“Your relentless pursuit of healing shows how much you love yourself.” So said a Dona, a healer I worked with for several years in my 2-decades-long journey to recover from chronic physical pain and the trauma in my life. If I remember correctly, I had lamented to her that I wasn’t sure I could love myself. Her words were revelatory. I still hold onto them. In truth, when I look back on my life, I see how love motivated me on so many levels. From childhood, I retained a felt

I want to enter into the conversation about the overturning of Roe vs. Wade with sensitivity to both “sides” and also share my grief. Please bear with me no matter where you fall on this issue. This discussion is important to the work of peacemaking and healing. I want to present both the serious harm that has been done and propose a different way of approaching conception, pregnancy and tending to the needs of both women and the unborn and living children rooted in a compass