The Heart Behind the Vision

The Language of the Heart was born, in part, from my own encounters with love, illness, grief, mystery, and the enduring connections that can be difficult to explain in words.

During one of the most challenging chapters of my life, Maximus, my beloved Newfoundland, became my constant companion and gentle nurse. He stayed beside me through my experience with pancreatic cancer with a presence and understanding that seemed to need no language.

Over a relatively short period of time, I also said goodbye to several people and beings I deeply loved—my father, my grandmother, my aunt, Maximus, and later my husband.

And yet, love did not simply disappear.

Those experiences left me with questions that continue to inspire this project: What remains of our connections? How do we understand the bonds that seem to transcend words, distance, and even death? And what do we do with the experiences we cannot fully explain?

The Language of the Heart is one way of honoring those who have walked beside me—and of creating a place where all of us can explore the extraordinary mystery of love, connection, and being alive.