Family Ministry Programming During COVID-19

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Like others, our Family Ministry has had to adapt and create new ways to provide resources for families to stay connected and engaged in faith formation at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas we emphasize the faith formation of households with children, the name “Family Ministry” encompasses families with children and our St. Paul’s Family as a whole. Therefore, I was thrilled to hear one new offering is being used by members of all ages.

The new Daily Faith email series provides a variety of “bite-sized” opportunities for reflection, education, and connection at home. Examples of these curated resources include coloring pages, mealtime meditations, and videos about, well, pretty much anything. I invite you to take advantage of this offering by subscribing to our mailing list HERE.

Other program adaptions include a weekly schedule of virtual gatherings on Zoom for our Kids Crew (ages 4-10) and Youth Crew (ages 11-18). We are taking a holistic approach by offering traditional-type Christian education and casual, fun, and relationship-oriented offerings every week for both age groups. To view our full schedule, visit the “Online Gatherings” page on the St. Paul’s Cathedral website. For curated memes, updates, and reflections, follow our Family Ministry Instagram (@cathedral.fam)

I am excited to see how our virtual ministry is taking shape. In January, I joined Dean Penny, Father Jeff, and other leaders at the “Rooted in Jesus” conference in Atlanta, Georgia, where there was an emphasis on re-thinking what church looks like in the 21st century; how ought the Church engage with and respond to the needs of our world today? Little did we know how soon we had to utilize what we learned at the conference in response to COVID-19. Ultimately, however unfortunate and challenging the circumstance, I recognize the opportunity for radical transformation in the ways we do faith formation at St. Paul’s in the future.

Your sister in Christ and community, 
Maya Little-Saña, Youth Minister

Faith to Go: a new connection online for families

At St. Paul’s and in a growing number of churches, Sunday mornings bring an unforeseeable number of children and families to church each week. For some, regular attendance means showing up monthly, for some it means quarterly, while for some it still means weekly. As a result, on any given Sunday, it is almost impossible to know who will be at church. This makes it hard to continue doing Sunday School as we have for the last 50-plus years; and it means that if we don’t adapt to the changing lives of the families, there are large holes in their faith formation.

At St. Paul’s, while we have an average of six children in Godly Play class per Sunday, 30 different children have taken part in the offering since September. This means that each child is coming an average of once a month, or even a little less. But this does not mean that these children and their families are not looking for faith formation. Rather, it means that their lives and schedules allow for this frequency of attendance, as more and more extracurricular activities outside of church take place on Sunday mornings. While it may be tempting to wish that people aren’t so busy, instead we can take this as an invitation from God to transform the way we understand what faith formation for children and parents looks like in the 21st century. Through this rapidly changing cultural landscape, God is calling us to move outside of our comforts zones, outside of our walls, and utilize the tools of the 21st century that are at our disposal. Today it is our job to bring the faith formation to them and to fulfill our mission of supporting the formation of disciples by responding to the world around us and taking advantage of the technology at our fingertips.

St. Paul’s will always have programming for children and families on Sunday mornings, but now we also have faith formation resources for families that do not require their attendance at church. In responding to this call, we have spent the last year crafting a faith formation offering that goes with families wherever they go, and meets them where they are instead of requiring them to come to us. This offering is called Faith To Go.

Faith To Go is a digital and online collection of resources that includes age appropriate videos, reflection questions, at-home liturgies, discussion questions, activities, and articles for three different age ranges (0-4, 5-10, and 11-18). These resources are found on our website (www.stpaulcathedral.org/faithtogo) as well as in a weekly email that anyone can sign up to receive. The resources are all based on the gospel reading for each Sunday, so no matter how often their family attends church, they are taking part in the same lectionary rhythm as the rest of the congregation. The resources also include a podcast (Faith To Go Podcast), which is available on iTunes and prepares parents to discuss the week’s vital themes of the gospel reading.

If you are interested in receiving the weekly email, you can sign up by clicking this link, and you can subscribe to the podcast by searching for Faith To Go Podcast in iTunes and clicking the “Subscribe” button or by clicking this link on your mobile device. You can also visit the website (www.stpaulcathedral.org/faithtogo). We are very excited about this new opportunity to cultivate community and faith formation in these new digital and online spaces, and we are thankful to all the families here at St. Paul’s and for all of the ways that God is inviting us to transform and to explore new ways of doing what we are called to do as a community of faith in the world.

David Tremaine

Introducing our Newest Faith Formation Staff Members

As your Director of Outreach and Faith Formation I am excited to announce the hiring of two new members to the St. Paul’s Cathedral staff and Faith Formation team.

 They are Maya Little-Saña and Abigail (Abby) Creager.

Maya Little-Saña, a San Diego native and St. Paul's parishioner for three years, is a student at San Diego City College pursuing an Associate’s Degree for Transfer to SDSU in Religious Studies. She believes working at St. Paul's with the youth will help her discern her vocation and "where her deep gladness and where the world's deep need" meets. She enjoys poetry, the beach, and dancing at local punk rock concerts. Maya officially joined the staff as our new Youth Minister on August 1st, and has already begun brainstorming new and exciting ways to cultivate community amongst the youth at St. Paul’s.



Abby Creager, from Monterey, CA, is the Cathedral's new Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries. After recently moving to the San Diego area, Abby began working as a Sunday School coordinator at La Jolla Presbyterian Church. She has extensive experience in church ministry, played violin in her church's worship team for eight years and participated in mission work in Mexico. Abby earned her degree in violin performance from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and has been playing and performing for the past 18 years. She loves working with families and kids, and is so passionate about helping others through ministry. She is excited to be at St. Paul's and is thrilled to serve the community.

Together, the three of us will make up the Faith Formation team here at the cathedral. We will work together to bring the community multifaceted intergenerational faith formation offerings as well as strive to cultivate a sense of community around these various offerings.

As Director of Faith Formation, I am overjoyed to welcome Maya and Abby onto the staff and so excited to see what we can do together. Please welcome Abby and Maya as you see them around campus this week, and make sure to let them know the ways you would like to get involved with Children, Youth and Families ministries this year.

 Peace,

David Tremaine
Director of Outreach and Formation

Meet our New Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries

Dear Friends,

I am honored to accept Dean Penny’s invitation to serve as the next Director of Children, Youth and Families Ministries. When my husband and I began attending St. Paul’s seven years ago, I could never have imagined that God would eventually call me to collaborate with the kids and families of St. Paul’s to meet the growing needs of this treasured community. My personal faith journey, combined with my professional experiences, has formed my passion for the faith development of children and youth in a profound way.

As a research Program Manager at UCSD for over a decade, I was responsible for the design, implementation and monitoring of children’s mental health research initiatives. While this work was intellectually stimulating and challenging, the serious illness of my second son as an infant forced me to step out of academia. During my nearly two-year break, God’s plan for my life began to evolve and take on new dimension. As my son recovered, and our lives began to stabilize, I was able to involve myself in various aspects of Cathedral life. Through participation in a number of community outreach and ministry programs at St.Paul’s, including membership on the Vision 4 Mission committee, Episcopal Community Services liaison and participation in the children’s Godly Play program, I began to see a path of spiritual enrichment being laid out in front of me. When we learned that the youth program that our family valued so dearly was in transition, we were overwhelmed with sadness. Our knowledgeable, supportive and compassionate Christine was stepping down. As unsettled as I felt, I also understood that Christine needed to follow the path God was creating for her and her family. Through prayer and thoughtful consideration, I felt called to apply for the position of Director and was blessed with the offer to serve.

I have had the privilege to be in community with this church family in many ways. But the joy, amazement and fulfillment I have experienced with the kids and families at St. Paul’s has been unparalleled. I am excited for the future of this dynamic and growing program, and honored to be part of youth religious formation in this faith community.

Thank you for allowing me to join with you as we collectively explore God in our midst. I look forward to what the future has in store for us!

Robin Taylor

Overhearing Godly Play: The Holy Family

Did you visit the Godly Play room at Sunday's forum? Godly Play is a creative approach to Christian formation of children, and an important part of our family programming. Overhearing Godly Play is a new blog series by Robin Taylor that will put Godly Play in a context we all can relate to. Robin is a member of St. Paul's Cathedral, and a contributor to various cathedral activities. She particularly enjoys learning more about Faith and God from a child's perspective.

Godly Play Lesson 9/28 - The Holy Family

The focus of today's Godly Play lesson was the Holy Family. The curriculum uses the Nativity set (Mary, Joseph, Christ child, shepherd, sheep, donkey, three kings) throughout the year as a way of introducing the central tenant of our faith as Christians: Birth-Death-Rebirth. We introduced the Holy Family today as a way to begin the new church-school year, and set the tone for the mysteries we have yet to explore.

I had the privilege of being the storyteller for this lesson and observed first hand the creative, dynamic minds we have represented in our GP kids. They were prompted with a few different "wondering" questions. The first, "I wonder what part of the Holy Family you like best" elicited such great responses. Some said the donkey, for its hard work in bringing Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Others said the shepherds because they were the first to hear the news of Jesus's birth.

The second question, "I wonder if you have ever seen the Holy Family in our church", was a bit less inspiring for the kids, but that's ok too. Because it got me thinking about the multiple ways you can interpret that question. Literally or figuratively, concretely or metaphorically. I asked myself if we aren't all part of THE Holy Family (as members of the Christian church in general and St. Paul's in particular), and simultaneously members of our own individual Holy Families. And all of these Families are just as motley a crew as that first Holy Family - with neighbors, tradesmen, wise people, parents, kids and animal friends all contributing to the whole, and helping each other better understand the mind-blowing truth of Birth-Death-Rebirth in our lives.

St Paul's at the Beach

THe Coronado Beach, that is.... instead of the monthly family Eucharist in the park this weekend, folks went to Coronado beach for a prayer service and a potluck, sharing thoughts about future worship.  Thanks to Susan Shaw Hulbert for the photos!

Nursery update: before and after!

Thank you to all who participated in buying items to update our nursery!  It looks wonderful!

Here are pictures of what it looked like before,

And here are the pictures of what it looks like now!

Your Secret Life

Hello All -

I saw a wonderful movie last night called "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." We all watched it together at home and it was wonderful. I think my 10 year old enjoyed it as much as I did. I liked it so much I bought the sound track which I am listening to know. It is great.

I was thinking about the story while I was out running early this morning and I realized that part of what I loved about it was I think it caught a part of the best of the human spirit without hype or glamour. It showed us a piece of the best of what we can be in a really weird kind of a way, which makes it even better because I think we all feel a weird at times. None of us need to be alone or feel less than okay in our weirdness. Weirdness is much appreciated by those who can slow down enough to stop and notice!

The movie also left me feeling a lot of empathy for human kind. We all arrive here ready to do great things. Just look at any 2 year old, nothing can stop them when they know what they want. Then life happens to each one of us. For some of us a drama takes place at home and life becomes unstable, we may get a debilitating illness or start to hang out with a rough crowd. As young people at school we may be bullied, put down, or undermined. The world is constantly sending us messages that we are not enough in millions of ways. We are called to continually manage our self talk around all the noise, put up barriers and protect ourselves. We are all just doing our best to make it though this crazy drama that is life.

We grow up and layers and layers of this have been applied through which we just continue to function. But inside each of us is this free spirit, this person that is just enough just as they are without doing anything. And in our adult lives there are these wonderful moments where that shell begins to crack off and we can be that uncluttered person again, ready to do great things. Ready to show up without fear and the baggage of life and just be the gift that we are.

Check out "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and then spend some time getting to better know your own secret life, seeing what happens when you start to let it out through the cracks in your layers!

Christine D'Amico

Family Service!

You should be sure to come to the monthly family service some time-- lots of music, singing and dancing, Godly play, home made bread, and space for kids to be, well, kids!  Here are a few photographs from last night's service.

Here's a slideshow for the whole set, or  go to this link.  And you can download high res photos here

Parenting as Partnership: the Presentation of Jesus

Last Sunday in the Godly Play room we explored the Presentation of Jesus. This is when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus into the temple to celebrate his name and dedicate him to God. This was a custom for Jewish families dating back to Moses. It was one of the guidelines handed down to Moses by God so far back in history and now Jesus was following in that tradition.

It is a lovely ritual, similar to our baptism ritual, in that it reminds us that this new child belongs to God and that we have been entrusted to care for, love and protect this wonderful creation. In the midst of the crazy parenting years, long after the baby days are over, it is really good to take this time after Christmas to remember that we have been trusted with a very important job. God is calling on us to help this little part of his creation to grow and flourish in the best way that it can.

What an amazing partnership to have with God. Listen to his guidance and be open to the unfolding that comes with parenthood.

Christine D'Amico

St. Paul's First Saturday Night Service and BBQ!

On Saturday, August 3rd at 5:30 p.m. we invite you to a special Eucharist in the Great Hall. The space, the music, and the order of worship will be a little different, but the warmth of the St. Paul's community will be the same. This service welcomes the full participation and presence of babies, children, teens, parents, grandparents and families, and ANYONE who is interested in (or curious about!) a more informal eucharistic celebration.

After the eucharist we'll head over to Balboa Park for a potluck BBQ picnic. Meat and veggie options for the grill will be provided -- please bring a side, salad, or dessert to round out our meal together. Depending on interest, we hope the Saturday Night Services and potluck dinner will become a monthly tradition. Please join us for the inaugural event! Sign-up online by clicking here.

What: Saturday Night Service & BBQ Dinner

When: August 3rd, 5:30 p.m.

Where: The Great Hall

Who: Families, young or old -- and anyone who's up for a little chaos and community!


SIGN-UP ONLINE HERE

Questions? Contact Laurel Mathewson at mathewsonl@stpaulcathedral.org, or (619) 298-7261 x 357.

This is your family

My four days in the hospital taught me quite a lot about being laid up. My attitude toward visiting people in the hospital had always been one that ranged from wondering if I should go, to downright reluctance. I’d consider going, and then wonder if a visit from me would be welcome, if the person recuperating from whatever would rather be left to heal in peace without people popping in all the time.

I’ve revised that view entirely, if I can base my new attitude about hospital visiting on my gratitude that so many people, particularly from my cathedral family, took the time to stop by. I was always glad to see them, and by the second day of my stay, they made up quite a parade, and sometimes even a crowd (I think there were six or so friends there at one particular time.) The meds I had to take kept me from reading very long, and junk TV bored me, but when a friend came by, I was alert and happy and hoping they could stay a while.

The other thing I learned is that you have to let people know where you are and what has happened to you. On day two in the hospital, I managed to send out an e-mail to alert everyone I knew about my accident. My sisters in Ohio, friends all over the US and Italy, as well as other friends nearby found out that I’d been struck by a car and was in for some hard-time healing. The response was deeply moving for me. Along with the visits I’ve already mentioned came e-mails, texts, and cards. Flowers arrived, and gifts.

And the point is, none of that would have happened if I hadn’t put out the word.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation, and God forbid that you do, don’t be afraid to let your family know. Give them the chance to be generous to you. They really want to do that, to show you how much they care about your getting better. They will offer help for whatever you need; shopping, or drug store runs, or anything else that you can’t do on your own. And they will be grateful for the opportunity to be your family. Don’t deny them that opportunity; tell them what you need and accept their gifts with grace and gratitude. You can be the fountain for their being a blessing to you.

My own independent demeanor had always led me to believe that, no matter what, I wouldn’t rely on others if I could help it. That isn’t independence. It’s stupidity, selfishness, and false pride. My cathedral family has, by their caring and love, convinced me that to be a part of that family, I have to participate in it, and in this instance, that meant inviting them to share their love with me. My healing continues and I firmly believe that it has gone so well because of that love and the continued prayers in my behalf. For that and for you, I am more grateful than I can describe.

Robert Heylmun

Closing the Circle

Pat at the Tatoo

Sometimes in life something happens to us in such a miraculous way that it simply has to be shared. And thus it is that I’m writing this article to share with my St. Paul’s Family.

I recently took a trip to Scotland. I was able to check something off my “Bucket List”, which was to attend The Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It was such a magnificent show; bagpipes drum and bugle corps, highland dancing, and all done with the Castle as the backdrop. I hope you all get a chance to watch it when it is shown on PBS.

But the main reason I made this trip was to scatter my Father’s ashes over his beloved Orkney.

Orkney is a group of islands north east of mainland Scotland. Dad was born there and although moved away when he was young he always talked about his memories of summers and holidays spent in Kirkwall, the major city in Orkney. He told me that he wanted to have his ashes scattered over Kirkwall, so in 1990, Dad, my sister Jean, and I took a “Beat the Ashes” trip so he could show us himself the place he called Home. Watching our 80 year of father grow younger before our eyes as he stepped off the plane was such a joy. Everywhere we went he had wonderful stories to share with Jean and me. And it soon became evident why he loved it so much. It is truly a magical place and it was a trip of a lifetime.

Dad died in 2000 and since my sister was unable to fly to Scotland, she wanted to keep the ashes in her home. With her passing in February I knew it was time to take him Home. This time, however, I seemed to have additional anxiety about the trip. I know that several of you were praying about the concerns I had with getting Dad’s ashes through security, as well as the unknown once I was there. The power of prayer was so evident from the moment I arrived at Lindberg Field. It’s as though God sent down His band of angels to accompany me on my journey. There were never any problems, only a great deal of care and compassion shown to me as I traveled with the ashes. Thank you all for your prayers!

St Magnus

Once I got to Kirkwall, I met Rev. Fraser McNaughton, minister of St. Magnus Cathedral where my father was christened one hundred years ago. We had corresponded through email, but I had no idea what to expect. He couldn’t have been more wonderful, definitely another angel sent for this special moment in time.

 St. Magnus Cathedral was built in the 12 century and is a magnificent building of rose colored sandstone with magnificent stained glass windows and intricate stone work throughout. It is Church of Scotland, thus Presbyterian, but I certainly didn’t hold that against him. It is a major tourist attraction and thus filled with tourists most of the day. Dad’s ashes were placed on the lovely communion table along side a beautifully carved Viking ship below the Rosetta window. Unfortunately the ashes were in a clear Tupperware container as required by the TSA. A bit out of place, but I’m quite sure dad wouldn’t have minded.

The Rev. Fraser McNaughton

Since the cathedral was filled with tourists, Fraser (he’s a first name kind of guy just like our Scott) announced that we will be blessing the ashes of a man who was born in Orkney, settled in California, and wished that his hashes be scattered here. I heard a sign the crowd hushed, sat down, and became part of the service. A candle was lit, the most perfect words were spoken as if he’d known dad personally, and a perfect poem and lovely prayer finished the service. It was more than I had ever expected or could have orchestrated. Fraser drove us to a spectacular sight, high above the city, overlooking the sea, where he again said the most perfect words and I threw Dad’s ashes into the Orkney wind. At that very moment I could feel his spirit soaring and he was truly free to roam the glens of home!! It was more than I had expected or could have ever orchestrated. This was God’s work; there was no doubt about it. Yes, it was a perfect day and the circle of life was complete.

Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland

I am so glad that Dad shared his heritage with me and appreciate more than ever the need to pass that on to the next generation. I felt as though my roots had grown deeper and stronger, thus enabling me to stand tall against any harsh winds of time. To those of you who have knowledge of your family tree, pass it onto the future generations. This simply shouldn’t be lost.

-Pat Kreder

The fierce love of a parent

Hello Parents

The story of the release of [Israeli soldier] Gilad Shalit to his family left me thinking of how much it is a part of being human to want your children safe, happy and nearby. Every parent in the whole world could relate to that feeling, that need, of this young man's parents to get him released. No matter where you live, what you do, or what beliefs you hold, if you are a parent you can feel a part of this instinctual drive to get your child out of danger and back home where he or she is safe.

I was really struck by the measures this family went to meet this need. They hired a PR person to get the nation's support behind their son's cause. They camped out in front of state buildings for 18 months - slept there for 18 months. That is almost hard to imagine. They held marches and rallies and did anything they could think of to pressure the government to aid in the release of their son. This became the focus of their lives. Their whole life became shaped by this need to get their son home, out of danger and out of captivity.

It made me realize how this feeling to save our children at all costs connects all of us parents around the globe. It left me thankful that my children are safe, free to live as they choose and are still close by. It reminded me of the power of persistence and the human drive to make something happen. It made me think about the fact that there are many other prisons that can "steal" our children away such as drug addition, alcoholism or even anger or hurt feelings. We, as parents, need to keep our eyes open for those societal captives that can lock our children away just as powerfully as a prision. What does persistence to save a child look like in these situations?

This story demonstrated to me the drive to keep loved ones safe and close as one so strong it cuts through everything else. Was the release of this young man a smart move for the country? Was the deal they struck too high? Those are questions I cannot answer. But in the eyes of his family those questions don't seem even relevant.

A bit of Gilad's story is listed below. What does all of this mean for you ... and your family ?

Looking pale, thin and emotional, Gilad Shalit was reunited with his family Tuesday after more than five years in captivity. Now he faces what is likely to be a bewildering few days, weeks and months as he readjusts to a life of liberty. While no one yet knows exactly what he went through, other captives' experiences give an insight into his likely state of mind -- and suggest that although he has his freedom, other challenges lie ahead. Only 19 at the time of his capture in June 2006, Shalit was known to few outside his circle of family, friends and fellow soldiers.

Christine D'Amico

We're back!

On October 2, 2004 Jessica and I were happily married at St. Paul’s Cathedral by our friend Scott Richardson.

We began to attend St. Paul’s regularly for a good while after that – drawn in by the inclusive warmth of a group of believers that not only professed to welcome you no matter where you were on the journey of faith but also seemed to actually live this out.

Then came the busyness of life.

We had our daughter Olivia at about the time I transitioned out of a graduate program into full time employment and our lives became filled with all the extra details that accompany jobs and kids. We found ourselves frequently traveling on the weekends and managing conflicting schedules. Soon, we formulated the typical reasons not to attend and that list became a rather effective hurdle as our weekly attendance dwindled to a trickle (one year we were one of those families that made it out for Easter and I think that may have been about it).

As I say, life crept in.

But from the start of our time at St. Paul’s we often found the task of transitioning out of the contemporary evangelical Christian worship style on which we were raised into the more contemplative Anglican format a bit challenging. Sometimes I felt a strong need to holler out an “Amen!” or lift a hand up in response to a sermon but wasn’t quite sure if St. Paul’s was the place for me to do that.

We eventually decided to do a little church shopping. I can say now that finding a service that is at once inclusive AND charismatic is rather difficult. We had a good time in a variety of places but we ultimately couldn’t quite settle in anywhere else. Our nomadic quest did, however, increase our appreciation for committed spiritual practice and the community that comes with it, both for us and for our daughter.

In the end, we longed for the near instant connection we felt at St. Paul’s and the powerful messages of God’s love and inclusion and social justice that pulse through the Cathedral halls.

In short, we’re back.

Although we may be out of town on any given weekend or home with a sick child, we are committed to attending as regularly as we can and supporting the Cathedral with our time and service as we are able.

If you hear a rather loud “Amen!” or see a lone arm angling towards the heavens it may very well be me.


With love,

Mathew (for MnJnLittleO)

Mathew Mitchell



Thanks, Mathew!

We'd love to hear more from the young families who are raising kids and why they choose to be part of St Paul's. Drop us a line at StPaulBlog@gmail.com!

Remembering My Mom

In case you didn't know, we just celebrated National Wear Red Day, a day set aside to help raise awareness of heart disease in women...and honor those who've lost the battle against it. The figures are pretty staggering and I thought I'd take a minute to share a few of them:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women, killing more than a THIRD of them.
• More women than men die of heart disease each year.
• Women comprise only 27% of participants in all heart-related research studies.
• More than 200,000 women die each year from heart attacks- five times as many women as breast cancer.
• Women are less likely than men to receive appropriate treatment after a heart attack.
• More than 159,000 women die each year of congestive heart failure, accounting for 56.3% of all heart failure deaths.

The last one is what took my mom almost 2 years ago at the age of 64. She'd lived with congestive heart failure for 4+ years after having her first heart attack at 59. My mother was by far the most amazing woman I've ever known - and there are many, many more who'd back me up on that one! She had the incredible (and rare) gift of being able to inspire just about everyone she came in contact with! If she weren't my mom, I'm sure I'd have been screaming jealous of all the attention she got from others just wanting to be around her. It's funny, but now that I've been forced to look up and around me since she passed, I've been floored with how much she did and how many lives she touched!! And, of course, I feel even more blessed, knowing how devoted she was to her "calling", that she still managed to give me so much of herself....

After her first heart attack, she jumped on board as a spokesperson for The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease in Washington DC . She also received training from the Mayo Clinic on women's heart disease and studied like a med student to get herself educated on the subject so she could share this needed message with women everywhere. Being that she was also an artist, she used that talent as well to spread the word. I'm including a few links below should you be interested in seeing the painting she did for the NCWHD. It was unveiled in DC just a few months before she died and many of her family and friends were able to be there at the event. :)

The Coalition has Notecards of the painting for sale should you want to support the cause in some way. Here's a link to the painting itself on Mom's website (which my dad still hasn't had the heart to remove yet...and I'm kinda glad he hasn't). The site is such an inspiration still to the love-filled life she had. I know those of you who knew her, like me, miss her dreadfully. I'm just sorry that most of you won't ever get a chance to know this incredible woman.

Still, through her influence, you can perhaps know a little more about the havoc heart disease wreaks on women and the lives around them. All women are someone's mother, sister, daughter or wife and it's a wretched business losing that to a disease that's largely preventable! For more information on heart disease in women visit Prevention and Early Detection at the WomenHeart.org website.

Help take care of the women in your life!! :)

Heather Clarke