By Joyce Godwin
Herald Democrat
“Summertime, and the livin‘ is easy …” So starts the classic George Gershwin song written for the 1935 musical “Porgy and Bess.”
What youngster doesn’t buy into that sentiment as soon as the school doors open for the summer? Well, there are, after all, a number of teens who take a different approach to the long, hot days of summer and some of them were recently in Grayson County. Just days after Grayson County schools sounded the final bell for the 2007 spring semester, Annette Corbett and Seth Wright, both Grayson County natives, were in Los Angeles getting ready for what they call a life-changing experience. They began walking May 19. They’re still walking, and plan to be in Washington D.C. by Aug. 10 where they’ll participate in a pro-life rally. Alexandra Corbett and Damian Smith, both from Grayson County, have joined the walk for a portion of the event.
Similar walk teams began in Seattle, Wash., San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C., and they’ll converge on the nation’s capital on the same day. The program is called Crossroads and the mission is understanding the value of suffering, hoping to convert hearts and minds and to save lives — those of the unborn.
Team leader for the Southern walk, the team that stopped in Grayson County a few weeks ago, is seminary student Curt Seidel of Billings, Mont. This is his second Crossroads walk and he says it may not be his last.
While on the walk, the group tries to raise awareness for the lives of unborn babies by speaking in meetings at the cities they pass through. Some of the cities where the Southern walk group has stayed the weekend are Los Angeles, Phoenix, Lubbock, Abilene and Dallas.
Seidel said each group travels with an RV and the group divides into rotating teams so someone is walking all the time. When asked why he got involved with Crossroads, he said, “A group walked through my home town the year I graduated (from high school) and I liked their message.” He added that a popular quote from Albert Einstein had grabbed his attention. “‘All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing’ has convicted me to start up,” he said. “I didn’t have to get a job that summer, so I decided to make it count for something I believe in.”
Wright, 31, and a teacher at Collin County Community College, said in a statement that he wanted to participate in the Crossroads program “to contribute to the struggle against the Culture of Death and to witness for a Culture of Life.” He said it’s important for residents across the country to understand there are people who disagree with some of society’s norms, standards and culture. He wants to be one who stands up for his beliefs.
Before starting out on this year’s walk, Annette Corbett, 18, said, “Standing for Christ and doing His will has always been the number one thing in her life. “Walking for the pro-life cause and changing hearts seems like a great chance to grow and evangelize,” she said. “Crossroads reminds me of Calvary, the long walk up to the crucifixion, but for those that cannot walk (unborn babies) — we will walk for them and speak for them. I think Crossroads will be a fantastic experience for me, and that I will grow so much closer to Christ.”
Seidel, who hopes to enter the priesthood, took a moment to reflect on his first experience walking across the country. He said he was surprised at how positive the reactions were to his walk team from people they encountered. “The number of people who stopped to show a genuine concern for us as we walked was touching,” he said. “There were other people who stopped simply to find out why the group was walking.”
He added that he wants to encourage people to get involved with saving unborn children from abortion. Prayer and volunteering are two things Seidel named as ways to get involved. Crisis Pregnancy Centers need support and involvement from the public. He also said counseling women who’ve already gone through abortion is another important part of this ministry.
Individuals interested in keeping up with the progress of these young people from Grayson County should check out the journal at www.saintpats.net where daily messages from the walkers are posted regularly along with pictures.
Crossroads was founded in 1994 by Steve Sanborn, a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
Crossroads recognizes the need to spread the message of life and love through the means that the modern world provides.
The organization also sponsors the Michael Project Fund to provide assistance to women in financial crisis who would like to choose the gift of life for their child.
For more information about the Crossroads experience, visit the Web site at www.crossroadswalk.org.
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