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Happy Mother’s
Day
May 7,
2004
Last night the U.S.
Senate passed a resolution in honor of America’s mothers.
Family Research Council’s, Pia de Solenni assisted
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and staff in crafting the
resolution and we are grateful to the Senator and his
colleagues for honoring motherhood in such a public way. Senate
Resolution 348 reads as follows:
To protect, promote
and celebrate motherhood. Whereas the second Sunday of May is
observed as Mother’s Day; Whereas motherhood and childhood
are entitled to special assistance; Whereas mothers have a
unique bond with their children; Whereas the work of mothers is
of paramount importance, but often undervalued and demeaned;
Whereas mother’s concerns about their children and their
education should be supported by the national agenda; Whereas a
child’s healthy relationship with the mother predicts higher
self-esteem and resiliency in dealing with life events; Whereas
the complementary roles and contributions of fathers and
mothers should be recognized and encouraged; Whereas mothers
have an indispensable role in building and transforming society
to build a culture of life; and Whereas mothers along with
their husbands, form an emotional template for a child’s
future relationships: Now, therefore, be it Resolved,
that the Senate, (1) recognizes the importance of mothers to a
healthy society, and (2) calls on the people of the United
States to observe Mother’s Day by considering how society can
better respect and support motherhood.
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And Since we are
talking about the Senate: I also tuned into several morning
sessions of the US Senate and was heartened to see that the
senate still opens with prayer each and every morning and
salutes the American flag, retaining the term, “One nation,
under God, with Liberty and Justice for all.” The flag
salute was followed by inspiring talks by well prepared
Senators. Let’s all take heart and look with a bright hope to
the future.
Study Groups
We have had good response from the new
emphasis on Study Groups. To begin a Study Group you need not
apply for a permission to teach FascinatingWomanhood. You just
invite a few friends or acquaintances to your home to hold a
meeting once a week for 12 weeks to study the principles
together. Each member of the group should have a copy of the
book and workbook. The teaching materials available to the
group leader are the FW Books, Workbooks, Teacher’s Lesson
Guide and pink invitations.
Monthly Meetings
After the Study Group has completed its
12-week course, the group leader is asked to organize a Monthly
Meeting to continue meeting together. The purpose of the
monthly meetings is to: (1) Offer continued support and
enlightenment to the group in applying the principles taught in
Fascinating Womanhood. (2) Offer occasional assistance to our
worldwide program in reaching women who are in desperate need
of these teachings, but have never heard of them. Although it
would be nice if the Study Group Leader would also direct the
Monthly Meetings, she need not feel obligated to do so.
However, we would expect her to select a Monthly Meeting leader
for us, or have the members of the groups make the selection by
unanimous choice or vote.
Comments from Grateful Women
“I have read most of Fascinating Womanhood.
It is one of those few books (outside the Bible) that so
immediately and overwhelmingly strikes a chord of truth. Being
a modern woman, it has been difficult reading at times and I
often have to put it down but always, the truth of it speaks
loud and clear.
“I am hoping to interest some ladies in my
church to form a Study Group based on this book. My marriage is
in a very bad place now. We don’t love each other and there
has been infidelity (on my part), pornography on his part. We
grew apart over the years and then I responded to attention
from an internet laison. I felt very good about it at the time
but since then God has been gracious to me and brought me to a
place of sorrow and repentance for my transgression. Our
marriage never recovered though. We are civil and even friendly
again but not man and wife, not lovers.
“I want to change myself and practice some
of the pearls of wisdom in your book, but I can’t do it alone
and am seeking other like-minded women. Thank you for your
wonderful book even though I am struggling with it – I know
that between your book and THE BOOK (the bible of course), I
can rebuild my marriage into something lovely.”
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“I love the idea of Study Groups. I think it
would be very beneficial to those of us who would like to study
in small groups. It would give everyone a chance to do some
thinking ahead of time and have material for discussion. I have
been in small Bible study groups where only a book was used and
people tend to put off their reading. Having to fill out an
assignment and come to the group prepared seems to work better.
I have heard wonderful things about the workbook and would love
to have the opportunity to use it myself.
“I can only imagine the demands this work
has had upon you. The needs of so many marriages in crises must
weigh heavily on you at times and even seem discouraging. It is
always hard to promote spiritual truths in a world that wants
an easier, softer answer. However, the fact that you have
spoken the truth is the very thing that keeps drawing women to
the teachings you promote. I pray that God will lift you up and
give you rest and that this note will be an encouragement to
you.
“I think it is even harder now for women to
practice FW than it was when you wrote the book. There are a
couple of generations of women now who have been raised in the
feminist movement, myself included. The teachings of FW were
contrary to what I learned growing up (in every way) so for
many of us we are having to undo what society has taught us.
For a woman who has chosen to follow FW she is not supported by
society in general and often even ridiculed. I have experienced
this myself within my own family and my husband’s family.
Even though one many be seeing wonderful results at home there
is constant pressure outside the home to act differently. Also,
problems in society such as adultery, drug abuse, pornography,
etc. are much more prevalent now and often have a deep effect
on families, causing untold damage, making it more difficult to
practice FW for someone new to the concepts.”
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Success Story From England
“When we were first married we were facing
incredible opposition in our personal and married life. I was
quite seriously ill and lost my teaching career because of it
and my husband was finding adjustments to married life
extremely difficult. Your book was a revelation and our
salvation. The Lord carried me through many trials in those
years but always with me was the added help I got from this
vision of the fullness of womanhood, which I was working on
achieving with my husband. With our efforts we were able to
grow as a couple into a proper married life.
“The scriptures helped me at this time but
they do not provide that lost feminine knowledge or what I call
the Mystery of the Domestic Goddess, and which you provided for
me. I am, since being converted to these teachings, very
pleased with my life, and for the first time deeply satisfied
with it. This happiness is what the Lord has wanted for me for
a long time.
“Thank you for everything. I am forever in
your debt. It is amazing how far your influence has reached
into family life around the world, with enormous ripples of
eternal consequence through all eternity. And this came about
because of one book you believed in, which then turned into a
whole cause you couldn’t put down or turn your back on. I
read your expression “sacred trust,” which you used in your
most recent edition, in defense of your years of dedication to
the cause. I wholeheartedly agree with you, that it is a sacred
trust, one I am sure the Lord has placed upon you. How grateful
I am that you have honored his trust in you.
“Where would I be without FW? I shudder to
think. Not where I am now, with improved health, a husband who
demonstrates deep affection several times a day, and two
wonderful children who are learning the gospel in the home
while I am learning to be that domestic goddess that I am
telling the whole world about. I am buying paperbacks for the
women I know as fast as I can afford them.
“I can only guess the opposition and
adversity you must have borne while you have endured in your
“mission.” I will always think of you when I feel life’s
challenges to be very heavy. Thank you for being such an
intelligent example of femininity and for offering your light
to shine into all the homes where the woman is willing to open
up the windows.”
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