No one shares the spirit of independence quite as uniquely as Sara in Mill Valley, CA.
Today she set her heart free.
Thanks Sara for the wonderful 4th of July inspiration!
HEART 391, JOURNEY 1
Today I give this heart independence…the journey begins. Or perhaps it is more of an adventure. Journeys have a path, a plan, a destination. Adventures are open to emerging reality, and are seeking the new and unknown.
I love when I get email from Heart Is Hot members telling me what the hearts specifically mean to them in their lives. There’s nothing better, really.
Today I received a note from longtime fan, member and supporter, Rebecca in Hauppauge, NY. She’s sending a heart to her cousin (read below) and asked if I would post a picture of the two of them together. I was of course more than delighted at this request, and hereby dedicate this post and my entire day to “Cousin Dina”. Thanks for making a difference in the life of someone who means so much to us, Dina. And may you enjoy following your heart…..in a brand new way.
HEART 1692, JOURNEY 1
March 26, 2010
All the hearts that I’ve shared have been special, but this one is especially special(If that makes any sense) because I am passing it along to a dear cousin of mine…my cousin Dina in North Carolina. She is more than just a cousin but a girlfriend. Someone I can talk about boys with, life with and our mothers. We are so similar in certain ways. We share frequent morning chats, text messages etc and if one of us is having a bad day we know exactly that the other will know the right thing to say and cheer us up. I love you more then words could express and I hope you will hold this heart close to you and think of me every time you look at it or hold it. I hope you will think of the special family bond that we share as well as the special friendship. I was grateful when you sent me that note card a year ago, when we lost touch and then when you came with your brother and mom this past summer to NY. I hope we can take a trip soon together. In the meantime, hold this heart and think of me close to you and when your ready you can pass it on to someone as special as you are to me. Know that I love you and even though we may be miles away, we’re only a phone call or text message away and I love you with all my heart and soul! This is for you to, to us…L’Chaim… XO
Yes, we feel these are words to both sweat AND live by, Dana.
Thank you for sharing your kindness.
My Grandmother passed away recently and the most remarkable way to use a Heart is Hot heart emerged from this intense experience.
2 years ago my Mother gave my Grandma Heart #63 and wrote a story online about her. My Mom read the story aloud to my Grandmother one day while visiting her which touched my Grandma deeply. She told my Mother that the story MUST be read at her funeral.
Of course at the time, it seemed somewhat pre-mature and probably difficult for my Mother to hear those words. However, two some years later, my Grandma did pass away, and my Mom was able to so gracefully and eloquently share the story of Heart 63 about her Mother at the service. It penetrated us all to the core, and my Mom was so thankful she was able to share with her Mother, while she was still living, what she meant to my Mom.
Now Heart 63 has been passed on to a wonderful woman in Hospice who helped my Grandmother in her final days.
And the heart lives on………..
Heart 63 Journey 2
Angie, Redmond Washington
February 9, 2010
On behalf of Madge Hebb, my mother, I am passing heart 63 to Denise and her wonderful team at Heart to Heart Hospice in Tyler, TX. My mother passed away on Jan. 27, 2010. She was an amazing woman and a true inspiration to her entire family. Mom was intrigued with the whole idea of Heart is Hot, especially since her beloved granddaughter created the business.
As she had requested prior to her death, I read at her memorial service what I had written when I gave her heart 63 in December of 2007. Although she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and had lost most of her memories when she died, I am certain that she would have wanted Denise to have her heart.
So Denise, passing heart #63 is my way of thanking you, on behalf of our entire family, for your care, your compassion, your love…you provided all these to our mother in her final days. But more than that, you provided comfort and caring to all of us family members. You were never too busy to share information and concern. Your team members were wonderful.
Please share this with them. And when the time is right, feel free to pass on heart 63 to someone who would appreciate it as we appreciate you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you did for my mother.
Thank you Bernadette..for opening your heart during a difficult time.
Oh, and yes, this is Heart Reef in Australia. It actually exists. How much do we LOVE that?! I found the photo appropriate for this story.
Heart 1641, Journey 1
February 1, 2010
Bernadette in Belconnen ACT, Australia
I gave this heart to my gorgeous, special friend Judy, who I have a spiritual connection with. We are soul sisters and it took the untimely death in a car accident of our mutual friend, Vicki, for us to realize how alike we are. In her death, we have been brought together. Since Vicki’s passing, both Judy and I have had some difficult personal issues to deal with, including both separating from our respective partners. Our friendship has grown and we have supported each other through these times of loss and rebuilding our futures.
I wanted to give Judy this heart to show that I am always here for her whenever she needs me. I know that Judy is very intuitive and caring, like myself and that she will know when it’s time for her to pass the heart on to someone else who needs it.
I spent the holidays with my family in the Seattle area, including my very pregnant sister-n-law (due Jan. 30th).
I remember my Mom telling me before Christmas that she thought it would be so great if the baby was born while I was in town. In the same breath, we knew that that was not quite right, because it would be a bit too early. A month too early to be exact. Be careful what you wish for…..you just may get it, as the saying goes.
So, it’s about 2:34am on New Year’s morning when the phone rang. I was up because, like my sister-n-law and brother, I also received a surprise New Year’s gift. But no, not a baby. Bronchitis to be exact. But that’s another story.
I heard my Dad pick up the phone and say, “Really? Ok, we’ll meet you there” in his oh so calm and unsurprised manner.
I jumped out of bed wondering what was going on. Mind you, my brother and sis-n-law were 1 1/2 hours away up in the snowy mountains celebrating New Year’s. And why not? The baby wasn’t coming for another month. Uh huh.
The short of the story is that they arrived back down at their hospital in Kirkland, WA at 4:10am and the baby arrived at 4:58am. Talk about fast and furious! The contractions were 3 minutes apart while they were still 45 minutes away. But they made it…my brother with his other child in 1 arm and the maternity ward phone in the other, ringing them to let them in the building. Quickly. And my sister-n-law on all fours at the door during a contraction. This stuff is right out of the movies, folks. Or maybe it’s just a typical scene. Either way, makes for a great story in our family.
And of course there’s a happy ending. Baby Danny is doing great. Still in NICU, but developing beautifully to the point where he can probably go home by the weekend.
My brother and sister-n-law came over last night and we were re-living the events of “the night” again when my sister-n-law began to speak about the midwife and nurses who helped her deliver. She was so grateful for everything that they had done and wanted to give them something to show her appreciation. We decided that there was nothing more perfect than the hearts to show her appreciation because the story could live on as the heart traveled.
It was at that point that I really realized how important it is to thank our service providers and medical professionals. I am certainly grateful for the midwife and nurses that night and I wasn’t even there. But I am an Auntie once again because of them.
So, give heart to those who help you or help the ones you love.
HEART 768, JOURNEY 3
Edmay in Kirkuk, Iraq
Hi to all,
I have held onto Heart #768 long enough. We have received so many items for the Children of Iraq. There are so many wonderful people in this great world of ours that God has given to us. Thank God for all these selfless people.
We received a package from Jules & Jan Broom from Virginia. With thier package was a note with their webpage www.myangelswhispers.com and their email address. I immediately accessed their webpage and was so interested I had to send an email to Jan asking about her daughter, Shannon. I would like to quote her message to all and you will see why I feel so inclined to sent Heart 768 to the Broom family and will mail it today.
This is her story quoted from her email dated 30NOV09:
“Dear Edmay,
What a gift to hear from you. I wasn’t certain that I had a good address but after reading about your compassionate outreach to the children of Iraq, I knew that Shannon wanted me to share some of her things. Truth is, she would be furious that I have held on to “things” for so many years…I just hadn’t be able to release them until I knew the time and venue were right.
Shannon was twenty three, driving home from a week with her Gram. A terrible thunder storm, a wet highway, multiple accidents and a very large tree…and Shannon returned to Heaven. Shannon was a studio art major in college and had been looking for the perfect job since graduation. Several weeks before her accident she told my sister that she didn’t want just any job, she wanted a job that made a difference…that’s one of the reasons I knew you were her choice as a recipient of her “Stuffies.” You have a job that makes a difference to so many.
If there are other things that you need, or that we could send for those that you are working with…we have many more stuffed animals…I just didn’t want to overwhelm you, especially if there were things you would rather receive.
Have a safe and loving holiday,Thanks for bringing a smile to my heart today. Jan…Shannon’s Mom”
What a lovely and heartwarming email. Jan warmed my heart with her thinking of these precious children here in Iraq with sending her precious daughters “Stuffies.” How wonderful of her and God knows that Shannon is an angel watching over her parents, family, friends and I would suppose the Children of Iraq too. Isn’t God wonderful how he works in mysterious ways? Go bless and keep everyone safe in the Palms of His loving hands. Much love to all/Edmay
I was sitting at my desk this morning after a good early spin class perhaps searching for a bit of insight into what I wanted to say today. Then an email popped up that a new heart story was ready for approval.
I went to the site to read it and knew instantly what I was going to talk about: courage. 
Jilla from Altadena, CA sent in story 1 for heart 503. The heart was given to her 2 years ago, and she held it until recently, seeking the right moment to pass her love forward.
Well, that moment came a few months after her husband of 23 years unexpectedly passed away this past October. Jilla’s sister traveled from Spain to help Jilla heal and the heart is now on its way to Spain in gratitude. (Full story below).
The holidays are such a time of celebration, so I would like to celebrate Jilla today, for her courage to tell her story and find healing in the presence of her sister.
Welcome to the community, Jilla. We are here in love and support of your heart journey, wherever it takes you.
And for all of us….let’s ‘heart the holidays’ from the heart.
JILLA’s FULL STORY:
I received this heart from my sister-in-law 2 years ago for my birthday. I been holding on to it to give it to the right person. Well I finally have passed it along.
This past October my husband suddenly passed away. It was a shock to everyone he was only 45. We were together for 23 years. My friends and family surrounded me with love and support during this most difficult time.
But once the funeral was over everyone went back to taking care of their lives and I found myself alone.
There was one person who couldn’t make it to the funeral, my sister who lives in Spain she showed up two weeks later and stayed with me for a month to help me get things figured out and help me start my life over. She too lost her husband at a young age.
During her visit she told me that she started collecting hearts! Well I ran and found this heart and gave it to her. Heart #503 is now on it’s way to the south of Spain.
Thank you Deborah for your love and support during this difficult time. I love you.
WE ALL NEED MORE TIM’S IN THE WORLD!
I absolutely loved reading the story from Renay this week that said, “We need more Tim’s in the world”. And indeed we do.
Tim from Alberta, Canada, for those of you who don’t know, is not only Heart Is Hot’s most devoted and kind fan, but is a man who represents the truth of real connection with one another. Just reading the story above confirms this. And if you peruse the HIH site some, you will actually see him mentioned quite often as someone’s dear friend, mentor, or just the nicest guy in the world.
I have spent some time recently re-evaluating all the social networking sites and my role in them. And I have to admit that they were all so enticing at first, and stimulating. And who doesn’t want thousands upon thousands of people claiming interest in what you have to say? Don’t answer that, because many of you probably do not! 
But I did, and was also encouraged by marketing mentors to just gather people or followers in herds and groves and to follow anyone and everyone, let’s say, on Twitter and Facebook. So I did! And, oh boy, how fun, right?
Hmmm. For a bit. But a few significant things happened that made me take note.
A few months ago I met a woman for what I thought was the first time….until she told me she and I were friends on Facebook. You can imagine my horror, because I actually enjoy keeping up with people on Facebook, and had no idea who she was. But apparently I ‘friended’ her. It made me really stop and think to myself what I wanted out out of my connections with others. Was I after numbers or relationships? Relationships for sure, but my actions were a disconnect.
But don’t worry folks, the universe always keeps things in check…..so ‘check’ this out:
I recently completed my profile on LinkedIn, a site I have somewhat avoided because of the overwhelming thought of one more thing to join. But I did, and sent a message out to some of my colleagues past and present to see if they would recommend me and endorse my character.
One woman, whom I have met in my entrepreneurial community, had numerous conversations with, etc wrote me back a, let’s just say, direct note stating that she would never recommend me because she did not even know what I did.
Funny enough, she was the one who sought me out on both Facebook and LinkedIn months ago, yet did not know what I did even now. I actually thought she sought me out because she had an interest in me and the business concept.
Ahhh, got it.
Certainly what this woman is doing is completely working for her….thousands of anonymous ‘friends’ with whom she can sell her services. And good for her.
But I realized, and I thank both of these woman for the wakeup call again, that I actually value the connection with people, as people, not numbers. The whole reason I developed HIH was to remind us all of our inherent connection with one another, using a symbolic product to do so. And I was reminded of this by a crying man on the streets of San Francisco, with whom my most natural tendency as a human to reach out was engaged.
Now that to me is connection.
Everything of course serves a purpose. But our real purpose is to serve…from the heart, right?
And I certainly keep hearing on the news day after day that we are ‘losing our humanity’ and ‘losing heart’.
Now, I have a ball on Facebook and Twitter, but see it in a whole new light now.
We all have Tim from Alberta to thank today for reminding us that technology and the heart can so beautifully mix, and that we are actually gaining humanity and heart when we ‘Tim’ people. ‘Friending’ or ‘following’ is one thing, but ‘Timming’ someone has a whole new meaning.
How do you choose to connect?
Be kind to yourself and others.
With love,
Sahara
In June 2005, I set out on a drive in San Francisco that would forever change my life. While passing through the city, I noticed a man crying on the street. Though I never interacted with him, my motivation to hand him something as a token of love and connection birthed the idea for HEART IS HOT. 