As I read through the articles submitted by our talented authors this month I was pleased to see how each of these women took the same tenet, “We are each unique and worthy of respect,” and filtered it through her life experience and perspective to share with the world a gift of light. This happens…
Betty Abah is the 15th of 30 children. She is the only one from her family to get an education, and it has led her back to her home in Lagos, Nigeria. Betty is the CEO of CEE-HOPE, an NGO that focuses on the rights and welfare of vulnerable children. She is also a journalist,…
The hit song “Diamond” by Martina McBride and Keith Urban was written to honor women exclaiming they are, “priceless as they come.” Throughout history, women have often been referred to in poetry, song, literature, and terms of endearment as precious stones. Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, and his other works comparing women to…
Kalisa Jenson is a force for good who draws on the examples of faith and service from her family as she is engaged in her work as a wife, a mother, a student, and the secretary of the Cottage Committee for Big Ocean Women. Kalisa grew up in a family with two brothers and two…
It was such an honor to speak to and connect with the incredible kids of Emmett Middle School. They are truly some incredible kids, and Kim Landeen and I felt honored to be able to meet them and connect with them. We presented on Friday January 15th to six periods of roughly 15-25 students (around…
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…
The focus of Big Ocean Women’s discussion for February is that we are each unique and innately worthy of respect. In articles, photos, and a video, Ann, Norma, and Shelli show us great examples of the Provo Cottage working together with other organizations, churches, the community, and families “crossing borders, erasing barriers, seeing beyond differences…
As women we have a unique and innate capacity to see another’s need and to meet that need. Our outreach is not limited to only those we know or those who act and think like us. We see the goodness and dignity of every person and yearn to see them be happy and secure and…
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…
The lovely old library in Provo, Utah is a beautiful building, all worn old brick and shining burnished wood floors and hushed recesses filled with books and interesting ideas. But on a cold winter night just before last Christmas, a group of people gathered in a conference room lined with tables—not to read, but to…