Purpose | HeartStories

Learning to love

Our sweet Walter was born in 2004 and has been a faithful friend and companion to our family all of these years. He was my very first “baby” and now he’s the first “elderly loved one” fully in my care. As he’s getting older, we’re navigating the changes that increasing age brings for pets and the ones who love them.

If you’ve been here, you know.

We’re giving him about 12 pills a day, which keep him living his best life. I’m washing diapers on the daily. When his legs aren’t strong enough to hold him, I’m scooping him up to carry him wherever he needs to go. He’s lost his hearing, but his eyes are on high alert. If Hartley jumps up to bark at the window, he howls along from his perch in his bed. If she runs to get a treat, he’s making his way as fast as …

My friend Quynh Chau called me up randomly several weeks ago, asking if I would attend a dinner event with her. She explained that it was a watch party for the “Women That Soar” awards show and she wanted me to come meet some of her friends. If there’s one thing I know about Q.C., it’s that she has a lot of friends. But they’re not just casual acquaintances, to Q.C., they are dearly beloved friends. She cares so deeply about supporting each of her friends to reach even beyond our goals, to our full potential. She sees a vision of our future that’s usually much bigger than the one we can see for ourselves. I know this, because sometimes I hardly even recognize the women she talks about, when she talks about me and my work.

She is a true visionary who makes things happen because of the way she believes in …

by Crystal Gornto Girl's Night Out Love In Action Loving Others Loving Yourself Priorities Purpose Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life 2 comments chat
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Let it make you better

Ever since we moved, we’ve had an ongoing conversation about how dirty a new house gets while they’re still building other houses all around you. There is constantly SO much dirt in the air. It often looks like an Arizona dust storm outside our windows, especially when the street sweeper comes by, or the landscapers intentionally use the blower to blow dirt. (What even is the purpose of that practice??) Hiring a window washer is expensive, especially if one is needed repeatedly. It turns out that my boys are enjoying some new hobbies that are also expensive.

As a result, we’ve been talking a lot about how they might be able to afford their newfound hobbies.

Naturally one so the ideas that immediately surfaced, was that they could start a window washing business. Even if they priced their jobs very low, it would be a great service to all the neighbors, and …

by Crystal Gornto Love In Action Motherhood Priorities Purpose The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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The tide is rising

In a world where there’s a lot of energy around women rising strong together, there’s also a tendency to protect ourselves and compete with one another. Even though supporting each other and collaborating is my battle cry, it shows up for me too! I remember late last year, seeing on social media that a new DIY workshop, geared toward women, had opened up in town. I remember it well because I saw that they were hosting GNOs and if I’m honest, my heart sunk a little. Our HeartStories GNO was selling out month after month and somehow, hearing about this new workshop for women opening up, felt like a threat to that. I clicked the link and it was darling! AR Workshop is a “boutique DIY studio with hands-on workshops, parties and retail”.

From what I could tell online, Lindsay the owner, was fabulous in every way.

I made a note about …

by Crystal Gornto Female Social Entrepreneurs Girl's Night Out Inspirational Women Love In Action Loving Yourself Purpose The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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Go together, there is no better way

When I met Beth, our event designer with Joyful Day, at The Cookie Rack on Thursday, we had a good belly laugh with this sign. We met to work through the details in planning the upcoming BraveHearted Cookie GNO with our Featured Guest, Christie Halverson, the owner of the bakery. Before we parted ways, we knew we must take a picture with this sign. In part, because it’s such a hilarious and creative way for Christie to brand her store. But also because we’ve now both had our sons in the store with us which provided the opportunity (for me, at least) to explain the way this phrase has been so poorly used and in contrast, what a rack actually means. And mostly, that they should NEVER say it!

In Christie’s genius, this sign is such a perfect fit.

At the end of the day, the vast majority of her patrons are …

by Crystal Gornto Female Social Entrepreneurs Girl's Night Out Inspirational Women Love in Friendship Our Story Purpose The Journey Through Life 1 comment chat
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Soul on fire

I have no earthly idea what is happening in this picture. If there wasn’t evidence to the contrary, in the smiles on our faces, you might think Michelle was really giving me a piece of her mind. But because I remember that we were all standing there laughing at our last Girls Night Out. I know she wasn’t upset. I know better.

However, she was clearly brimming with passion.

Michelle works with my sister Kim, and in my mind’s eye, she’s a pretty mild mannered woman. Oh she’s strong, no question. But her arms are not typically waving in the air and her mouth is not generally open quite this wide. I absolutely adore the fact that Vanessa captured Michelle this moment, because it made me laugh out loud, but also because it’s one of my favorite things about GNO. When you walk in the door of a HeartStories GNO, there’s an immediate …

by Crystal Gornto Inspirational Women Love In Action Love in Friendship Loving Others Purpose The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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