Having said that, I do appreciate that you’ve shared your story. What a cross the Lord gave you, and how many blessings you’ve received. Have you read the life of St. Gianna yet?

I was not cognitively aware of Gianna Beretta Molla until after the birth of my youngest child in September of 2000. Alia-Giana was born with great effort at the very miraculous gestational age of 4 1/2 months! Yes, exactly half-term. Things went terribly bad during my pregnancy. (A pregnancy that in and of its, is a miracle.) I was given very little chance to live to a point of a “viable” birth. One fetus lost its earthly battle and was then absorbed by Alia-Giana (giving her the heart and soul of two). I stood-fast to my intigrity and would not consent to the persistent pleas and persuasions to abort.

I confided in no one. God and I shared our own talks as he kept me strong for my impeding imminent demise, whilst I made ready for the care and upbringing of the two well-loved and wanted boys I would be leaving behind. God supported me and kept me strong as I sat isolated late in the evenings, preparing letters to each for each imaginable future occassion.

God allowed me my own decisions, but He also verified my choices in manners I never expected. In what was to be my end, I turned everything over to Him, as it should. I cried for my own selfish denial to be part of seeing my boys raise-up. Mother Mary came to me and I understood through Her the sacrafice She had made in giving Jesus to the world, and having to allow Him to die. I never bartered, I accepted. I accepted that I would not ever know or understand His reasons. But, I also concluded that I knew God would never take me away from them, unless He knew that they would be alright.

Amist tears behind the operating room’s masks, I said a prayer that each would forgive themselves because it was not their will that would be done. (There had been many medically-neglectful transgressions that had taken place that had caused all the medical difficulties during the pregnancies.)

Later, I awoke! I was never supposed to have woken up. I felt pain! I was alive. I had a daughter! I was not even supposed to have a vegetable. I thanked God for my daugter, for being awake, and especially for the pain I was so excruciately feeling! Then He whispered her name for me.

Our secondary priest came to the hospital to Baptize Alia-Giana and spoke to me of all that had transpired. He smiled, and told me the truths of Gianna. While her life ended and God saw fit to call her to Him, I could only realize that I still had unfinished work he intended for me to finish.

It is interesting to note that I’ve linked to your flickr page, which a number of people have found thanks to this particular blog post. It’s also interesting to note that your art is published (and award-winning, evidently) from other peoples’ works of art. You take great photographs! Taking pictures of other peoples’ art is a real compliment to them. You know what is also a compliment? Linking your photos to their web page (as I did you your case), or say, giving them credit in the caption, which I didn’t see in

You may already know that the painter of this particular work is Neilson Carlson, who’s web page is here, FYI: http://www.neilsoncarlin.com/portfolio.html

Unfortunately, violating copyright is considered a mortal sin: http://catholicparents.org/oxcart/Examination%20of%20Conscience.pdf

In this case, out of Christian charity, I’m hoping it is just a sin of “serious matter” (not actually mortal) and that you were just acting out of ignorance. Nevertheless, I’d like to you hear from you about this.