Our Founder

The Rules of Heartworks

RULE 1 You are not allowed to say you are a good person for coming to Heartworks! We act the way everyone should be acting and give the way everyone should be giving. We are not doing anything special, we have simply tapped into a way of living that enhances our lives and brings meaning to our days.

RULE 2 Heartworks is not about adding stress to your life. It is about the OPPORTUNITY to give, nothing is an obligation. Come when you can, give when and what you can give, and if life places you in a situation that you need to receive support from other people, receive it with as much grace as possible- you are a part of a bigger plan of that may not be all about you. We try not to rob someone else of the gift of giving because of our pride or ego.

RULE 3 Come as you are. In the beginning we toyed with the idea of everyone coming in sweats so that it did not become a situation of "what do I wear?" Then we decided that if you need to shower and put on make up, then do that, but if you need to come in your pajamas after a long day, then come in your jammies! The idea is that we are all good enough as we are and do not need to BE or LOOK any different than we are. WE ARE ENOUGH WHEN WE ARE DRESSED, NOT DRESSED, ORGANIZED, NOT ORGANIZED, WHEN OUR HOUSES ARE CLEAN OR DIRTY AND WHEN WE ARE FITTING INTO OUR KHAKIS OR NOT FITTING INTO OUR JEANS simply because God has chosen us to be here on the planet and our value is not based on any of these Earthbound things.

RULE 4 Leave your ego at the door! The focus must stay on course, when we give to someone we have to do it in a way that is respectful of the receiver. We must always be conscious of privacy issues and other people's wants and needs that may be different than what we think they should be. We understand that just because someone is in need, grieving or ill it does not mean that their life is an open book for us to judge. We aim at "giving and letting go" just because we are giving to someone, it does not give us the right to have judgment about their life or situation. Oprah says that when she gives someone something she lets go of it to the point that if she turns around and the person pees on it she is unaffected! We avoid, at all costs, thought and conversations about who made the best dinner or put together the cutest basket! These things are useless, harmful and distract us from our purpose. We keep things as basic as possible, as often as possible, to help us focus on the act of giving rather than the "story" of the gift or alternative reasons for giving that keeps us from recognizing God in the gift of the process.

RULE 5 HAVE FUN AND STAY OPEN TO THE OPPORTUNITY THAT EXISTS IN EACH AND EVERY MOMENT TO OPEN YOUR HEART AND COME TO A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR LIFE.