Mr. Mistake

Take your mind all the way back to late December or early January 1938. Eighteen-year-old Helen works as a nursing assistant in a hospital where a young man, who fell from a bridge while doing construction work and broke his back, is a patient. They became close during his extended hospital stay. Once he recovered enough to leave the hospital, the two started dating.

During that late December/early January time period, the two dated several times. At some point during their courtship, the lovemaking resulted in a grave mistake: Helen became pregnant.

Knowing she could not financially raise a child, Helen faced one of the most serious choices of her young life: "What do I do?”

Was the new baby growing in her womb a mistake? Yes. Was she going to make another mistake and have the baby killed or aborted in politically correct language? The answer to that question was no. After all, it was not the child’s fault it had been created. It was a mistake she and her lover had made. Helen chose to carry the new baby full term to birth and then place it up for adoption.

On September 27, 1938, Mr. Mistake took his first breath of life in the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers. After he had been cleaned up and wrapped in a warm, soft blanket, he was handed to Helen to hold. She named him Roger. However, their time together was very brief, just a few minutes. The nurses then whisked Mr. Mistake away, and Helen knew she would never see him again.

Had she done the correct thing? Would her baby end up in a good home? What kind of future would he have? Would he have a family of his own? The questions continued to swirl in her head as Mr. Mistake was moved 95.7 miles south to the Christian Home, a facility specializing in adoption.

During the Great Depression, an extremely hardworking, God-fearing couple grew up, married, and dreamed of building a large family. Despite their efforts, they could not have a child of their own. Eventually, this wonderful couple, who lived on a farm, adopted Mr. Mistake.

Life started off well for Mr. Mistake. He had wonderful parents who loved him with all their hearts. They lived on a farm, where he learned about life and death through raising livestock. 

Being skilled in mechanical work, electrical work, plumbing, welding, animal husbandry, and bookkeeping is crucial for survival and success. Raising and exhibiting prize livestock were a part of his high school years.

Mr. Mistake has a diverse career background. He served in the US Army, worked as a police officer, spent 20 years at a major radio station, built and managed a successful manufacturing facility, served twelve years in the US Congress, and spent thirteen years as the Vice President of a ballistics forensics company. As Vice President, he helped the company build and establish its product as the world standard in ballistic identification.

While accomplishing this, Mr. Mistake married and has three daughters, a son, and five grandchildren.

Yes, Helen made the right choice. She didn't blame her mistake on the baby she had created. She allowed Mr. Mistake to live and become the voice of the millions of children we kill each year under the false, selfish guise of "nobody tells me what to do with my body.”

What you have just read is a true story. Mr. Mistake is retired today and lives with his wife of nearly fifty years in White Oak, TX.