“Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car." - E.B. White
I just had to have a garage. At the top of my house-hunting wish list several years ago, I prioritized this homeowner’s feature. In my mind, keeping my car out of the elements outweighed a few extra dollars tacked on to an asking price. Of course, I quickly learned that a garage adds way more than “a few extra dollars” to a home’s value; too much for my budget, as it turned out. So I begrudgingly traded a garage for the trusty $10 ice scraper and soon closed on a house, on January 22, of all dates, when we memorialize the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
We settled into our new home, located on a popular cut-through street dubbed by my town as a “Scenic Road.” Scenic or not, living close to the corner and adjacent to a major roadway, I quickly became accustomed to wrong turn-ers: drivers who discovered errors in their routes, pulled into my driveway and back out again, ready to reverse course.
I saw them, right outside my home office window, many times each day. Inevitably, I’d be in deep-work mode only to hear their arrival on my property. “How annoying!” I complained after a while, as I watched yet another lost driver pull into the driveway behind my parked car, pause at the wheel long enough to glance at his phone, then look up again and leave. Admittedly, the entrepreneur in me began to sense opportunity; I had customers, I just needed a compelling value proposition. Lemonade stand? Used books?
Just when we’d found a routine after our move, Providence disrupted us.
There was no way to avoid the deer on our way back from school one evening. Despite my best efforts, he and his antlers plowed into my van at full speed and totaled it. (Yes, I looked for the deer to make sure he was alright. Yes, we were alright . . . though my kids heard a few new words tumble out of my mouth as wildlife and Chevy collided.) A week later, I found myself at a used car dealership, with an insurance check deposited and a desire to make the best of the whole situation through the purchase of a long-overdue accessory: a pair of Choose Life license plates.
I’d always loved the story behind the plate. It’s a modern-day epic: one woman’s unlikely success in generating sufficient grassroots support across radically pro-abortion Massachusetts that resulted in our very own pro-life license plate. And, just as wonderful, Merry Nordeen structured her nonprofit so that money from every plate purchase directly supports our state’s charitable pregnancy resource centers through Choose Life’s grant program.
Here’s how it works:
When I purchased a Choose Life License Plate, I paid $40 more than my regular registration fee. The Motor Vehicle Registry kept $12 to pay for the cost of manufacturing the plate, and Choose Life, Inc. received $28. When I have since renewed my plate, Choose Life received the full $40. With thousands of plates sold since 2012, Choose Life has provided more than $1 million to our pregnancy resource centers.
Turns out, there are intangible benefits of plate ownership that are just as worthy.
With Choose Life plates, I gained membership in an elite club of pro-life road warriors, a network of ambassadors for the good, true and beautiful that no other plate or bumper sticker offers. We wave to each other, unknown allies in today’s greatest battle. Plus, tooling around with Choose Life plates has done wonders for my generosity as a driver. It’s delicious to take the high road in any given situation, knowing others might be sneering at me and my plates, as I smile and allow them to turn first or take the parking spot I also wanted.
Our mission is love. And my plates challenge me to out-love every other person on the roads, chin up, proudly representing our movement along with my peers. I have never experienced vandalism nor heard about any from other plate owners.
In fact, the best part about my Choose Life plate is that, exposed in my garageless driveway, it continues to do its job on my parked car. Errant drivers swing in and find themselves face to face with its simple, compelling sales pitch. “Choose Life” awaits those who just might be looking for direction. For my money, that’s the greatest value proposition on the market, even more refreshing than lemonade.
Order your plate today and join the club. We know that a pro-life future lies ahead on the horizon. Who knows? We just might get there in a car.
Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving celebration.
Myrna
P.S. - Our fetal development booklets have been such a hit that we need to place a second order! These were 100% funded by supporters like you on Giving Tuesday a couple years ago. On December 2, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to this project again – and it will include a Spanish and Portuguese version. Watch your Giving Tuesday email!