ABOUT ME
Hi, I’m Heather!
I am so glad to meet you here.
I am a word weaver, and a truth, beauty and good seeker. I enjoy writing about deep faith, the gift of raising a family, the vocation of marriage and taking long walks while listening for the voice of God. I am a mother, a widow, a daughter, a friend, a shopkeeper, a speaker, and a podcaster.
I am hopelessly in love with connecting with people and desire to help others find the best version of themselves with a bit of irreverent fun all for the Glory of God. I love to ask questions to get to the heart of things, and am comfortable sharing the uncomfortable, vulnerable truth of my journey in life to help others know they are not alone in theirs. I am a devoted daughter of a GOoD and Faithful Father and believe the best way to live this life is to do my best to see God in the face of others. My faith has been the peace that I have needed to keep me centered in a sometimes difficult journey called life.
In July 2020 I have had to shift my focus to caring for my husband of 25 years and best friend of 33 years as he battled terminal brain cancer and fought to regain function and strength from a stroke for 33 months (all these numbers feel so biblical to me). He lived well with eyes fixed on God and joy in his heart, loving and laughing knowing this would be his journey toward eternal life. Verso l’alto
What a privilege it was to walk alongside Jon on this journey. Some of the most vulnerable words were born of the most painful moments as we prepared for the uncertainty of his finite time. With our kids and I by his side, he breathed his last breath in what some would call a very holy death, thank you St. Joseph for being my ever-present patron Saint, since my birth. Thank you St. Gianna and Pietro Molla for being a holy witness to the sacrificial love of marriage.
The vows we took have been strengthened as we have lived out our Sacrament of Marriage during this suffering we endured. In sickness and in health was our liturgy.
The more we lean into our faith and surrender to God’s plan and will the more peace, grace, mercy courage and strength we feel in our suffering. It is here as we walk in learning to pick up the pieces of our lives without the leader of our family at the helm this side of the heaven.
Together we raised a family of 4 children with faith at the center of everything. With this faith and unconditional love, we have guided and encouraged our uniquely individual children to discover who God is calling them to be and we have chosen to allow God to heal a lifetime of wounds along the way.
Life is hard, and we have had to walk alongside our children while overcoming obstacles of life, such as living with hearing loss, grief, and anxiety, loss of loved ones and an extremely difficult and traumatic cancer journey for their dad.
It has not been an easy road, but we have found hope, gifts and miracles in the suffering along the way. As we fix our eyes on heaven and journey through this beautiful life to our sanctification we learn to share this space called home—our soft place to land—with abundant forgiveness, endless laughter, unconditional love and our new long walk with grief. We will navigate, heal and rebuild our life after this tremendous loss while resting in God’s mercy and grace, and surrendering and trusting His will for our lives.
I am grateful you are here where words are a matter of the heart.
May we find love and laughter here,
Heather
Recent Posts:
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Faith | Friendship | Mary
Leave It to Mary—Friendship, Cake, and Happy Birthday
I had a different reflection planned in my head for today. I had noticed the way the morning sun fell across an image of Stella Maris holding Jesus, the statue of Mary sitting on my kitchen island beside the candle I lit in honor of her birthday, and the most perfect blue sky, Mary’s color,…
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Caregiving | Grief and Loss | Healing | Home | Life
Love Begins at Home: Why Did You Wait?
I saw a friend this week who reminded me with love of that long season when I was mostly homebound caring for Jon. I hadn’t seen her in some time. She has been navigating her own unexpected journey while raising and launching her own kids, but she was also one of those friends who showed…
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Writing For Her
For years, I have been told that writers need to know who they are writing for. Find your reader. Picture her. Know what she needs, what she struggles with, what she hopes for. Some people will even tell you to give her a name. It is very good advice. But in my typical fashion, I…
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40 Months Too Long—I Wish You Could Know Me Now
Forty whole months since I last saw Jon. That feels so strange to say. I don’t even know how to comprehend that. Or maybe I just don’t have words big enough to capture the magnitude of 40 months passing without seeing the person I shared my life with. So much life has happened in those…
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Thresholds, Changing Landscapes, and Going Where We Are Called
A few years ago, after moving my son to college, I wrote a blog post about liminal spaces, transitions, and going where God calls us titled Go Where You Are Called. He has since graduated and is beginning a new chapter all his own, going where he is called once again. His decision to change colleges and…
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What the Dark Reveals—Fear, Faith, Trust and Gathering Flowers
I had to get up at the crack of dawn today. So I knew I needed to get to bed a bit earlier. But I went to bed later than I wanted with something unexpected and very worrisome weighing on my heart. It came up rather unexpectedly and learning of the situation…Let’s just say panic…
