The tenet, “We live and promote a Life Culture within the womb, the home, and our ecological environment,” is really an intimate and far-reaching belief. It is also something that applies to so many of the current events that we see in headlines and frontlines across the world at every level. In the United States, there is movement by many states to reform their laws pertaining to abortion. There are currently two states that are considering laws that would allow for infanticide up to 28 days after a baby is born. The language in these bills includes such words as “pregnancy outcomes” and “perinatal.” Some of the efforts and laws in other states have created restrictions that have pro-life activists cheering because abortion clinics have had to close. They see this as a victory. And while that may be the case, there are still women who may feel driven to seek an abortion because of the situation in which they find themselves. My friend Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa, founder and president of New Wave Feminists, speaks regularly about how “the best thing that everybody can do is serve the person right in front of you, the woman who needs help in your neighborhood or on your college campus – babysitting so she can study for finals or giving her a ride to a doctors appointment, all of these really basic things, maybe helping her with a light bill… This is how we make big change, not by asking the government to do something, but we ourselves, if we all stopped and looked for the woman right in front of us and served her, we wouldn’t need this dependency on policies and laws because we’d actually be living out the pro-life model.” It is important to be aware of what is happening in your state legislature and certainly to advocate and agitate for the policies we want to see, but as Destiny said, the most effective change starts with yourself, the person in front of you, and in your own community.
This model applies to all types of influence we hope to have. In our homes and circles of influence, we promote life culture in so many ways. In the articles we have for you this month, we have an update on the efforts of Big Ocean Women and friends to help Marta at her shelter and the people in Ukraine facing the invasion forces from Russia. Shelli considers how opening doors and looking at things in a different way can help us to improve our way of seeing the world around us and our place in it. Norma reflects about how sourdough bread and life culture share similar important characteristics. As life culture begins at home, Lyn shares with us her thoughts on mothering and Emily tells sweet stories of the fruits of her labors that are worth the effort of starting over several times. We are pleased to have Paige join us, and she describes her experiences introducing her family to the ocean. Michelle gives wonderful advice on how we can bring life to the hearts and minds of those with whom we interact by sharing positive and uplifting words. We also bring you a message of faith and hope from a missionary friend and a quick update from our thriving cottage in Jos, Nigeria.
April will bring with it again the celebration of Earth Day. We want to honor the gift that is the opportunity to live on this beautiful planet. We mourn for the damage that is done to the ecological environment by the terrible things that happen wherever people are in conflict with each other. We encourage you to continue to work to promote a culture of life in your sphere of influence: in your home, your community, and your involvement with other like-minded groups that together have an increased reach and power to do good.
