Abundance of Love Last night I bought into a big lie. As I contemplated how I might show love and gratitude to family and friends as we close out another year, I was certain I didn’t have enough to accomplish the task. Even worse, I was positive that I was not enough. I made some…
What no one tells you when you begin to teach is that probably the most effective teaching you will do will be in that little sliver of time before and after class, the quiet conversation in the arriving or the leaving, the whispered questions, the impromptu conferences, the getting to know you and how was…
On a recent trip with my son to visit grandparents in Arizona, an outing culminated in a visit to a new ice cream shop for a scoop of my favorite flavor, “Graham Canyon.” After enjoying the frozen goodness and some giggles from my son donning a five-gallon ice cream bucket as a stylish helmet, we wandered…
One passage of Scripture that I love is found in Romans Chapter 8, verse 28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” All things. All things? All things! The good things obviously come from God. It is so easy to recognize that and be thankful for those…
One morning during my teen years, my father reminded me I had not done my household chores of the previous evening. As I gathered my books to head for school, I casually replied that I hadn’t had time. He paused for a moment and then said with his penetrating look, “You had just as much…
A year ago, we introduced you to Linda Hastings, a woman of abundance. Linda lost her battle with cancer in August, but she won the war of cultivating abundance in her life and the lives of all who knew her. May I share some secrets I learned from her on developing an abundant heart? Love…
During the sun’s annual trip around our fair and lovely planet, we are blessed with the beauty of our seasons. This season we are presently in is one that also devotes time and energy in celebrating victories of our year-end goals, the harvest of our efforts and collaborative work and most assuredly we celebrate abundance. We rejoice…
As I was contemplating our tenet of abundance, I saw a perfect FB post by Wendi Mott Olsen. She gave permission for us to adapt and share it here. I’m sure it will inspire you as it did me. With a recent announcement regarding a favorite group of cafeterias closing, I can’t help but ponder…
One of the ways that I am always so happy to see the positive culture of abundance so clearly demonstrated is when there are invitations to donate for people in need: when major storms hit an area, when the pandemic left people in great need, and most recently as the Utah cottages and friends from…
A woman in my former neighborhood simply amazes me. She sees a need in the community, and she does something about it. When I first met her, I didn’t understand her reasoning; I thought she must be trying to stir up trouble. But later I began to understand. Her main goal is to build understanding…
While each cottage and its members are models of powerful impact, we encouraged our global cottages to report on their recent gatherings and how Big Ocean Women tenets have affected them and their members. We have responses from three of our international cottages. Their responses are heartwarming, especially given the unprecedented challenges many of them…
This month, we are delighted to share an experience from Lyn’s daughter, Ellen. Have you ever had an impulsive idea pop into your head and acted on it without thought? I’m sure most of us have, and with varying results. One warm summer night this last August, a spontaneous notion turned my small corner of…
It started with an idea. A problem really. One with no easy solution. So what do you do? You get creative. The problem? A growing number of coral reefs around the world are dying. The task? Crochet a coral reef. Now, you might be asking why, and we will get to that in a moment,…
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.…
