who i am ~

Who is Heidi? Indeed. I used to wonder this very thing so often, but now I have a good sense of what the answer is. Part of who I am is a facilitator for women’s circles as well as being a Transformational Life Coach. These are two of my passions that I feel very called to and strongly believe in. I am filled with gratitude over how my calling and my gifts have come into alignment over the years. I appreciate that I can live an authentic life that is linked to my work–one informs the other and so on.

I love words. I love to collect them, and then to let them go. I also love silence. However, I am a mom to two boys, nearly 12 and nearly 9, so silence is in short supply at times. It is good to be challenged to find time to feed my soul, and that is what this space is for–to share my thoughts, to promote soul-care, to help others land, and to find our path as a community of seekers.

Also, I enjoy working with clay and turning it into practical pots, running the occasional 5k with my family, reading alone and with my children, napping, walking as meditation, learning about contemplation, and nurturing. I seek to infuse all that I do with my full attention and with careful intention.

Atlanta Dirty Girl 5k, April 2013

I have been writing in a women’s circle for about seven years. Each Thursday night, I would sit with other women, and we would write together. We read and we recalled what each woman wrote. It was beautiful and humbling. I have grown as a writer and as a human being in this crazy skin. I have cried, laughed, giggled, and held space for these dear women over the years. Our circle opens and closes, so I have gotten the chance to write with so many different women in my community. Some of what I have posted here has come from my time in circle. As I move into facilitating Christian women’s writing circles, I have had the opportunity to support women on their path to freedom, acceptance, compassion, and healing. Yet, it is ever more important to me to meet myself on the page daily. As Flannery O’Connor once said, “I have to write to discover what I am doing… I don’t know so well what I think until I see what I have to say; then I have to say it again.” Me too!

Heidi’s journal

Throughout my life, words have been a comfort to me. I land on the page to pray, to process–to be. God speaks through words, but also through the quiet as I write. I enjoy finding Spirit in the every day. Beauty and mystery emerge from the mundane. God speaks to us through the ordinary, but first we have to be awake enough to hear the whisper. I seek to live an authentic life through learning and practicing silence and contemplative prayer (whenever I can!). I offer gratitude to our Creator for the abundance we are gifted each and every day.

I desire for this blog-space to be where other writers, seekers, travelers, and those who are just curious to come and to find a take-away of some kind. I’d love to have readers leave a note or a thought. What do these words mean to you? What is your take-away? What has been sitting on your heart as of late? How is Spirit working in your life?

So here, I offer you a “heartspace” where you can prop up your virtual feet and find some comfort, encouragement, and sustenance for your journey. I have defined heartspace here, and I use this notion as an opening and closing meditation when I lead my own women’s circles. I find that centering ourselves in our souls is helpful before we begin writing our lives.

May your journey be full, and may your feet be light.

❤ ❤ ❤