Forty Days of Thank You's

From the deacon who blessed my doggie!

There’s so much I don’t know about my Catholic faith, there’s things that I have a protestant understanding and there are other areas that I have no clue at all.  It’s popular during Lent to give things up, it’s a time of conversion of shedding the old to make room for the new.  I get the importance of trying to change old habits to become a better me; yet, I still have a lot of questions about fasting.  Am not sure how fasting helps me become a better version of me, but I know that just as I have been converted in other areas I will soon have a eureka moment- that clears things for me.  Thus, this past Lent I wanted to do something that made my forty days special and made sense to me.  I thought about the many times I have wanted to thank my religious leaders, but never made the time.  So, during my forty days of Lent I wrote each day a thank you card for priests, religious and deacons who during the year I had a reason to say gracias.  First, I didn’t think I knew that many church leaders to cover the forty days, but every day during prayer the Holy Spirit helped inspire a new person to thank.  Writing to me is very personal and each note that I hand wrote I tried to make it as unique to that person as possible.  I never thought of the outcome of such a small gesture.  However, one must be careful when doing things for others because God will never leave a server empty handed.  It’s as if the more one gives of oneself the more one receives. 

From my bishop, he made me feel so important!

From one of the deacons.

As the forty days went by, I got a couple emails expressing their gratitude for my little note.  When I bumped into one of the deacon’s I sent a note to, he told me how much my note made his day since his job can be quite a thankless position.  Another deacon’s wife came up to me and told me how cheerful her husband had been at my note and she thanked me for making her husband’s day.  Then, I got a couple of notes in my mailbox thanking me for my thank you note!  I almost didn’t want to continue sending notes because I was getting such a positive response.  It was just surprising to receive so much when I felt I gave so little.  Yet, people who serve (as do our church leaders) are usually people that know how to be grateful and they have a server mentality where it is easy for them to give- even as a response to a gift to them.  I really enjoyed working on the thank you notes and might adapt this process as an annual Lenten activity.  Though, to be honest all the fuss I got made me a little uncomfortable since I don’t do well when so much attention is lavished on me, especially over my writing.  I had wanted to write this post for a while, but kept forgetting.  Over the weekend, I received my latest thank you card for one of my Lenten thank you notes and it reminded me that I needed to write this.  Maybe you’re not surprised by the positive feedback I got, but I was really shocked.  I just had never gotten a thank you for my thank you (smile).   It made the image I have of my church leaders even more impressive- we have a lot of saints in the making all around us! 

As Seen on Celebrities: Molly Lansing Lucky Brand White Daisies Embroidered Top

My thrifted top as seen in General Hospital!

When I was twenty-years-old I remember telling my therapist that I was a great listener, but didn’t like sharing things about myself because I felt like people wouldn’t be interested in what I had to say.  The only people that I would reveal things to were those in my inner circle because I knew that as odd as I was they loved me and accepted me.  I think when one grows up in a chaotic home it’s very typical to feel quite abnormal, freakish almost.  I was also an anomaly in my extended family, the only one pursuing good grades and a college degree so often I was classified as “white washed” because I was also in higher courses at school.  Being in the college advance classes made me have friends that were all ethnicities because those were the students in my classes.  These friendships gave me a new perspective on life.  Nevertheless, I was constantly told by some members outside my immediate family why I tried so hard if in the end I was going to end up pregnant and dropping out of high school.  I felt like instead of supporting me they wanted to see me fail.  So, I began to internalize things and not share much.  I felt that if I kept silent then maybe I would be accepted…  Until one day I realized that even though I was different in the choices that I made and things that I liked- I was still very much human and loveable.  I learned and came to understand that if someone doesn’t like or accept me, I will be ok.  I am sharing this with you today because I have been doing these pieces here on my shopping secondhand and was told not to share about my deals because “people” might misinterpret my posts thinking that I always buy cheap, that everything I own is used and heaven forbid that I gift others secondhand items.  Yet, I am comfortable sharing my deals and can’t control what others will think of me.  To me scoring thrifted items is fun, smart and I have no shame in sharing because I never pay retail (smile)! 

 I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Flower Power: Even my Jewlery is flowered inspired!

I have always been a nerd, uncool in so many ways and while growing up I gave in to the naysayers, I am a grown up now and this is me unapologetically.  I thrift, read books, suck at dating, love period pieces, have a weakness for classics, am a traditional Catholic woman… When I find something at the thrift store I go home and do research on how much it retailed and get a high realizing my savings!  Recently, I started this blog segment “As Seen on Celebrities” because I have found used items that have made an appearance in the famous world- I mean can I get nerdier than that… I think I can (smile).  Today’s Lucky Brand white daisies embroidered top has been featured in an episode of “General Hospital” worn by actress, Molly Lansing.  Though a typical Mexican is an avid soap opera viewer, I do not watch telenovelas whether in English or Spanish.  I strictly found Lansing wearing the top during my price research.  The nerdy part, is that I found the top at a five dollar rack at Savers, but it came in a size triple X which is way too big for me, but I loved the embroidery so much that I bought it anyway.  When I got home, I took it apart and with my mom’s help cut the excess and sewed it back up perfectly sized for me.  Yep, I sew too…  I once heard Matt Damon say in one of his movies, “I always thought it would be better, to be a fake somebody than a real nobody,” and for many years I thought that quote had a ring of truth.  Now, I know that God created me and you in such a special, original way that we owed it to ourselves, to our society and to our Creator to be authentic (smile).

As Seen on Celebrities: Barbara Bui Sneakers

RCIA: End oF the Year Celebration

This weekend was full of celebrations- a friend’s birthday, my nephew’s First Holy Communion and the closure of another year of RCIA.  Every year we do a graduation style celebration for our RCIA students, where we present the Sacrament Certificates in addition to top student recognitions.  We also hold a potluck style luncheon where students, their families and sponsors are encouraged to attend.  The event is organized with a commencement prayer and speech, by our wonderful team leader, in which she explains that graduations are not ends, but the beginning of the profession studied; thus, receiving their sacraments is only the beginning of their Christian ministry and lives.  Before God sends them into the world He prepares them through the process of RCIA and their Sacraments- so we show a short slide show of their RCIA year reminding them of their great effort and commitment.  The slide show is usually a very emotional moment where laughs, tears and even a sense of relief is expressed through the reaction of our students.  Then we follow with the presentation of the Sacrament Certificates, where each student comes to the front to receive and shakes the hand of each teacher in true graduation form.  Followed by special recognitions for the top eight students (Best Test Score, Oral Exam, Attendance, Homework, Community Service, Participation and Binder Organization).  Then, we open the mic up for anyone that wants to say any closing words.  We had a mom of one of our students shared how happy she was that her daughter had been in the program because when her daughter started RCIA her daughter was about to join a gang and through the grace of God she had a complete change of heart.  Now our student respects her mom and the two of them have joined Jovenes Para Cristo, a parish group.  She was not the only mom in tears concerning kids that participated in the program this year.  After the testimonies, we moved into the food banquet, as usual we asked for a volunteer to lead us in prayer and to our surprise two people came to the front.  A couple who got married during this RCIA year.  It was beautiful to be led in grace from two souls who united as one and who through the RCIA process learned that marriage is more than a piece of paper (smile).  Then we ate as one big family and said our individual good byes.  We had a student straggler that waited until the last minute, and whispered, “I don’t want to leave, I don’t want this to be over.” SMILE    

Beginning of the ceremony.

 This year's class of twenty-nine students.

The top eight students.

A healthy cake...

 A not so healthy flan/cake.

     The team.

Students with teachers.

As Seen on Celebrities: Barbara Bui Sneakers

Every few months, I get these days (usually a week’s worth) where I feel completely unlike myself.  It begins with this chronic fatigue where all I want to do is sleep and rest.  Getting out of bed requires so much motivation, and my thoughts also become frustrated.  I become irritable, impatient - even downcast and I just have to ride the wave until my brain chemicals get back in order.  It sucks, but as my favorite part of a verse states, “this too shall pass.”  Any who- since I have been feeling so unlike myself, I decided that today I would start a light and fluffy post series to lighten things up, about things that I have found thrifting that celebrities have worn! Yep, I have found many designer brands for a few bucks- which comes to show that one woman’s trash is this woman’s treasure (smile).

As seen on: Zoe Saldana, Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart

So, there I was one slow Saturday afternoon at Goodwill when I came across a sparkle of silver (I am like a cat that likes anything that glows) reaching to the back of the shelve I came across these neat-o tennis shoes.  Though at first I thought they looked too hipster for my taste when I tried them on - I literarily fell head-over-heels in love.  I didn’t recognize the brand, but they looked expensive in their craftsmanship.  I found my phone and googled, “Barbara Bui” and my black leather sneakers retail for $495.00!  I couldn’t believe it, my heart was pounding with excitement and terrified the owner would return to claim her donation I ran to the cashier and paid $12.99 for an almost brand new pair of hightops.  The sneakers have a hidden heel so it gives my shortness a boost and they are constructed in such a way that the wedge is super comfortable.  I wore them throughout my Mexico trip, where I walked for miles and never got a single blister (smile).

After purchasing, I ran home and did a more thorough search (because I am a research nerd) and I found pictures of many celebrities wearing my Barbara Bui leather sneakers!  I almost felt guilty adding such an expensive pair of shoes to my collection, but for the price I paid no guilt is necessary.  So, there you have it a tale of an unwanted pair of trainers finding a home where they are totally appreciated. As I write this post, my feet are cozy in my celebrity sneakers!  

The Rosary: A Change of Heart

May is the month of Mary and a great time to pray and reflect on the rosary.  In Mexico, when people die a novena is prayed for the soul of the departed using the rosary as part of the nine day prayer.  My mother’s mom died when I was around five-years-old, and it was a very sad time for the family.  I remember everyday women would gather at my grandmother’s house to pray and for the longest time I associated the rosary with death.  The repetitive manner and the length of it also made it quite boring.  As I grew up, my dislike for the rosary only increased.  When my brother passed away and ladies began gathering at my house to pray the novena, I would purposely leave to avoid hearing the sound of death…  Later, when I lived my first retreat, I was given this tacky-green-glow-in-the-dark rosary.  During this time I used to have horrible nightmares most nights.  This rosary became my shield.  When I would wake up in sweats from the terrible dreams I would find my plastic beads and hold them clenched in my fist.  Though, I didn’t know how to pray just holding the beads near my heart made me fall back asleep free from night terrors.  It wasn’t until 2007 when I joined the prayer ministry of Jovenes Para Cristo that the rosary started to change in my eyes.  I remember being cloistered in a room with the Blessed Sacrament and my prayer warriors.  We were told that we would begin by praying the rosary and though I cringed at the idea, while I knelt in front of my Lord (new beads in hand) I closed my eyes and the surprising sound of strumming on a guitar began.  Before each mystery we would pause offering it for a particular intention, slowly meditating on Jesus and a hymn would be sung.  Combining music with the rosary turned this prayer of death into a celebration of life.  The strumming on the guitar and the simple Spanish lyrics that accompanied each station spoke profoundly to my soul- I had found the way that the rosary was meant to be prayed.  That weekend, my love for the devotion began.  While, God knew I needed the joyful music to change my attitude towards this classic prayer eventually I learned to love it just as is.  Today, I try to pray it daily and many times when I can’t express myself in words the rosary does the talking for me.  It’s a very sensual prayer: the feeling of the beads in my fingers help me focus, the repetitive words create a beautiful, melodic rhythm and the images each mystery provides brings me into the presence of God.  It’s a very powerful prayer and once I learned to appreciate it, I realized that the length is just right.

If you find yourself initially having difficulty enjoying the prayer give it time to transform you.  I promise, the Holy Spirit will eventually win you over (smile).  In closing, Pope Leo XIII said, “the rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life.  It is a remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings.  There’s no more excellent way of praying.”  Though, I needed a conversion in learning to appreciate the rosary – I truly am aware of its power and encourage you to press on.  After all, not all saints “begin well, but they all ended well,” (smile).    

Love Mercy: Mercy Triumphs Over Justice

I was watching a movie about the Civil War a few days ago, and there was a General William Tecumseh Sherman quote at the beginning of the film, “War is cruelty.  There’s no use trying to reform it.  The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”  It expresses beautifully what I have been feeling like lately or as my teacher would say a Psalm 36 experience.  If I focus on not having a presidential candidate to support and watching my Christian values being challenged as intolerant in the latest Bathroom Bill- it makes me shudder with anxiety.  The losing popularity of Truth and high morals in first world countries sometimes makes me feel very pessimistic, even fearful.  When I feel so negative I like to read or listen to God’s word.  Since, I have been studying the Book of Psalms, I have been reading a lot great poetry commonly attributed to David.  Though, I have always loved the gospels and epistles (basically the complete New Testament) I never really spent a whole lot of time studying or praying the psalms.  Yet, because of my class I have been really ruminating over the Davidic poetry.  I have found Psalm 36 such a source of strength and encouragement.  I guess throughout our history we have been a people divided and always a society of sinners- but God has forever remained triumphant as the old cliché goes He doesn’t need defending.  There’s also that bit of wisdom on the uselessness of worry, “can any of you make himself an inch taller however much he worries about it?”  So, while I try not to worry about the status of my world, the only person I can really change is myself and hopefully becoming more Christian will affect my world.

Back to the general’s war quote, “War is cruelty.  There’s no use trying to reform it.  The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”  I attended some NA meetings with my brother and in the meetings they described three ends to people with addictions: hit rock bottom, jail or death.  In order to get better most addicts usually need to hit rock bottom.  This hitting rock bottom happens to most of us in our lives whether we are addicts or not.  I hit rock bottom after losing my brother and only when I was in the lowest point of my life did I hear and listened to God’s voice.  It was just little weak me and God- I was an empty vessel ready to be filled by Him.  So, when I think of the society I live in I think of the generals quote and I realize that sometimes before things can get better things need to get worse.  Throughout our Christian history this has been the case, people forget what God has done, idolize other Gods and get submerged in sin, because “sin speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts.”  People reject and have no reverence for God, Psalm 36 states, they feel too highly about themselves.  That’s what our society is going through we have too much pride, so much that we feel no need for God.  Yet, even when we waiver and when we forget God, He still loves us, “Your constant love reaches the heavens, Your faithfulness extends to the skies…”  No matter how stuck in the muck we get God is with us and waits to guide only after we hand over our will.  It’s so nice having scripture to teach us that what we are confronting today is nothing new.  Since the fall of man evil has been seducing our hearts and we must constantly remember that God’s mercy is still greater than any sin we commit.  That hitting rock bottom is a blessing in disguise because it gives us the humility to hear God and be molded by Him. 

I was asking God, why I was feeling so negative about these two political issues yesterday.  This morning I realized that it’s because I need to focus more on God’s mercy.  It’s no coincidence that this is the year of Mercy.  Pope Francis in his wisdom, knew that as Catholic’s we need to constantly refocus our thoughts and hearts towards God’s mercy.  When we want to criticize and condemn – we need to focus on God’s steadfast forgiveness.  We must remember that, “mercy triumphs over justice,” that his mercy is infinitely greater than His justice and that “we are all sinners, but God heals us with an abundance of grace, mercy and tenderness.”      

Mother's Day: Three Women Who Have Had The Biggest Impact on My Faith

In the spirit of Mother’s Day I would like to share three women who have inspired and encouraged my faith walk.  After all a saint cannot become a saint alone and God created us to live in community - in relationship with one another so that together we would become invincible in Christ.  My family is my strength, but also my weakness.  We are very close, when I am down they all come to my rescue and when they hurt I ache with them.  That’s the thing about love that if you’re open to it you’re also exposed to some of the most excruciating pain.  In the end, with God love is able to endure all (smile)...

First, my mother.  I am definitely a momma’s girl.  Growing up, I was more than seven years apart from my siblings which meant that my mother became my playmate.  I have so many fond memories of us pretending to play house, of her nursing me when I was ill, of her making me pretty dresses and of her being a lioness when someone tried to hurt her cub.  She’s also the one responsible for passing down our Catholic faith.  When I received my first communion she did everything possible to make my day memorable and to this day receiving my Eucharistic Sacrament is one of the best days of my life.  She came from a really poor family, when she received her First Communion she borrowed a dress from a Good Samaritan and her sister stole some fuchsia shoes so that mom would have dress shoes on her big day.  Together the two sisters painted the shoes white and during the celebration pieces of the white paint came off revealing the hot pink shoes.  She told me this story laughing while she dressed me in a fine communion ensemble.  Years later when I left the church and became agnostic (even with my rude, insulting comments about religion) she continued to press the importance of faith and of having God in my life.  Patiently, she prayed for me and patiently she accepted me lost, confused and with baggage of hurt.  While I experimented with all types of religions she encouraged me to continue seeking God. When I returned to the Catholic faith she rejoiced like the father of the prodigal son.  Today, I see her retrieve to her room daily to pray the rosary and spend time with God.  When she travels the first thing she does is find a parish to thank God for the good trip.  At night she prays for all of us, including many people that have asked her to pray for them.  And every Sunday the two of us head together to Mass, sometimes I have to attend English services to accommodate my schedule and though she doesn’t understand much she leaves that church glowing.  Her motto is, “God place in my path those you want me to help today.”

Second, my paternal grandma.  She’s the only grandmother I have known since my maternal one died when I was very young.  I have come to love and appreciate her more as an adult, because to be honest growing up I didn’t have much of a relationship with her because I thought she was too old and we didn’t have anything in common.  When I was in elementary and sometimes kids would get pulled out of class by their grandparents for a day of fun- I would be so jealous because my grandparents never did anything that cool.  Since, we usually took care of my grandparents when they visited from Mexico I grew up thinking that they were quite useless.  I had come to accept the mentality that old people deserved to be in old people’s homes- they were disposable.  But as I returned to my faith, God clearly asked me to tend my garden and that included my old grandparents.  The only one remaining was my grandmother.  So, I began having a relationship with her.  I spoke with her on the phone now and when she came to visit I began to spend time with her and get to know her.  She loves going to Mass and church functions with me- so God has really brought us together.  As I got to know her, I truly enjoyed our time together.  She’s a great conversationalist and really knows her theology!  Sometimes I am astounded by her spiritual knowledge.  It’s exciting to see her get so animated about all matters of faith- she loves staying with us when she is in the U.S. because she gets to join us for Mass every Sunday.  And don’t think of leaving mass before the blessing because she will give you a very thorough sermon about why one needs to stay until the end of the Eucharistic Service.  On Saturday, I took her to the Trinity Broadcasting Center and she was like a kid in Disneyland, she loved the Christian artwork and she knew many stories behind each piece.  She really inspires me to live life excited about God, to see Him daily in ordinary things and to seek Him daily for nourishment.

Finally, Mother Mary.  Coming from a protestant point-of-view it was tough to change my anti-Mary views when I returned to the Catholic Church.  I was afraid that if I paid too much attention to the mother of Jesus, he would get mad because I was idolizing her.  Gradually, God showed me that loving His mother was like loving Him.  He chose her for a very special mission and loves her in a very special way.  Slowly, I came to understand that ignoring her or belittling her, hurt God because I was mistreating His mother.  I realized that if someone claimed to love me, but would ignore and belittle my mom I would have a hard time believing his sentiments.  Slowly, change in me towards the Mother of our Church happened and now she’s my momma.  I turn to her when I am in a jam and I love praying the rosary with her.  My favorite novena is “Mary Undoer of Knots,” I pray it often.  I love Marian songs too.  Most importantly, I love having Mary as a model to follow.  I want to one day be able to say with complete trust and sincerity, “I am the servant of the Lord, let it be according to your word.”                     

400th Post: Gracias, What to Expect From "In My Shoes"

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Today “In My Shoes” achieves a huge milestone- post number 400!  I can’t believe, I’ve had so much to say nor that you my faithful readers have been so supportive in this journey.  Almost three years ago I had this vision to use this platform as a method for evangelization for friends and family- what I didn’t expect was that the person who would have the greatest conversion would be me.  I found my voice as a Christian woman and the rhythm for my personal faith.  This little blog helped me to discover my Catholic identity and to fall more deeply in love with God because in order to write I was challenged to get to know Him & my faith more deeply.  Cheers to that!  So, while I wanted to use my talents to reach my world- I was the one who needed this space more than anyone.  Which continues to prove what I learned long ago – that when you serve the Lord, He always returns the favor leaving you with such contentedness in your soul (smile); “When a loving person can do good for others, or sees that others are happy, they themselves live happily and in this way give glory to God, for “God loves a cheerful giver.”” Praise God for that! 

Four things you will continue to see in future posts:

DIY Projects- To celebrate my milestone I made myself Pina Colada Sangria:  

Ingredients:

2 750 ml bottles of cheap Moscato

20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, juice and pineapple

1 ½ cups coconut rum

Combine all ingredients in large pitcher. Refrigerate overnight and serve chilled.

Thrifted Finds- Sometimes, I will like to lighten the mood and share more about my bargain shopping and my desire to live green by shopping secondhand.  In addition, to sharing tips on simplifying my life- decluttering and overcoming my own commercialization tendencies.

Personal Testimony- And of course I will continue to document my big Catholic life one moment at a time.  Last night I was really bummed about John Kasich’s withdrawal from the presidential run because there’s no candidate now that represents my Catholic values.  I couldn’t even concentrate at work after I heard about Kasich’s suspension, but after I got home and spent some time alone with Papa Dios- I realized that God is still God and He’s the one in charge.  So, no matter who is in office, God will provide. And come November we can still write in the name of the person we think should lead this country (smile).

Other- I want to keep the subject matter open to anything else that might inspire me like documenting my weight loss journey, or sharing the occasional adventures that I embark in or talking about relationships from a Catholic perspective.  Am thinking of doing bimonthly weight loss check-ins to inspire and promote a healthy lifestyle change.  When I travel or attend cool events I would also like to continue taking you along for the ride through my eyes.  In addition to, sharing pieces of the various organizations that are helpful or are making the world better.  Finally, sharing the things I pick up about relationships from a Christian perspective.  We all need encouragement and am an avid reader so until I pick experience on the courtship process I will share my academic knowledge on the subject (smile). I close in the words of Pope Francis, “Love trusts, it sets free, it does not try to control, possess and dominate everything…”

Again, thanks for reading, cheers to another 400 posts! Hugs!  

Transgendered Bathrooms: What about my rights?

Yesterday, in RCIA class the students presented controversial topics to open a dialogue in Christian moral theology.  We had four groups of students covering the hot topics of abortion & euthanasia, homosexuality, war and chastity.  The groups normally present how society and the church view each subject matter; in addition, to sharing their own personal stand.  As teachers, we play devil’s advocate challenging their views by asking them questions that will inspire deeper reflection and hopefully a better understanding about why church teachings need to form our social consciousness.  It’s sad to see how relativism has penetrated the minds of many and how misinformed people are about church moral teaching.  Many think that the church is intolerant, out dated and wrong because they don’t take the time to really explore and learn about their faith.  Recently, I have come across an issue that really upsets and worries me, the issue of making public restrooms accessible to transgender people.  I have been vocal about how I was molested as a child and this experience has seriously affected me in my daily life.  While I have overcome a lot of issues associated with the abuse- I still feel safer around people of my own sex.  In fact, I go out of my way to have women doctors, my psychologist & therapist must be women, and recently joining a female only gym has been such a positive experience.  Therefore, gender neutral bathrooms terrify me.  I have been thinking a lot about this lately, biologically we are male and female, but now society is saying that if we identify more with one sex over the other that’s who we are.  That if I feel like a woman that’s enough to go and use the women’s restroom regardless of the sex I was born with?  So, their argument is that sexual identity is a matter of feeling, a matter of choice and nothing to do with biology. If I feel female that’s enough to use the women’s restroom- now some might argue that I am being unfair that this is in support of the transgendered community… But who is going to be keeping tabs at the door making sure that only the “real” people who identify as women come through the door? 

We have become a people that aims to be a feel-good-all-inclusive, progressive society.  Yet, our church continues to guide us and to help us define what is right.   Pope Francis recently said in regards to this gender confusion – that we must help people accept their objective sexual identity.  He says that we must teach the young “to accept their bodies as it was created… and to help them respect and appreciate their sexual difference.”  Our Pope tells us that it’s ok to be different because God purposely created us so.  Transgendered people argue that public restroom accommodations is a right they have, that having bathrooms separated by sex is a type of discrimination.  American ears fear the word discrimination; thus, Target stores in an effort for equality have stated that transgendered people are free to use whichever restroom they feel comfortable with…  What about my rights as a woman?  Am I not being discriminated? Are my rights not being violated?  I am a woman because biologically that’s how God created me- do I not have the right to have public accommodations for me?  Must I accept that now being a woman is based on feeling not biological?  It always comes down to definitions maybe we need to go back to basics and remember what male and female means.  It goes beyond a feeling- it’s a matter of biology and science.  Secular culture normally loves to use science to oppose religion – well this time science clearly explains what male and female are.  Thus, I have a right as a woman to retain my public bathroom usage as is.

There’s a petition to challenge Target's policy and keep restrooms seperated by sex, but to offer a unisex option for the trandgendered community. I urge you to sign the petition below:
   

I Pledge to Boycott Target Stores