girl. She named her child Hope, symbolic of “The
hope you gave me in a brighter future.” Since Hope
seemed destined to never know an earthly father,
her mother offered her to her heavenly Father in
Baptism.
When we found Hayley, she was living with a heavy
debt over her head. At my family’s request, she
moved in with my parents and me until her debts
were paid. Pretty soon, she became a part of the
family. And every possible Saturday, she and Hope
accompanied Liam and me in our mission of life.
At the end of his tour, my brother came home.
With him was the one POW he mentioned in his
letter. He, like Hayley, made a hard choice, giving
up all that he had stood for. He, like Hayley, was in
desperate need of help. He, like Hayley, came under
our roof temporarily. And each Saturday, he and
Dan joined the four of us in our mission of life.
Hayley, Hope, and I moved out after half a year. We
found a small apartment close to both our jobs. She
enrolled in online schooling, and I continued my
courses at the community college. Still, Saturdays
always saw our group going out on our mission of
life.
***
It has been eight years since I began pro-life
ministry. Hayley remains single, praying every night
for Hope’s earthly father, that he might one day
claim his child.
I no longer pray at 8220 Warnock, for it has been
shut down. Hayley, Hope, Liam, and I now face an
hour-long drive in order to visit the nearest facility.
Yet every Saturday still finds us praying on the
sidewalk.
Dan’s motto is still my own, although I have adapted
it some. I feel that my Mother is not only standing
beside me, holding me up — no, she is also waging
war right alongside me, guiding each Hail Mary into
the heart of the enemy.
Mama, I never said I was strong. Fight by my side; lead
me aright.
This is my word to you: life is a war. Don’t let
anyone tell you otherwise. You’re called to active
duty, whether downtown, overseas, or in your own
heart. There will be battles; there will be trials;
there will be pain. But there will be triumph; there
will be victory; there will be Hope.
Zoe Krauskopf
is an amateur flutist, works at McDonald’s
(“and am lovin’ it”), adores the Oxford comma, and
is a diehard writer. She composes recreationally and
competitively on the Seton Writers’ Club, an independent site
founded eleven years ago by Seton students. In November,
she completed the first draft of a full-length novel,
A
Midnight Summer’s Dream
.
19
BAYLEY BULLETIN, MAR-MAY 2016
