What does it mean to you to seek after knowledge and wisdom? Sometimes we think of the time spent in school, or returning to college to complete a degree or start a new adventure in learning. Sometimes we think of sitting at the knee of a wise grandmother, or working in the kitchen or garden…
As a mom of three littles, I’ve found some deep wisdom from my sweet ones. It often comes out of nowhere and takes me off guard a bit. I thought I would share some of my favorite nuggets with you and see if you can relate to them the way I did. Once, my (then)…
Houston, Texas is the fourth most populous city in the United States of America and is known as the world capital of space exploration. In April of 1970, astronaut Jim Lovell contacted mission control from space in the Apollo 13 spacecraft with the famous saying, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Lovell and fellow astronaut Jack…
I’ve been pondering how to seek knowledge and wisdom — keeping an ear to the ground for what I might learn. This light-hearted explanation made me smile, but also rang true: “Knowledge is knowing tomatoes are fruit; wisdom is not adding them to a fruit salad.” I embrace learning and gaining knowledge and I know…
You know what is often forgotten, when we talk about family? It is the unspoken moments, the feel, the sense of individual members of the same people, the same tribe, the same tradition, wrapping around one another, entwined, like threads that have been woven into a larger whole, the indescribable moments that we find lodged…
“Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.” Brian Tracy Several years ago, my husband and I bought our first home in Houston, Texas. We were unfamiliar with the area and knew only two people nearby. One of the first women to…
“You’re having this baby tomorrow,” my obstetrician said matter of factly. My blood pressure was too high. She went over troubling symptoms to watch for and outlined possible outcomes. Everything that could go wrong flooded my mind and swirled in a dizzying whirlpool all that day and through the night. My third baby was born…
I love to learn. I have always had a desire to know and experience and do. Some things are more interesting than others, of course, but if I have a friend who does something, I am more likely to want to do it than if I am on my own. When I lived near a…
Kaylee grew up in St. George, Utah, USA and is the second oldest of seven children. She lived in a tight-knit community where the children played night games together regularly and families supported each other. Kaylee has also lived elsewhere in Utah, California, Brazil, and North Carolina. In this season of her life, Kaylee is…
Most of the efforts by Big Ocean Women to help in Ukraine lately has been coordinating the sending of gathered and donated medical supplies, quilts, and bulletproof vests to those in need through the organization, Backroads Foundation. They are able to get these much-needed supplies to the hardest hit areas, including most of the smaller…
There I stood as a young girl at the age of four, sobbing as I watched my father leave again. It always felt like forever until I saw him again, and it often was forever. Most of the time he never looked back to see me, crying behind the glass door of our home. He…
Over the Easter weekend, the 15th to the 17th of April 2022, the Jos, Nigeria cottage hosted a retreat for youth in their area, including orphans, displaced children, and some from under-privileged homes. They wanted to get teenagers together in an atmosphere where, cottage leader Fatima explained, they would feel free to “express themselves without…
Visit to the Orphanage 12/2021 The South Sudan Juba Orphanage was established in 1960, making it the oldest orphanage in the country. Currently, it is the home of over 60 children. The orphanage is under the Central Equatoria State Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare. The orphanage does not have funders, so support to provide…
The Houston cottage understands and promotes individual worth, especially the worth of girls and women. This past year the cottage, led by Nikki Brown, has served in very sweet and personal ways. Families transitioning out of homelessness have many challenges. Working with a local non-profit organization, the Houston cottage members prepared and delivered meals for…
One of the realities for me of being a writing teacher is that I spend my life reading: reading books, reading craft theory, reading student drafts, reading the work of my writing group. I find myself frequently in a place to discuss with others their ideas and their opinions and their storytelling—whether they are writing…
We begin the new year with this powerful tenet: “We believe in God and are women of faith.” This is a common theme about which we speak and write. But it is more than words and ideas. It is most powerful when modeled by the examples of women who live it. We invited such women…
I met Dr. Ugochi Ohajuruka the first time I went to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in 2017. As I filmed her, I was so taken by her desire to lift women out of poverty and give girls the correct maturation knowledge and tools to build a good foundation for the future.…
Last night I finished reading a memoir that left me reeling. I lay in bed for several hours afterward pondering my place in the world. I evaluated the way I spend my time, my abilities (or my perception of my abilities), my dreams, my circumstances, and I prayed solemn prayers for direction. My mind felt…
