The holiday season is upon us. This year has both sped by and dragged on. Everyone has felt some sort of change in their lives either directly or indirectly from the COVID-19 Pandemic. And so we look to the future and to the past as we usually do as the year draws to a close.…
Greetings to my lovely friends and members of Big Ocean Women! My name is Holly Sweeten and I’ve been asked to take this wonderful opportunity to tell you about myself for our November newsletter. First, I am happy to tell you that I serve with the cottage committee for BOW and it is truly an…
Last night I had a very simple but powerful experience. In the quiet winding down time of the late evening, I was scrolling through Facebook, as I probably do too often, and I saw a post from a local yard sale group. Instead of listing something for sale, a woman was asking for help. She…
This is the second time I sat down to write today. When I started this morning, or rather, tried to start, I had just logged into the computer when my son called me from the garage to let me know that our freezer was full of food that was no longer frozen. Needless to say,…
I grew up firmly in the grasp of my mother’s extended family. We gathered monthly at the home of her grandmother or an aunt or uncle and the adults visited while the children played. We ate a hearty meal, laughed, told stories, and learned more about ourselves in the learning about each other. If my…
All around us there are things that are completely out of our control. I cannot change the past. I cannot change my children’s minds or make them into the people I hoped they would grow to be. I cannot end the pandemic that rages on, nor can I calm the fears that plague. Because there…
What are the things that we hope most to see in our children? Of all of the lessons we try to teach, with all of the time and effort put in to raising the next generation, what really matters the most? Rebekah Pierce, one of our newest members of the Communications Committee, would propose that…
While so much is changing in the world as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, so much is still able to stay the same. We were unable to travel to the U.N. and have our workshop there, but we were able to create an online summit with help from our friends. If you missed the…
Two women faced unplanned pregnancy. Both of the fathers pressured them to abort. They both courageously chose life. Emalee was enjoying living her normal life like any 21 year old. Describing her first thoughts after finding out she was pregnant, she said, “I was scared. I didn’t know how everything would turn out. I wondered…
The journey through existence is always teaching us lessons. If we are observant, we can learn so much just from our personal experiences and those of the people around us. Interesting creatures that we are, people are often inspired by the stories of other people and their struggles and triumphs. Dramatic productions have entertained people…