January 22nd...a day to mourn

When I was a junior in high school, I was delighted to hear that my older sister was pregnant with her third child. I adored my nieces, Shelly and Stephanie, and was looking forward to another little niece or nephew.

My sister gave birth that January to a beautiful little baby girl, and named her Deborah Leigh. But as perfect as Deborah looked, it quickly became obvious that something was wrong. Deborah's little heart was incomplete, and she died within a week of her birth.

I will never forget the car trip from East Texas to West Texas for the funeral of a baby girl. I will never forget seeing that beautiful little girl in the dainty little dress her father had bought for her to wear home from the hospital. I will never forget hearing my brother-in-law cry in the middle of the night for a daughter that would never grow up, or hearing my sister sob for her baby.

Time does heal, and less than a year after Deborah's death, my sister was blessed with another little girl. My niece Cynthia Anne is grown up now, married and has her own babies.

But every year around this time, my sister experiences a season of sadness as she mourns the baby that never grew up.

We were talking about it just the other day. "It's hard to believe it's been 31 years now," Beverly said softly. "She died on January 22nd, 1973."

"January 22, 1973? Beverly...that's the day the Supreme Court Roe versus Wade decision legalized abortion!"

My sister had never connected the two events. We were both struck with the irony. She still grieves the death of a baby on that day...the day that paved the way for millions of mothers to end the lives of their babies voluntarily.

Ironic, indeed.

Abortion stops a beating heart.

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Enough about "metrosexuals"?

Could there be a backlash brewing against the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" trend?

USA Today has an article on the front page of its Life section today, titled "Regular guys cast a jaded eye at 'metrosexual' trend."

Apparently, marketers have been trying to cash in on the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" mentality, "looking to convince men that they needed to cram their cabinets with as many expensive balms, masks and scrubs as women stockpile."

The story suggests that "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" has lost its novelty, and that the "demise of contrived dandy-ism" is imminent. Comedy Central is even planning a parody titled "Straight Plan for the Gay Man."

Fine with me. Call me old-fashioned, but I like the line between the sexes to be clearly delineated. I'm all for sensitive men who aren't ashamed to cry and take showers...but I'm glad to say that although my husband does both (and even takes more time getting ready than I do, sometimes!) he is 100 per cent HETEROsexual.

Viva la difference.