Today I need to speak up about something that is profoundly upsetting me.
During the Covid-19 crisis it seems like human life
has become increasingly cheap in the United States.
I have actually been told to my face that it's okay
if a bunch of old people are killed by the virus
because it's just cleaning out the dead wood.
And, it's okay if old or sick people die
because we're getting rid of burdens on society.
THIS IS NOT OKAY!
Every human life has value, no matter how old an individual is,
how sick, how disabled.
Every human being has the inherent right to be treated with dignity and with compassion.
No individual is more valuable than another.
Sheltered by Love from My Beginning
My Mother and Father with Me
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
March 1950
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
I believe that the vast majority of people around the world value human life.I think the people who are cheapening human life are the tiny minority,
but they are grabbing the headlines.
I am afraid that if we don't stand up for the intrinsic value of every human life,
we will slide into an acceptance of getting rid of
the "dead wood" and "burdens" on society.
Loving Care
My Mother with Me
Stanhope Beach, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Summer 1951
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Abraham Lincoln, a great American president said, 
Loving Fun
My Mother with Me
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
Summer 1952
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Loving Celebrations
My Mother with Me at My 6th Birthday Celebration ~
Delayed by the Birth of my sister Barb
Delayed by the Birth of my sister Barb
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Spring 1956
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
"All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
This is a time for us to stand up for the value every human life.
I am posting some treasured pictures of my mother,
the most amazing human being I have ever known.
When she died, when I saw her take her last breath,
I begged God to let her breathe even one more time,
because I couldn't bear to lose this magnificent human being,
this person I loved with everything in me.
Sara Margaret MacDonald MacBeath
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
She might have callously been viewedby some stranger as "dead wood" or "a burden,"
but to me and the people who loved her, she was irreplaceable.
Almost twenty years later there is a hole in my heart
because I love and miss my mother so much.
I posted these words on Facebook this morning,
after a discussion about this topic with my sister Donnie last night.
As we talked I realized that it was shameful for me to stay silent.
I woke up knowing I had to speak out, say something.
My Parents Dating
(My Dad is Wearing a Bowtie)
Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada
Circa 1946
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Their Wedding Day
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
September 4, 1948
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Their Honeymoon
Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
September 5 or 6, 1948
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
about the despicable treatment of an elderly neighbor,
a neighbor she described as "the most amazing lady,
someone she absolutely loves.
This lady is in her mid-eighties.
She went out for a walk yesterday and encountered two people
who were walking while holding hands and blocking the entire sidewalk.
She asked them to give her a little space, and they responded,
"Why don't you just stay home, old woman."
She answered sadly that she hoped they wouldn't get the virus.
It's heartbreaking to know that some people
feel empowered to treat others in such a callous way.
They do not understand the phrase,
"There but for the grace of God, go I."
Perhaps they haven't lived long enough to understand
how fragile life is and how it can change in a heartbeat.
They can't imagine, in their youth and healthiness,
that they might suffer a devastating illness or accident
that leads to their incapacitation or their dependence on others.
They can't imagine that someday, if they are fortunate,
they will live to be as old.
We cannot treat others like this.
We need to support civility;
but even more importantly,
we need to stand up for the value of every single human life.
It is my deepest hope that we learn from this surreal and difficult time,
that we recognize the importance of every human being,
that we build a better and more equal world.
We cannot sit back and be silent.
Throughout this post I have shared pictures of my mother.
I encourage everyone to share stories and photos
of the irreplaceable people in their lives.
Let's counteract callousness and hate with love.
Love Given and Returned
My Mother with My Brother Toward the End of Her Life
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Possibly the Fall of 2001
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Our Last Photo Together
A Few Days Before My Mother Died
The value of her life is written on the faces of her children,
even in the body of her beloved Daxie.
Bertie (left), Roy, Me (Louise), Barb, Donnie
The value of her life is written on the faces of her children,
even in the body of her beloved Daxie.
Bertie (left), Roy, Me (Louise), Barb, Donnie
May 2002
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Donnie and I
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Donnie and I
Point Prim
On the Bay of Fundy
Summer 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
