Supporting Young Moms with ‘Tiny Blue Lines’

Among the women who need real-life encouragement, women who need a hug without judgment, are young moms. I’m not just talking about moms with young kids (though they need it too), but moms who are young themselves.

Chaunie Brusie, who wrote Tiny Blue Lines: Reclaiming Your Life, Preparing For Your Baby, and Moving Forward in an Unplanned Pregnancy (Ave Maria Press), is one of the women out there who is doing this well.

Tiny Blue Lines is a book that had me laughing out loud and tearing up in ways I just didn’t foresee. I wasn’t a young mom (by the definitions of “still in college, early 20s”) and I didn’t have unplanned pregnancies, not really. Even so, this book spoke to my heart and not only impacted my worldview, but opened my eyes to a brave group of women who need my prayers and support.

Brusie has a large goal, one that speaks to my heart: she wants to get her book into the hands of more young women facing unplanned pregnancies. Specifically, she wants to do this by sending 1,000 copies of Tiny Blue Lines to everyone who attends the annual Heartbeat International Conference. That puts her book into the hands of 1,000 pregnancy center representatives.

Brusie writes,

Getting my book to the conference would be a dream come true–and I can’t do it alone. If I can raise enough money to purchase copies of my book (using an author discount, so don’t worry–no royalty sales here!), I would love to be able to spread the message that unplanned pregnancy is not a dead end, but an incredible new beginning. I hate to ask for money when there are so many worthy causes out there, but I have to believe that to someone, somewhere, the message that life does not end with an unplanned pregnancy is a message worth sharing.

As we approach the season where everyone’s giving, I can’t help but see this as an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is, to support an initiative that’s critical and encouraging to women who are braving the waters of unplanned pregnancy.

For more about Brusie’s campaign and to donate, visit it on FlowerFund.

Wilhelm von Kügelgen’s 19th-century painting, “The Visitation,” depicts the encounter between the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Elizabeth, a patron saint of infertility and pregnancy.

Dealing With Infertility (May 20)

The month of May, with its celebration of mothers, can leave some women feeling desolate. Today we talk with two women, writers and advocates Leigh Snead and Mary Bruno, who have experienced the pain of infertility and who have leaned into their suffering, through God’s help, to yield beautiful witness to adoption and spiritual motherhood.