Currents of hope and gratitude burst from our authors’ pens this month, Norma notes. Yes, Current events are especially troublesome. We women who carry our entire world wherever we go may naturally feel weighed down as we face COVID-19 with its many ramifications. There is no denying it has brought chaos to our lives–physically, socially,…
The three environments outlined in this month’s tenet, “We live and promote a life culture within the womb, the home, and our ecological environment,” remind me of three personal experiences, one focusing on each of these related environments. First, I remember holding Heather, my first baby, and feeling awed and a little shocked about…
Houston rides again! Following up on their “Screenagers” event in April 2019, January saw this dynamic cottage bringing Collin Kartchner from www.savethekids.us to discuss the connection between social media and screen addiction to the rise in teens’ mental health ailments and declining self-esteem. The event, marked by mammoth fund-raising efforts and a partnership with a…
Meet Kathy Stimpson, our crackerjack editor and “sneaker wave.” According to Wikipedia, a sneaker wave is “a disproportionately large coastal wave that can sometimes appear in a wave train without warning.” That’s Kathy to a T. She prefers to hover quietly near the shore, insisting she is no big deal. For a while we are…
The Provo Cottage joined forces in December with others to gather household items for refugees from Afghanistan. That’s the condensed version of what they accomplished, but certainly not the complete story. They showcased this month’s tenet, “We are each unique and innately worthy of respect.” The tenet description adds, “… individual worth is not contingent…
Welcome to Currents, a new feature to encourage your engagement in the work and worth of Big Ocean. This month we focus on being women of faith and what that may look like. Shelli shares her poetic gift with words using a stack of blankets at an art exhibit while Aleisha highlights the power of…
When Marisa Hoover first learned about Big Ocean, she did what she always does: conducted some research and then jumped in with both feet. At the time she was a freshman at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She and a friend were drawn to an Instagram post inviting young women to apply to be…
The Salt Lake Valley cottage is tried and true, steady and strong. Forged in the early days of Big Ocean by Dana Robb, this cottage shines like a beacon. As other cottages cycle through high and low tides, it retains a constant current of good works and fellowship. You will note that they involve their…
What happens when two cottages that are a world apart geographically adopt each other as sisters? A Model of Powerful Impact. Bam! The Houston cottage in the United States had just completed its first large-scale project and felt called to expand its reach to a more global endeavor. The Nigerian cottage, small in numbers but…
You know that feeling when your clothes are a bit snug or your love handle has expanded beyond reasonable bounds? Well, that’s the feeling I had about social media last month. I felt bloated with too much information, yet powerless to leave it alone and walk away. My internal compass persistently nudged me to take…