Invisible Forces at Play

April 12, 2020/in Megan's Blog, News /by heartworks

I have been reflecting back to the days leading into isolation. You know the feeling when a string of events happen and at the time you don’t realize why, but in retrospect you see you were being prepared for something? That’s how I feel when I look back to the week before we stayed home. Tuesday night of that second week in March, I felt annoyed and anxious. Something called the Coronavirus was pulling me away from the season finale of the Bachelor and I was pissed. Instead of watching Pilot Pete’s mom roll her eyes at Madison Prewett, I was on an urgent call with the Heartworks Board of Directors deciding if we had to postpone our 15 Year Gala planned for next Saturday night. The event was a huge deal honoring Lois and Neil Gagnon, who have supported our foundation since we were just a small circle of women gathering in houses around town. It was a huge bummer to be talking about postponing due to a virus outbreak and at the time, it felt like too extreme of an action. The call itself felt unnecessary and a bit dramatic. We were completely unaware at the time that life as we knew it would come to a halt in just a matter of days.

I went to bed that Tuesday night with looping thoughts about the 300 people who had paid to come to the gala. I kept thinking about the committees that had spent 10 months organizing, the businesses that were depending on our business, the funds we needed to raise and the new Heartworks video we were previewing at the event. The second printing of my book, Angels Over the Towers, was being completed that week and a signed copy was to go home with all attendees as a way to kick off a year long fundraiser for first responders affected by 9/11 related illnesses. Now, due to a life-threatening virus that can be contracted through social contact, it was looking like the gala was not going to happen. I was stressed and pissed and praying for guidance. The farfetchedness of this storyline reminded me of 2001 when on a sunny September morning, my sister Jennifer’s 30th birthday party got cancelled because terrorists had crashed planes into buildings and a field on US soil. And here we were once again talking about something that seemed more like out of a movie than real life.

These words (typo and all) were not put into my laptop as a screen savor by a human being. One day, last May, I was down at the Jersey Shore with two trusted Heartworkers for a social media planning session. All of a sudden, these words appeared on my laptop screen. Neither myself or the two women I was with, had put this on my screen, so I then texted my daughters to see if they had and the answer was no. Since that night at the beach, these words appear, consistently…every single time I get overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel while eating Snickers bars. That morning was one of those days and again, like spiritual clockwork, the words appeared on my screen. They always instinctively remind me to take a deep breath and draw attention to whatever looping thoughts are hijacking my brain. I usually repeat them over and over until my body settles into them. These words (typo and all) were not put into my laptop as a screen savor by a human being. One day, last May, I was down at the Jersey Shore with two trusted Heartworkers for a social media planning session. All of a sudden, these words appeared on my laptop screen. Neither myself or the two women I was with, had put this on my screen, so I then texted my daughters to see if they had and the answer was no. Since that night at the beach, these words appear, consistently…every single time I get overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel while eating Snickers bars. That morning was one of those days and again, like spiritual clockwork, the words appeared on my screen. They always instinctively remind me to take a deep breath and draw attention to whatever looping thoughts are hijacking my brain. I usually repeat them over and over until my body settles into them.

While I was getting ready to leave for the city, Heartworks Advisory Council member Nesa, started to make calls to see if the venue, the band, the auctioneer, the florist, the photographer and the Gagnon’s were all available on Friday, September 11th. I thought the chances were low that all could make a second date, but I took deep breaths and remembered the words “You are loved and have more support then you can imagine.” I handed it over to the Universal Flow and continued getting ready to leave for the train staton. When she called the venue, they said that they were booked up for the Fall except for one date… September 11th. Now she needed to call all the other moving parts to see if they were also available. When we got on the train, I pulled out my copy of Angels Over the Towers, The Unseen Story of September 11th, that I had written in 2006 for the 5th anniversary of the terror attacks.

I woke up early the next morning to start preparing emails and notifications to be sent out to Heartworkers, vendors and volunteers updating them on a possible postponement. I wanted to get things done before I left with my girls to see a Broadway play while my oldest was home from college on Spring Break. We had tickets for Come From Away, which is the true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them on the morning of September 11th. Throughout their lives, my daughters have heard me describe, in hundreds of ways, how our family was changed by the kindness offered to us when their Uncle John was killed in the South Tower. I was bringing them to the play hoping they would further understand how life stopped so unexpectedly and how the world joined together, for a short time, after the attacks. I had no idea we were getting closer and closer to a similar experience only a week away. I wanted to focus on our day in the city, but my mind was looping with thoughts of the World Health Organization declaring a pandemic and all that needed to be done for Heartworks. I was on the phone and texting board members while getting dressed and making scrambled eggs for my girls. I just wasn’t accepting that after all this work and planning we would have to postpone the gala to the Fall. Then, a calm and acute thought suddenly came over me that the only date that would feel right, if we had to wait until Autumn, was the sacred day of September 11th. I wasn’t even sure what day of the week it was and when I checked, it lands on a Friday this year…how about that. I called my sister Maryanne to see if it felt like too social of an idea for such a private day, which for the past 18 years has been spent at a local memorial service with other 9/11 families. She was quiet at first, but then she began to understand the deeper purpose for having the gala on this particular day. My irritation lessened… a teeny-tiny bit, but not much. I was trying to practice what I teach about “letting go and letting God” but it wasn’t working all that well. I don’t like change. I am uncomfortable with the unknown, and what if we cancel it and this whole virus thing blows over in a few days? I walked into my family room and there, on my computer screen, was the message that has shown up over and over again since last Spring; whenever I am overwhelmed with anything concerning the mission of Heartworks…

The book was a way to explain to my four nieces and nephews what had happened to their father, without the traumatic visual aspects of the media. A few months prior, when I had bought the tickets to the play, I had every intention of reading the angel book to my daughters before seeing the show. They had heard the story of the angels before, but not since they were younger and I wanted to refresh their minds of the events of that historical day. Because of the new developments with the virus and the need to change the date of the gala, I didn’t have time to read to them, so I had put it in my bag to read on the train. It was a struggle to keep stress and overwhelm at bay, and so before I started reading, I took a deep breath and tried my best to surrender to the moment. So much was happening that was out of my control. I repeated the words again “You are loved and have more support then you can imagine.” The synchronicity of those words, while simultaneously bringing my girls to see a play about 9/11, and Nesa checking to see if 9/11/20 was available as a new gala date, were all giving me that familiar feeling that forces beyond my control were paying attention. When we were settled in our seats I started to read the book. Even though I had read it 100 times before, as I began to read, I teared up and my voice got shaky. I was a few pages in when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and there was Jacob….I could not believe my eyes. The Universal Flow at play… awake and reminding me that all things have purpose and are connected.

I had met Jacob in May of last year (a week before the words appeared on my laptop screen) when Heartworks was featured on a Facebook live show called Returning the Favor. It’s a great show hosted by Mike Rowe, who walked into an Advisory Council meeting and surprised the %#$& out of me. Returning the Favor travels around the country in search of “Do Gooders” and gifts them with essentials and supplies to support their mission. The RTF team wanted to help get our message of “Continuing the kindness that began on September 11th” out to a wider audience, so we were selected for filming. It was the most powerful day of my professional life (and I have had a lot of powerful days in my professional life), and Jacob was a producer on the show. The day I had met him, the staff had come to the Heartworks House to set up filming. We were super hesitant about the idea of inviting a film crew into our sacred space, due to being so fiercely protective of our mission. The crew was nothing but respectful and gracious and it felt like a love fest from beginning to end. Jacob’s calm demeanor and genuine interest in what we were doing was a huge part of the reason we agreed to be filmed. When he was looking around my office in May, Jacob picked two things out of the clutter to ask me about:
1) A copy of Angels Over the Towers that was sitting on my shelf.
2) A framed note from my father, written the week before he died; my father had been helping me write the book up until the night he died.

I had not seen him since the filming 10 months before. I was so completely stunned; here is Jacob, at this particular time, just as I had started to read this particular book, while on my way into NYC, to see a play based on September 11th, while trying to change the date of the gala to 9/11 that I could not even recall his name. My head was filled with that airy, thick sensation that I get when the invisible becomes visible. We hugged (that was right at the time hugs sort of stopped, but I my natural instinct took over). I introduced him to my girls and blathered on about going to see the play. It was just so surreal and kismet that it truly stopped me in my tracks (notice train pun). All day I couldn’t shake the feeling that something huge was about to take place and the Universal Flow was reminding me to pay attention to the invisible, supportive forces at play.
When we got to our seats in the theater, I felt a pit in my stomach when the man in front of us had a mask on. Although it was not even a month ago, it was a different life. We were sitting in a crowded theater, not thinking a thing of it. “Come From Away”… was…extraordinary. This is what I looked like when it was over.

I cried for 90 minutes straight; from start to finish, and continued crying as we walked out of the theater. It was respectful, moving, real and beautiful. I LOVED IT, but have to admit that I was annoyed when I first heard it was being shown. You see, when my father was alive he did not like to watch war movies, nor did he encourage us to. Having been in two wars, it bothered him that Hollywood always seemed to have beautiful symphony music playing in the foxholes. If he were to find out I saw a war movie, it warranted a discussion about there being no beautiful music playing in foxholes. He was never convinced a movie could get it right and was afraid that any glamor would desensitize us to the reality of war. This is what I was afraid would happen when I brought my children to a Broadway play about the September 11th terror attacks. When in fact, it completely captured the way of life in the fall of 2001. It demonstrated the response of awareness and stripping down that I was unsure my daughters would ever experience in their lifetime. I did know, sitting in those seats, that the very next day Broadway would go dark and we would be headed into an unprecedented national lockdown. I was unaware of the fact that stadiums would be filled with cots to accommodate the overflow of the hospitals and that life as we knew it would stop. As we were leaving the theater, I got a text from Nesa saying that the band, the auctioneer, the florist, the photographer and the venue were all available to participate on September 11th for our Gala. Again I took a deep breath and my head filled with that airy sensation of invisible support being made visible.

Life is so different from the night of the Batchelor finale. It’s wild that I took my girls to see Come From Away because a part of me felt badly that they have not yet experienced something so uniting and I wanted to show them the capacity of how humans come together for each other. 9/11 was horrendous and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But what I do wish for is that we could start living more connected like we lived then, like we are living now, on a regular Tuesday morning with no major, national trauma happening. Because the truth is, trauma is happening all over the world, everyday. So it’s not like we would be making it up. This is what the Heartworks mission has been attempting to teach for the past 15 years. I know now that my annoyance that night in mid March was masking the deep dread I was feeling in my core that something very out of our control was presenting itself. I have had this feeling before, when people I love have received a diagnosis and particularly on June 16, 2005 when my phone rang at 4:00 am with my mother on the other end saying that my father needed help. Feeling out of control is a part of life. My friend Chris’s nephew says to “Control the controllables.” There are parts of this that Heartworks is leading us in an idea to respond with love and then keep this love going when the crisis has passed. To understand each other from our own experience with struggle and to do our best within the limitations of our human limitations. We must remember that we are loved and have more support than we can imagine.

I know now, that in 6 months when we are sitting at the gala, there will be a level of connection that probably would have been missed had the event been held on March 21st. I know now that the hugs will not be taken for granted and that the Gratitude Walk planned for in between the cocktail hour and dinner will be received with less resistance and awkwardness than it would have originally been met with. I now plan on inviting Jacob and his wife and I am hoping their babysitter is available too. I have a feeling she will be.

Live Your Dash

September 30, 2019/in News /by heartworks

Though we don’t often use poems or quotes from other people on our sign at Heartworks, The Dash Poem, by Linda Ellis and the story of how it came to us warranted a rare exception. We were so moved by the poem and the meaning it holds for one of our families that we wanted to share it.

Twice a month, we hold Advisory Council meetings where we decide which families we can help and what we can do for them. This month, Heartworker Melissa brought us the story of Liz, who lost her 27-year-old son Connor last year. Now, as the year anniversary of his death approaches, Liz is also enduring the emotional toll of putting her mother into hospice care. We were discussing ways we could provide some care and kindness for Liz to help her through this difficult time, when Melissa shared the following poem that means so much to the family.

THE DASH

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning… to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars… the house… the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile… remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?

This poem was very special to Connor. It touched him so deeply when it was read at his great grandmother’s funeral that Connor got a dash tattoo on his finger and encouraged some other family members to do the same. The family then read the poem at Connor’s funeral and more family members got the dash tattoo in honor of him. Now over 15 family members have the dash tattoo. The words of the poem and the symbol of the dash have become an amazing source of strength and comfort for Liz and her family.

We hope that these words inspire you as well. We invite you to “look inward,” reflect on your life experiences, and think about how you can use your particular talents to “give outward” and help others. How will you “live your dash?”

What You Can Do: 100 Ways to Be a Heartworker

September 10, 2019/in News /by heartworks

Heartworks is about the connected energy that takes place between the receiver and the giver. It is never just about the giver or just about the receiver, it is about the connection these acts create. After 15 years of actively witnessing this exchange on a daily basis, we have come to understand that it is this energy that heals us. It is this energy that helps us to see ourselves more clearly. The invisible exchange that takes place when one human being reaches out and another receives is ultimately what we are all searching for in this lifetime. Receiving heals us. Giving heals us. Heartworks is about moving through the resistance we often feel to reaching out and coming into an understanding that this exchange is what expands our lives, heals our hearts and helps us cope with the uncertainty of life.

At Heartworks we often hear “I don’t know what to do.” Here are 100 ideas to help spark some creative thinking. I often think about the culture of giving and receiving we all experienced in the weeks following September 11, 2001. I don’t think that people asked this question. I think everyone was so emptied out, so on our knees, that people just gave whatever they had to give and the receivers were so disoriented they just said “YES.” There was no room for perfection, hesitation or insecurity about how good of a lasagna you made. In the fall of 2001, every lasagna was made with grace and love and a deep desire to connect. This is what the magic of that time was about. You just gave from whatever you had.

If you owned an ice cream truck you parked in my sister’s driveway and offered ice cream to her children and their friends.

If you were an orthodontist you offered to put her kids’ braces on.

If you owned a salon you gave haircuts.

If you were a gardener you brought her flowers.

If you loved to go to Costco, you went to Costco and bought her paper goods.

If you were a math teacher you offered tutoring sessions.

If you were a baker you sent her chocolate chip cookies.

People gave whatever they had to offer. The list went on and on and it carried my sister and her four kids through that first year. Somewhere between our culture forgetting about the sense of connection we all experienced and discovering Pinterest, we are back to feeling intimidated and paralyzed when faced with struggle.

Here are some helpful hints on giving. Pick and choose whatever makes most sense to you:

Remember a time that you were in need and offer whatever helped you or what you wish someone had done for you
Bring yourself back to the “no hesitation” time of the fall of 2001 and act now as you did then
Stay away from trying to make things perfect and just reach out
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, give from your own talents and gifts
Give purposefully, and if you are a prayer person, give prayerfully

Our greatest hope is to expand what we are doing in Basking Ridge, NJ across the country. Please join the movement to look inward at your life story and give outward to someone else. Thank you and please share these ideas with anyone who may find them helpful.

YOU CAN FIND THE COMPLETE LIST OF 100 WAYS TO HELP HERE

What a Bleeping Amazing Day! (Megan’s thoughts on RTF)

August 14, 2019/in News /by heartworks

So now that the Heartworks episode of Returning the Favor has aired we can talk about it! Here are some of my behind-the-scenes thoughts about the experience.

I was fooled the whole time

The whole entire time I thought we were recording footage for a documentary that may or may not ever be released. I was just hoping we’d at least get a video for our website out of the experience. I probably would have sworn less during filming had I known (well, let’s be honest, probs not). I had NO idea it was a real show until the very, very end. As in, not until Mike literally said “This is not a documentary, this is a show called Returning the Favor.” How did I not know this show existed before??? It’s brilliant and so needed in today’s world and Mike has my dream job! I kept saying to him throughout the day, “Listen Mike, I don’t know what you’re up to these days, but you should do THIS is as a show. You should go around to non-profits and get their missions out into the world to inspire people!” Mike said it sounded like a good idea and he would talk to Jacob about it. I was not satisfied with this answer and made a mental note to reach out to him after filming to make sure he was following up on the idea because I felt very strongly about it. At the end of the day, I was able to take this call off of my to do list.

Cramming my incessant talking into one episode

Two days of interviews turned into a 26 minute show. Thank you, RTF crew, for capturing what we do and inspiring others to live the way we were all living after September 11^th…all in 26 minutes.

Uncle John

My three daughters had only seen videos of their Uncle John once before, on Thanksgiving Day of last year. The videos of John and their cousins were a very powerful part of the show for them. It’s just been too painful for our extended family to hear his voice and watch him move, so it took us 18 years to do so. It’s the reminder that for every historical event we watch unfold, there are real families directly feeling a forever loss. The over-stimulation of news feeds can dull this truth for us. It’s why I always, always pray for the people I see on the news. I know what it feels like to be living the loss that is on the other side of a news story. What if we were all praying/sending love for people every single time we watched the news?? This would be a game changer and sending love would help us manage the barrage of news stories coming into our consciousness day in and day out. What if we were all witnessing the news, breathing, praying, and letting the story move through us to a higher source rather than keeping it stuck in our own heads? I know that the prayers from all over the world help my sister and her four children get out of bed every morning in the fall of 2001. I wish this same experience for everyone during loss and struggle. We have the power to do this.

So bummed Eddie had to miss this

The whole thing was an AWESOME experience…my husband Eddie and I are huge Mike Rowe fans because he seems to use his talents towards encouraging people to dig below the surface of things. We used to watch Dirty Jobs together in Boulder, so when I saw Mike walk in, I was completely and totally stunned. It was so weird to see this guy come out of the TV and be standing in Heartworks House. Then I was immediately sooooo bummed that Eddie was on a business trip and was missing it.

The famous people I have met in my life all seem to be souls who use their celebrity for causes and justice and this is true about Mike as well. When I realized a known person was involved in the “documentary,” I was just so grateful that it was someone who I could trust would be invested and passionate about what we were doing and who was there for genuine reasons. I mostly loved that he was someone that Eddie admires. A major part of why Heartworks is Heartworks is because of the way my husband loves me. He lets me be who I am and puts the mission of Heartworks above most other things on which our family focuses. If Eddie was an asshole I wouldn’t be able to focus so much on Heartworks. But because he’s a present dad and has a healthy life perspective that focuses on gratitude and service, it works in my house to be a mother of three kids with a side gig of philanthropy. The first thing I thought of was how Eddie would love this and in a weird way it helped me to feel grounded.

The other thing that happened when Mike walked into the Heartworks House was that I felt seen. I have had my head down for 15 crazy-obsessed Heartworks years. It has felt like I am going against the wave of separateness that has crept back into our culture as the passing of time quiets the intensity of the 9/11 experience. A guy like Mike Rowe, pretend TV friend of Eddie and mine, walking into an Advisory Board meeting felt like our little world of daily efforts was getting bigger really fast.

I’m a control freak

I have always been squeamish about film crews or journalists documenting Heartworks because I have some pretty legit control freak tendencies and feel so protective of our sacred work. But the RTF crew was respectful, loving, fun, engaged and sincere. Basically, the whole thing was a 2-day lovefest. We missed the crew when they were gone. It felt like when I cleaned my house up after my 30th high school reunion and missed my friends who had just left. Allison has the patience of a saint and conducted the most intelligent and depthful interview of my career, and ohhhhhh that singing voice!! Jacob was so genuinely into what we are doing and asked about of all the pictures and words hanging in my office. He even asked about the one written in my dad’s handwriting. Sarah and Lauren were smart, fun, and easy to be with. “Boulder Ben” as I came to refer to him as, stood behind the camera with such calm and focus. We talked about Boulder, CO and our love of the Rocky Mountains. During an interview he asked me to talk more about the “invisible push” that I depend on for decision making at Heartworks and for my own life. I looooove talking about the invisible push because I wish all of us were paying more attention to this inner voice and I love that Boulder Ben considered it a valid topic.

Successful stalling

The crew sent me out for a two-and-a-half hour lunch with Holly, Kelly, and Kate. I was antsy and wanted to get back to talking about life issues with Mike, but every time I made a move to go back to Heartworks another appetizer, glass of wine, or chocolate cake came out of the kitchen. I had no idea I was being stalled in order for the Heartworks House makeover to happen. A glass of wine, girlfriends, and chocolate cake happen to be three of my favorite things, so the stalling tactics worked.

What got cut

When I watched the episode, there was a lot that was cut from the two days we all spent together. I know I talked waaaay too much and too long for everything to fit into one episode. There are so many aspects to our Heartworks mission that I wanted to share for the “documentary” I thought they were making. But RTF doesn’t do two episodes about the same honoree, so I will just tell you about what you missed.

We went to two other houses that day. First, we went to see Brigid, who LOVED having Mike sit on their front porch. Brigid told Mike the story about when her son Brandon was in the hospital in the middle of December due to complications from his kidney disease. She described how it felt to be driving home, exhausted and feel behind the eight ball as she drove past houses decorated for Christmas. This feeling added to the struggle she was already in. When she turned up her driveway, she saw a wreath filled with 60 women’s prayers on her front door. It lifted her in ways that brought her to tears telling Mike the story. The day of filming, when Mike, Holly, and I were visiting, Brigid’s yard needed weeding. I suck at weeding, so I sort of faked it in a way that Brigid still felt loved but that her yard didn’t benefit that much from. I was glad my fake weeding didn’t make the cut. But the time spent with Mike and Brigid on her front porch was transformational. There is something raw and healing about sitting on a front porch of someone’s home talking about faith, kindness, and the harsh realities of the human experience.

Then we went to see Linda and plant a rose bush for her sweet daughter Charlotte. Charlotte was a beautiful, 15 year old non-verbal girl who had compromised health every day of her life and had to be lifted out of her wheelchair. If you ask anyone who attended her funeral, just a month after filming day, they would tell you that the service changed and opened them. In one of the speeches, made by Linda’s friend Frank, he said that being with Charlotte had helped him understand what God is. How many of us can say we have done this for another human being? She was an extraordinary girl. We are grateful that the rose bush got planted while Charlotte was still here on Earth. Linda has since created an expanded garden around it. Very early in the episode, Melissa and I hug Linda, she has on a light blue sweater. The week Charlotte was buried, the RTF team sent her flowers. That’s the type of people they are who run this show.

Something else that got cut is Mike giving me a new iPhone! I had tried to call Eddie like 20 times that day but the phone I used to have sucked and the calls weren’t going through. We tried to face time him outside of Brigid’s house so that he could see Mike, but the connection was horrible. Mike kept commenting on the cracks and lack of power in the phone. My response to him was that I have a pretty damn good life because soldiers are in trenches, right now, protecting my freedom and I don’t have a chemo drip in my arm, so things like a new phone are not a priority. Clearly and thankfully, he disagreed, and I have to admit I am LOVING the new phone and it does make things easier.

The day of the filming was also a day that we have two flag ceremonies with our local veterans group, Post 7858. They come to the Heartworks House and raise the flag in the morning and lower it late afternoon. A group of us gather to honor these men and then they come inside and we get to serve them breakfast and dinner. All day I was a freak-a-zoid about the “documentary” filming maybe getting in the way of feeding the veterans. Turns out, of course, RTF and my board members figured it all out behind my back and RTF paid for the men to have dinner out in town that night (they couldn’t be at Heartworks because of the reveal). I love that probably the reason the ceremony scenes got cut is because RTF already focuses so much on veterans that it didn’t need to be included. This calms me to see how many episodes are dedicated to veteran causes. As I always say, “Everything I am doing today is because a veteran sacrificed for my family.” Care and support for our veterans and military needs to be more in the forefront of our everyday consciousness and RTF helps with this.

The show also didn’t show the complete house makeover which included wallpaper, and I loooove me some good wallpaper. I would NEVER have ok’d money to be spent on redecorating (because of the whole soldiers in the trenches and chemo drip thought process) so I feel so happy for all Heartworkers that our space is now so beautiful.

And last but not least, they left out me falling up the stairs at the reveal! Thank you again, RTF! As I got out of the car Mike said “Grab my arm,” and I shooed him away and proceeded to wipe out trying to get up the stairs to all my family and friends. Mike offered his arm again with a sarcastic, supportive comment of “I saw that one coming, that’s why I said take my arm.”

Peggy Rowe

Getting to see Mike’s mom speak at a book signing made my day, even though the crew whisked me out of the bookshop early to make sure his parents didn’t blow his cover! Peggy Rowe is a published author at 81 and an example of full life living. It is so powerful that her memoir About My Mother: True stories of a Horse-Crazy Daughter and Her Baseball–Obsessed Mother, tells stories about her own mother and a love that never needs to end. Peggy Rowe is reminding us that the passage of time and even death does not defeat a love that is shared. Death doesn’t take away memories or lessons or love. Thank you Peggy for the reminder.

The apology I owe

I had no sense of time while the RTF crew was there. My sincere apologizes to my daughter’s soccer carpool that I forgot to pick up. I have to admit though, I loved being able to use the old “I got kidnapped by a reality show and lost track of time” excuse.

My control issues again

The process of being surprised by RTF and then waiting for three months to see the outcome was a torturous lesson in letting go and surrender. The Universal Flow has been asking me to practice these concepts pretty friggin’ consistently over the past three years. To truly let go and truly trust is one of the most challenging and freeing aspects of life. I leaned on trusted friends, my board members, and Eddie every time I had a freak out. These people helped me every time I freaked out and kept reminding me how awesome and real the crew was. I turned to gratitude everyday for three months…Thank you, God. Thank you, trust. Thank you, Returning the Favor.

Our hope for the show’s impact

The best part of the whole thing is that our idea of living with the heart and mindset that we all had in the weeks following September 11^th is being shared with thousands of people. Real change will occur if every person watching this episode accepts the invitation to look inward and then give outward from his or her own life losses. The more we invoke the invisible experiences that we are tempted to stuff down in our everyday lives, the more we will all heal. Instead of looking to churches and politicians to create change, cultural concepts will shift only when we shift. This is what Heartworks is about. We aren’t waiting for the next tragedy to happen to bring us back together. By coming together in the “in-between tragedy spaces,” we are given the chance to live fulfilling and love-filled lives. We would love everyone to join us in this movement towards a more peaceful world.

Our New Logo: What Does It Mean To Us?

April 10, 2019/in News /by heartworks

For the last several months, we have been putting hours of thoughtful work into how we can better share the message of Heartworks. As Heartworkers, we all know how unique and special it is here, but how could we best represent this movement to the world?

One of the first important steps in better communicating our message was to develop a new logo. One that reflects our belief that the more we do our own inner work the more present we are for other people when they are struggling.

Change does not happen easily or lightly. It is a heavy task to leave the logo that has represented us for almost 15 years. The logo that helped start it all. But we also know that change equals growth.

The process of developing a new logo for Heartworks was more than a labor of love….it was a labor of introspection, reflection, prayer, and gratitude. We truly believe this new version represents the soul of Heartworks. Here are some insights as to what each part means:

The heart symbol that helps to make up the “H” represents the action of a “heartwork:” an act of giving that comes from an authentic place within you. The heart is open, with energy spiraling out from its center, representing the action of giving from a place of our own experience with heartache. It speaks to the ongoing and infinite effects that an act of compassion has in our world. One person opens and gives to another and that person has an experience of grace and therefore is more likely to do something for someone else and so on and so on…

The H

Within the “H” is the echo of the Twin Towers, signifying the emergent place that we all come to at some point in our lives. It represents creating space, in our daily lives, for the same level of awareness and unity that overcame us all in the days following September 11, 2001.

Look Inward, Give Outward

After 15 years, Heartworks has come to realize that in order for the concepts of Heartworks to really transform us, each of us is called to look inward at our own experience with grief, vulnerability, and gratitude. By doing this we are not simply “mindlessly volunteering,” but truly bringing healing energy into the world through our own life stories. “Look Inward, Give Outward” means to work on ourselves (we offer workshops, meditation groups, prayer walks, self-growth book club, monthly meetings etc..) while giving outward, from a reflective, intentional place. We firmly believe that by doing this, both the giver and receiver are adding connection and love to the world in the purest of ways.

The Font

The font, keeps with the natural, organic, hand written characteristics of the Heartworks Brand. Whenever we give, it comes from a natural, organic intention to help in whatever way fits a person or family best. And we fully believe that in this age of texting and email, there is a power in hand written notes, especially during times of suffering.

Action Heart Symbol

The Heartworks action symbol is a dynamic image we encourage anyone to use when signing letters or cards, as a way of creating more conscious giving in our world. You start at the base of the heart, draw the heart while leaving an opening, and then draw the swirl. The idea here is that each individual brings her own “heart print” to the work of receiving with grace, giving with an open heart and practicing gratitude.

Our original tag line of “Receive with grace, give with an open heart, and be grateful” will always be the foundation of Heartworks. It speaks to the healing available when we say “YES” to support without guilt, shame or resistance. The idea of giving without judgment and practicing gratitude on a daily basis is a reliable way to invoke more peace in our lives.

Our hope is that our new logo moves you into the stillness in your own life and into action in the world around you. We hope that it helps you to feel a part of something bigger than yourself and that it reminds you that connection and growth create purpose in every struggle.

Learn more about Heartworks at our Newcomers Meeting!

April 2, 2018/in News /by heartworks

We have moved the newcomers meeting to 7:00 p.m. starting at our April 2018 meeting.

If you know of someone that would like to join us, please encourage them to come to Heartworks at 7:00 to meet with Megan and get a brief overview of Heartworks before the meeting begins.

7 p.m. Newcomers meeting

7:15 p.m. Social hour (with a purpose!)

8 p.m. Meeting begins

Click here for more information about why we say “Come to a Meeting!“

Why We Honor Our Veterans

March 5, 2018/in News /by heartworks

As women, we are especially grateful to be able to gather at Heaertworks and speak freely. One of our core philosophies at Heartworks is that none of us would be able to enjoy what we do in our lives without the sacrifices made by our military.

We realize that there are so many places in the world where men and women cannot even imagine being able to gather publicly in safety and speak freely. At every monthly meeting, we light candles in honor of our Veterans. The first candle lit is always for our active military that ensures that we can continue to do what we do.

What We Do for Our Local Veterans

Every day during the weeks of Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day, we hold flag raising and lowering ceremonies and make breakfast and dinner for the men of VFW Post #7858 at the Bernardsville Post Office. We encourage everyone in the community to attend these short and meaningful ceremonies. Heartworkers sign up for these opportunities:

Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick’s Day
Mums delivered each fall
Desserts brought to their monthly meetings

Come to a Meeting

February 28, 2018/in News /by heartworks

Tuesday Morning Meditation at Heartworks

February 5, 2018/in News /by heartworks

Starting January 16th, Heartworks will have a meditation group at the Heartworks House every Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m.! Join Megan for a very relaxing and healing guided meditation and (optional) sharing.

Give yourself until 9:30 a.m. but you can certainly leave earlier if you need too.

YOU WILL LOVE THIS! Just come, even if you feel nervous! Come once, come every week, come when you want too; we will be here.