My sister, Terri, would have been 55 years old today. December 3rd is her birthday, and I’m commemorating her memory with my mother, Mary Schindler, and my family.
In so many ways, it’s strange to imagine Terri being 55 years old, simply because of the cruel and utilitarian way her life was cut short. Her husband petitioned a court and convinced a judge that it was in her “best interest” to die.
Many legal experts have pointed out the bizarre fact that Terri received fewer legal protections than we afford to convicted criminals facing capital punishment.
Unlike the judge and the legal system that denied her basic right to life, we know better. We know that our lives are in the hands of God, and even when cut down by others, he preserves us in his love.
Christ reminds us to never “fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Join me today in praying for Terri’s soul, and the soul of her husband Michael, who we pray may one day experience a conversion of heart.
We work every day at the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network in service to medically vulnerable persons, providing the sort of medical, legal, emotional, and spiritual support to families in crisis that affirms life, and that, whenever possible, ensures a chance for a meaningful rehabilitation for a loved one. In this way, we honor Terri every day.