“I hope so much that stopping by my little space on the world wide interweb will feel like a small dose of grace.”  ~ Heather

I am back!  And while of course I am bursting to share with you all about our little hiatus and all the joy and grace we have experienced in our lives in the past week,  I also really have been so excited to share today’s special guest with you, and so I made my choice that she is my path back to the bloggy space.

It’s not accident that I chose a quote from her own interview as the lead quote for this post.  It jumped out at me and took up residence in the intersection of my heart where inspiration meets real life and then turns into peace.  Heather in so many ways is the definition of grace herself. I first found her because I was so drawn to her blog title, “Extraordinary Ordinary.”  I mean, isn’t that what all these moments we call life are, perfectly extraordinary even when they seem most ordinary?

As you all know this concept is at my core.  My moments with my minis, the focus on E’s progress as she and we make our way through her special needs in moments of extraordinary ordinary, moments with family, friends, the fact that we have soft sheets, a roof and food to eat. The fact that each morning our lungs fill with air as we rise to greet the day in this beautiful experience called life.

To me, Heather embodies her blog title. She is a mom that has 3 minis, she is a beautiful writer, she is in recovery, she is a wife, she is smart, articulate and positive.She used to be a social worker, she is beautiful inside and out! She shares her own journey with such courage and grace which really makes her ANYTHING BUT ordinary.

Today, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Heather from “Extraordinary Ordinary.”

1.  Shannon:  Why and when did you start blogging?

Heather:  I started blogging in 2007 out of nothing but curiosity. I really didn’t even understand what it was. I liked the idea of it and started out like most moms do, desperately trying to hold on to the memories of mothering in this new-fangled journalistic way.

2. Shannon:  Where would we find you now on your blogging journey from where you started?

 Heather:  I started with a post that simply said that we went to an orchard. I added a couple of unedited pictures, taken too far away to be appreciated by anyone other than myself. So I suppose in some ways, I’ve come a long way because now I share my entire story and my thoughts in a more open way. At the same time, perhaps my unpolished ways back then were a bit refreshing, with all of their not trying. It’s not that I strive to impress now, I guess my blog has simply changed with the whole of blogging, the way it’s more and more of an art. My pictures are prettier and often edited. My stories are hopefully more well-written than at the beginning because I learned I love to write and edit and write some more, from my heart, and I don’t mind at all that my words and stories are witnessed. It adds to the experience, to be heard.

3. Shannon:  You have come along way in your journey, and made serious decisions for yourself and your family.  How have you persevered through all that has been thrown your way?

Heather:  We have persevered through each other, through surrender and acceptance and through our faith and family support. We are constantly failing at persevering, that’s the truth. But we simply get up and try again because settling for less hurts too much.

4. Shannon:  Who or what do you find inspiring?

Heather:   I am inspired by all manners of art. Writing, crafting, painting, singing, poetry…you name it. I’m inspired by other bloggers often. I’ve continued to be astounded by the rich content on the Internet over the last four and a half years of reading blogs. And then I’m also inspired daily by whatever is around me. We just have to look, and we all can see the many layers of light and beauty around us, even in the most mundane things.

5. Shannon:  If you had one whole day to yourself, where your minis were perfectly well taken care of, what would you do?

Heather:  Oh my…a whole day…I would get a massage and a haircut and color since I so rarely get around to such things. Then I’d have lunch with a dear friend. Then I’d probably sit and read and write and then go to a movie. I love movies, too. They’re another form of art.

6.  Shannon:  What is one thing about you people might be surprised to know/learn about you (Funny or serious)?

Heather:  When people who have come to know me through my words also come to know me in person, they often say I’m different than they imagined. I’ve heard words like “animated” and “crazy” and “quirky”. So let’s face it, I’m weird. I laugh a lot and I’m just not as serious as I am on my blog, where I pour out my heart-gut. That’s not to say that I don’t love a serious conversation though, because oh how I do!

7.  Shannon:  Did you make any New Year Resolutions and have you followed through so far?

Heather:   True confession: I have never made a New Year’s Resolution in my life. This is basically because I’m quite lazy. (Of course, I did quit drinking…but that took years and it’s a whole other kind of trying.)  I have no wise or witty reasons for not having Resolutions…I just simply ignore them with the excuse that I can make changes any day of the year.

8.  Shannon:  What are 3 things you hope people will take away from visiting your blog or reading your stories?

 Heather:  I hope it helps mothers (and other story-tellers) see themselves in my stories and then feel validated. I hope my words resonate and inspire. I hope so much that stopping by my little space on the world wide interweb will feel like a small dose of grace.

9.  Shannon:  What pearl(s) of wisdom can you leave us with that you suggest to make each day ‘anewfavoriteday?’ 

Heather:  I don’t know much, but I know that self-deprecation steals the joy from what could be a favorite day. We need to take more of a look at all the good things we do every single day and stop punishing ourselves so much. We stay stuck when we do that. And I don’t know, I guess my favorite days are days filled with connection and art, so I try to look for it and create it and it makes such a big difference when I do.

If you enjoy Heather as much as I do, you can find her at her blog “Extraordinary Ordinary” and you can also find her on Twitter @HeatheroftheEO

Thanks so much Heather for being our guest today. It’s been so wonderfully extraordinary!

(Shared from http://www.wallpaperweb.org)