grace

3 Unconventional Presents for Working Moms

Get ready for some affirmations and unconventional presents for working moms of any cloth. You’ll be surprised – they work for pretty much ANYONE. And you can’t buy them in a store…

A Story

As we went around the discussion circle, it became apparent. Being a working mom in the summer is its own dilemma. Each woman was asked to answer this question:

What would Success look like for you this summer?

“I love spending time with my kids, but…”

“How can I keep up the momentum and stay present for my kids?”

“I am not taking on any new clients.”

“…I know I’ll never get this time back.”

“Because I’m not the primary breadwinner…”

I could see the hope and despair in every woman’s eyes. The joy and exhaustion. The guilt and the longing.

In the midwest, summer can be glorious. And it can be full of competing priorities and values. Enough to flatten any strong hard working mom and send her pleading for Sleigh Bells and Stuffed Schedules.

My turn was coming up; my head was spinning. What to say?

My logical brain started: My kids are self-sufficient. Well, in most ways. But, to be honest, my son is leaving for college soon. (insert sadness) Homelife has been (insert: stressful.) And I’m still trying to figure out what a solid foundation for my business is. (insert worry)

Though the kids are picking their own blended schedules over the summer for the first time, I felt only one answer scream at me.

what are the gifts???!?

Episode 4: Four Steps to your Personal Freedom

November 2021

listen here

Hello my dear friend! How are you and how are you taking care of yourself today? Yep, the rumors are true. I took a before-work nap today. Four nights this week, I’ve been in kid-shuffling-around mode at night. And then Elvis, my step-dog, woke me up twice right before wake up time. When my alarm went off, I groaned.

A little voice inside of me said please to go back to sleep. Then another said suck it up, you’ll be fine. A third said, get your stuff done, get the kids out of the house, and lay back down. Boom. I had my answer.

On this Thanksgiving eve, I have a word gift for you. You might associate it with a favorite hymn or your Thanksgiving meal. I assure you, this word is not only for church or holidays. The word is

Grace.

We sing about grace in the Church. We hope we receive it from God when we have fallen. We give grace for bountiful food and company that nourishes our bodies and souls.

Going forward, I challenge you to think of Grace in a new way. To take Grace, wrap it up, and give it back to yourself with passionate abandon. Let it rain on you as a watershed of compassion and love and forgiveness. Give yourself grace for being and living the miracle that is You. No matter how you woke up. No matter what “they” said or did. No matter what. Period.

But I mess up all the time, you might be saying to yourself. What then? You don’t make mistakes. You are not a mistake. You have unexpected, and sometimes uncomfortable, steps along your path. Why? So you learn what you’re meant to. Why? So you can unlock and live your happiness, freedom, and joy.

So, whadda ya say? Try it with me?

And would you like to know the three other steps that help me show up every day, guilt-free, worry-free, in joy, with freedom and love for myself? Listen to Heather and I talk Personal Freedom.

Sending you love, light, grace, and laughter, Heidi Esther

Live with Heidi and Heather: Episode 4

Watch Episode 4: Four Steps to Your Personal Freedom

Did you like the show? Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

The SoulJourner QUESTion

Three ways to engage Grace.

Will you take the Grace challenge?
Facebook Question of the week: Who embodies Grace to you? Answer on my Facebook page.
Facebook POLL of the week: What word do you most associate with grace? Join & answer in the Live with Heidi and Heather Group.

Ready for more Live with Heidi and Heather shows? Check out our page.

Or subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

The Care Bear Police are gonna get me…

(PSST! If you just are here to get the Freedom Shower Download, click here! )

It was the middle of the night. I shot up in bed. They are gonna sue me, I know it. I snatched my phone to investigate.

I moved like a sloth into my “stealthy-web-searching-at-night position”: I lay down on my side, away from my wife. My elbow propped up.

up late at night? again? Is heidi esther gonna get busted? Read on, curious soul!

The Loving Eye of the Heart-i-cane

Wow, Barbara. Your 13-year-old process of deduction while unconscious is most impressive.

Heart Attack Series 2 of 2. Read First Story Here.

4:28 am: The Hospital

We park in the ER lot. We don our masks and walk to the door in the cold, pre-dawn morning. I hold Stacey’s arm in her puffy green coat. Her whole body is trembling. This is bad.

5 paces in: the Check-in desk. As casually as a conversation about the weather, Stacey is asked her reason for the visit. She nods. I tell the woman her signs of a pre-heart attack. She writes it down on a ledger, types something, and looks back up. Could this woman move any slower?

stacey might die if this woman doesn’t hurry up her cursive!!

Just who do you think you are?

Written in honor of International Women’s Day 2021 #IWD2021 #ChooseToChallenge

Hey amazing soul! You can CLICK HERE to see me read it on Facebook!

I am recovering woman.
  Watching the boys
    following His dreams.
"Wanna hear another dumb blonde joke?" 

I am recovering woman.
   Waiting for husband
     to come home from work
"I cannot live without you."

you bet this is a totally righteous poem! Read on, worthy soul!

Can you Dance in a Heart-i-cane?

What happens when Heidi Esther’s answer for everything – toast – doesn’t solve the problem? What else can she do?

(The Heart Attack Series, 1 of 2. Second Story coming March 10!)

A story, from Barbara

It’s the middle of the night. So, I’m sleeping, right? Minding my own business. Snuggled high in my Ikea loft bed under my Wiener-dog blanket and the crocheted one Stacey made me. She’s my step-mom. I’m thirteen years old. And I’m wearing my striped pajama pants with Christmas chihuahuas if you must know.

That’s when I woke up. From the scratching. What the heck? Like someone’s clawing at my window. I’m not scared; I’m the family member who picks up bugs and puts them back outside. Alive. So, I open my curtains.

what’s outside? read on, brave soul!

One Lunch that was too big to Stomach

Not in a box. Not with a fox. Not in a car. Not in a bar. Not here OR there.

PSST! Scroll to the bottom of One Lunch Too Big and claim your FREE Gift! Hint: It involves soap 🙂

God, I so miss going out to lunch…

My face turned hot. My lips pursed. My stomach lurched. I quickly grabbed my fork and knife and concentrated on cutting my pizza into toddler squares. Still listening to Betsy.

Betsy: A woman I’ve known for a year. How could I not see? Was I, now, my own social media filter? Has she been presenting facts that I, simply, could not, would not – recognize?

what’s so different about betsy? And why is heidi freaking out about it? read more!

Country Club Series 2/2: Aunt Flo Strikes Back

Country Club Series 1/2: It’s the Most Aunt-Flo-der-ful, Country Club Series 2/2: Aunt Flo Strikes Back

After one beer and 14 hours of work

I’m sure it’s sweat. It’s after dark and still in the 90s.

I scan the landscape. For the darkest path. In case Aunt Flo decided not to leave. Bee-atch.

Okay, can’t walk-run to my car. My purse is in the office. Breathe. My next steps:

Cross the Welcome station
Walk ½ way up the Circle Drive
Get past the Valet-guarded doors
Dodge outcoming bathroom crowd
Walk 20 feet into a No-Escaping-Notice office

I’m sure I’m fine.

is she fine? OMG, I can’t even watch. Why didn’t she double up, dear god, why???

Thanksgiving Grace, and crying

Woken Grace, 2020

Dear God, Earth Mother, The Universe, Higher Power, or whatever you believe in,

We are, though we may not always show it, grateful for all you give us. For all you bless us to live with and love. For all you give us to eat that nourishes our souls, today and forward. Thank you.

Today is Thanksgiving.

I woke, laden and remorseful. For the immense suffering that it took to make my plate possible:

how long is this grace? about 4 min 🙂 read on, woken soul!