 2:3 (NIV)

Today, I feel like a car that’s run out of gas. I’ve been speeding through life without stopping hustling and hurrying my way through every invite on my calendar and every person in my life. Sure, I saw the “low fuel” alerts, but I ignored them and just kept going. And going. And going. And now I find myself running on empty, overwhelmed and anxious, wrapped up in blankets, candy wrappers everywhere, flipping through every verse my Bible's concordance has on “rest.” And then a verse I’ve read many times before strikes me differently: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:2-3, NIV).

The day God poked holes in the night sky?

Good. The day God created the narwhals?

Good. The day God created man and woman?

Very good. (Genesis 1:16-31) But the day God stopped and rested from His work?

That day was different. That day was set apart. That day was holy. Rest is so significant that God declared one day of the week for it. But what does true rest look like?

How do I break the daily grind of performance and productivity to honor a day of rest?

Jesus offers us examples of resting without staring at a screen or eating a whole stuffed-crust pizza in one sitting (guilty!). He shows us rest that is restoring, not mindlessly distracting. After He served and saved the masses: Jesus spent alone time with the Father. Away from His work and His people, Jesus talked with His Dad. There was praying and pleading, rejoicing and praising, listening and waiting. It was quality time together with the One who loved Him the most. Jesus spent quality time with His closest friends. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, we see Him sharing food, emotions and time with close friends and family. While Jesus had many followers, He intentionally took time away from the masses for quality time with a few people. To us, shifting from 100 miles per hour to a complete standstill may feel wrong. It feels counterproductive and is countercultural. It feels almost impossible to cut out 15 minutes a day, let alone a whole entire day, to rest. But it is necessary. It is life-giving, joy-filling and soul-restoring. It is a day that has to be different from the rest. Our rest day is our holy day. A day of rest in the presence of a heavenly Father who loves us more than anything, and a day shared with friends who know us better than anyone. Now that will fill up our tanks. From the beginning, we were never designed to be constantly on the go. God didn’t rest on the seventh day because He needed to He did it because He knew we would need to.

Articles / Daughter Detoxing

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 10, 2023, 03:17:48 PM »

https://medium.com/survivors-of-narcissistic-abuse/daughter-detoxing-6ff3af01c8bc

Daughter Detoxing
Gina Miller.
Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse

“Adoption is a better life.’

“But they put food in your mouth and a roof over your head.”

“Aren’t you grateful you were not aborted?”

“Be thankful your birth mother gave you life.”

And the clincher. “Well, what are you doing on this planet, then?”

These are tropes adoptees hear all the time if we dare say anything about our adoptions that are not grateful and delightful. However, my story is all too common. I was adopted in early 1961 when a woman was expected to reproduce, whether or not she was fit to be a parent. The woman who adopted me was certainly not. I believe the only reason I am sane at all is because it took her nearly four years to produce a child of her own. At that time, my life became a living hell. The above is a picture of me at age five. I see the sadness in my own eyes. That is when she turned on me and began to blame me for my own existence. She had a child of her own, a black-haired child, who resembled her, and she was stuck with me. That is when the beating began and the name-calling. Garbage, trash, imbecile, moron. I didn’t even know what imbecile meant, but I knew it was bad while the baby was crooned to and adored. When I was seven, she had another dark-haired baby, and that baby was definitely in, while I was even more on the outside. I always wondered why. I was so different and outside while they were so accepted and loved. I tried everything to win their love, but it was not good enough. I could never please them. Nothing I could do was right, and nothing their kids did was wrong. It hurt, and my first suicide attempt was at the age of eleven. I turned my hurt and anger inward and had multiple suicide attempts, which angered them further. I was always dressed nicely, and the house was always perfect. She had no one over, so I never knew who the house was kept immaculate for, but the wrapping on the house of corruption was perfect. Inside, it was rotting and putrid. Hatred and vileness were her fruit. When I found the adoption community, I found it was not me. I found that my story was common. Many adoptees deal with rejection when bio kids enter the picture. We are no longer needed to complete their family, and the adopters turn on us. I am detoxing from being a daughter. And society does not like it. Adoption is supposed to be beautiful. But I was bought and sold and discarded. I was a commodity that did not fit. And no returns were accepted. Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the internet. Please consider buying me a “coffee”. It helps me keep my tiny furry overlord in cat food.

Articles / Mass grave at Tipperary Mother and Baby Home to be scanned

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 10, 2023, 03:07:41 PM »

https://www.irishcentral.com/news/sean-ross-abbey-baby-grave?utm_campaign=IC%20Daily%20-%209%20August%20-%202023-08-09&utm_medium=Email&_hsmi=269597861&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--z1F41LU0GDXGO2TBBuRwG4qQAgh6JGTTrONU6bPWiqnUeGqi8bicnw0JSnRLVAlDlaViX0l1Qqv0Wx-e7VIRFijxgrjkVlu9q_iRQRrn5QfrHWGo&utm_content=Story1&utm_source=HubSpot

Mass grave at Tipperary Mother and Baby Home to be scanned
Parcels of land surrounding the Angels' Plot at the former Catholic home, Sean Ross Abbey, will be searched for undetected graves.
IrishCentral Staff
@IrishCentral
Aug 09, 2023

Land adjacent to the Angels’ Plot at Sean Ross Abbey, in Roscrea, County Tipperary, will be scanned to uncover a possible mass grave. Plans to scan the land on the grounds of the former Mother and Baby Home at Sean Ross Abbey, in Tipperary, have made significant progress according to We Are Still Here, a survivor's group. Ireland's governmental Department of Children recently confirmed they would fund the scans of lands located near the "Angels' Plot", a burial site where numerous children who died at the facility were laid to rest. Between the 1930s and 1990s, Sean Ross Abbey bore witness to a tragic number of child deaths. The exact number of children who died remains uncertain, but estimates suggest that the figure could be in the hundreds. The causes of these deaths ranged from illnesses like tuberculosis and malnutrition to neglect and subpar medical care. These vulnerable children, born to unmarried mothers, were often subjected to harsh living conditions that contributed to their frailty. The survivors group from Sean Ross Abbey, We Are Still Here, met with representatives of Tipperary County Council and the firm who will be carrying out the scans, Precision Utility Mapping, to discuss the need for the underground scans and how they will be carried out. Teresa Collins, who was born at Sean Ross Abbey in 1963, told the Offaly Express, “It was hugely positive to make this move forward and to host representatives of Tipperary County Council and Precision Utility Mapping at the site where scans for any possible undetected burials will take place in the near future. This scan will take place on a parcel of land adjacent to the Angels’ Plot where the Commission of Investigation undertook investigations a number of years ago."

The existence of the Angels' Plot came to light in the 1990s when former residents began to share their stories of the harsh treatment and neglect they suffered. Many believed that their deceased peers were buried in the Angels' Plot, prompting calls for investigations and accountability. Collins continued “According to the Commission of Investigation, the total number of infant deaths having occurred at Sean Ross Abbey amounted to 1,078. However, it is not feasible to conclude that all burials occurred in the relatively confined space of the Angels’ Plot where the Commission of Investigation carried out some investigative works. This necessitates the need for separate scans of a particular area of land adjacent to the Angels’ Plot."

Research indicates that there were at least 18 Mother and Baby Homes operating in Ireland between the 1920s and 1990s. The exact number might vary depending on how one categorizes certain institutions that shared similar functions. Some of the most well-known institutions include Sean Ross Abbey in County Tipperary, Bessborough in County Cork, and Tuam Mother and Baby Home in County Galway. The child deaths at Sean Ross Abbey were intertwined with allegations of abuse. Many former residents and survivors have come forward with harrowing accounts of emotional, physical, and even sexual abuse perpetuated by nuns and staff members. The survivors recount tales of cruelty, neglect, and mistreatment, further darkening the reputation of the facility and those who were supposed to provide care. As public awareness grew about the tragedies at Sean Ross Abbey, calls for accountability intensified. The Irish government initiated investigations into the operations of the facility and the actions of the Catholic Church. These investigations shed light on the suffering endured by unwed mothers and their children, revealing the systemic failures and abuses that were allowed to persist for decades. In recent years, efforts have been made to honor the memory of the children who suffered and died at Sean Ross Abbey. Memorials and commemorations have been established to remember their lives and acknowledge the pain they endured. These efforts also serve as a reminder of the importance of uncovering historical injustices and seeking justice for the victims.

General Discussion / Know When To Hold Your Peace

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 08, 2023, 03:48:24 PM »

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2022/08/02/know-when-to-hold-your-peace?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=220855305&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--DxDR_ZpnG-chHzSRRwXHi5IJm_X-BYUpyFRgxg2uN6jU-bwnZtF-thAkYl9hM05q2eYyuEM2sKRlVjtvhOVmbwgIDxA&utm_content=220855305&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

Know When To Hold Your Peace
August 2, 2022
by Chrystal Evans Hurst

“Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, 'So You are the King of the Jews?' And Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say’ … And still He did not answer him in regard to even a single charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.” Matthew 27:11, 14 (NASB)

Recently, I had a conversation with a volunteer at church. This young woman had previously expressed a desire to grow as a leader and wanted to share some things she felt would help her do a better job. I was not ready for what was to follow. The conversation moved from this young woman talking about herself to talking about me. She pointed to quite a few things I actually thought I was doing right, and she suggested I was doing them quite wrong! Honestly, I’m still wrestling with whether or not the observations were correct. I do want to be a person of integrity. However, I hate it when it seems people don’t understand me, and in that moment, I felt anxious to respond and ready to defend. It took great strength to stay quiet. Actually. I didn’t totally stay quiet. After the first and second critique, I couldn’t refrain from speaking up when the third criticism rounded the corner. “Let me tell you why I do that!”

As soon as the words rolled off of my tongue, shame washed over me. I had lost sight of myself by exchanging the priority of being seen by God for the desire to be seen in a good light by another person. I want to be a person capable of owning the space she is in, resisting the urge to prove myself when words are spoken against me because I know who I am and where I stand. I’d like to say I’ve always been that girl — but that isn’t the case. I’ve often been tripped up by the balancing act of being secure in myself while also taking ownership of the spaces I’ve been invited to occupy. The attempt to measure my words hasn’t always been easy for me. Discouragement comes quickly when communication is hard and someone seems bent on misunderstanding me. In these moments, I can be tempted to escape by becoming defensive or, conversely, choosing to hold back words when they actually would be useful. Self-assurance is a whole thing. Jesus is all too familiar with this struggle as well. Matthew 27:11-14 tells us that even while Jesus was being accused by chief priests and elders, He did not offer any answer. Even when Pilate asked Him to speak up, He still didn’t speak up to defend Himself. You would think that, given the circumstances, Jesus’ response would have been anything but silence. I mean, He was in a fight for His life. But instead, something rather fascinating took place. Jesus chose to answer when it was sensible to do so, and when it wasn’t He held on to what He knew to be true about who He was and maintained His position in connection to His Father. What would the world look like if we knew when to give an answer or when no explanation was needed?

Sometimes we get things reversed, and in some of our attempts to hold on to who we are, we actually end up losing ourselves. We forget we are fathered by the God who spun the stars into space. We forget He makes our steps secure. We forget we are made powerful through our connection with Him. I want to challenge you to become aware of how you give an answer. Are you more interested in acceptance?

Or do you first choose to lean in to what your Father thinks about you and what He requires of you as a result? What does He have to say about who you are?

Ephesians 1:3-14 says …

You are blessed.
You are chosen.
You are adopted.
You are beloved.
You are redeemed.
You are forgiven.
You are loved.
You are known.
You are God’s own possession.

When you and I operate from a place of being loved and belonging, it will change our response to others. When we stand firm in our identity in Christ, we will also know when to answer and when to hold our peace.

General Discussion / You Are Significant to His Kingdom

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 08, 2023, 03:40:46 PM »

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2022/08/01/you-are-significant-to-his-kingdom?utm_campaign=Daily%20Devotions&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=220854871&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_6Wz5T83NNQRLjq5WQpFF0xqYS9vgIpDzHvyHH1EMduys1u0ZedhGtNKX6vNm6zpg_G5mrDL7V8YkAUt0nrmzOfeo7SQ&utm_content=220854871&utm_source=hs_email#disqus_thread

You Are Significant to His Kingdom
August 1, 2022
by Savannah Gwinn-Wright, COMPEL Training Member

“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them …” Romans 12:4-6 (NKJV)

Growing up in church, my deepest desire was to be used by God. Yet through comparison culture, the enemy convinced me that because of (insert the long list of my shortcomings here), I wasn’t making a significant impact in the Kingdom. I battled this mentality for years until one day, as I was comparing myself to a specific person, God gently reminded me, “I made you both.”

In that moment, friend, I was liberated by this truth: There is no competition in the Kingdom of God. God’s Word intentionally refers to His people as “the body” of Christ. In Romans 12:4-5, Paul states, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

Because of their different purposes, all parts of the body are essential for its success. Did you know the smallest bone in the human body rests in your middle ear, measuring just 3 millimeters by 2.5 millimeters? If size indicated significance, we could quickly dismiss this tiny bone as unnecessary. Yet without it, we would experience severe hearing loss. As Christ followers, we’re each called to minister to our circles of influence with our gifts. (1 Peter 4:10-11) I wonder how many members of the body are unable to hear what God is speaking because we allow comparison, competition and our resulting insecurities to keep us from releasing what He has placed within us?

How different history could be if the Bible’s hidden heroes hadn’t obeyed God’s call. We know the legacy of Moses but rarely hear about Shiphrah and Puah, two midwives whose faithfulness to God saved Moses in infancy. (Exodus 1:17) We speak of Elijah’s bravery but rarely discuss how it was the simple obedience of Ahab’s servant, Obadiah, that brought Elijah to Mount Carmel. (1 Kings 18) Could it be that a Kingdom moment is awaiting your willingness to say “yes” to God’s purposes for you?

Friend, don’t allow the enemy to silence you, or to suppress what you’re carrying for Christ, with feelings of insignificance. You are essential to the success of the body, and he knows that. Whatever gift you’ve been given, be willing to share it. “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6-8, NKJV)

It could mean preaching to thousands from a platform or sharing your testimony with a friend over lunch. It could mean writing a worship song that reaches nations or singing scriptures over your little ones as they drift off to sleep. Kingdom success is not measured with earthly standards. If your obedience leads just one person to Jesus, all of heaven rejoices. That is significance in the Kingdom.

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Articles / Mother-and-baby group pulls out of forum meetings

« Last post by Forgotten Mother on August 02, 2023, 11:44:03 AM »

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-65526126

Mother-and-baby group pulls out of forum meetings

8 May

The largest group campaigning on behalf of NI survivors of mother-and-baby homes is pulling out of meetings with the Executive's survivors' forum. Birth Mothers and their Children emailed the secretary of state, the head of the NI Civil Service and a number of political representatives. It said it had become "disenfranchised" with the lack of a statutory inquiry into the institutions. Attending forum meetings had caused further upset to its members, it added. The group expressed frustration about the lack of a redress scheme 18 months after a truth and recovery report was published. "We have relentlessly campaigned from the outset for a statutory inquiry with full powers to call witnesses, and to force the institutions to release documents," the group said in its email. However, this has not yet occurred and we are still waiting for truth and justice."

At least 10,500 women passed through mother-and-baby homes and baby institutions in Northern Ireland. That included more than 3,000 women who spent time in a Magdalene laundry. These institutions were, in effect, workhouses and were situated in Londonderry, Belfast, and Newry. Edel Johnston, of Birth Mothers and their Children, told Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme: "We've become increasingly disillusioned and disenfranchised with the prevarication and the delays that have been caused. "The report was written in October 2021; it is now May 2023 and we are no further forward. What a cruel irony that the mechanism that was supposed to help us is causing more pain, more suffering. For a lot of our members redress is the only form of justice that they will ever have because they will never see a public inquiry with all these delays."

The group's solicitor, Claire McKeegan, said Birth Mothers and their Children had written to a number of MPs seeking support for legislation in Westminster in the absence of a sitting Northern Ireland Assembly. "These things can't wait any longer," she said.

"It's 10 years since Edel's group began their campaign."

She added: "We would be appealing to officials to meet with these victims and survivors as soon as possible with a view to taking a draft bill through parliament."