365 hearts! I did it and I have all of you to thank! This Art Challenge/Project has been nothing short of amazing every step of the way! What started off as a personal project of growth and healing turned into a worldwide community effort of support, inspiration and heart spotting. It brought tears to my eyes every time we were out and my two little girls shouted for joy, "A heart, mommy!" Just knowing that they were on the lookout for hearts brought me great comfort in knowing that I was planting the seeds of hope, positivity and magic in them. When my friend Shannon Harris told her little girl about the Project, her daughter said that my dad was leaving the hearts out for me. She's such a beautiful soul and she's so right. The spirit of those we love and loved live on within us and to think that they leave signs for us - if we're open to seeing them - is not far-fetched, it's true! This Project is living proof of it. Even on those days when it seemed next to impossible to find a heart, I'd say a little prayer to my dad and out of nowhere, a heart would appear or someone would send me a heart. I laugh thinking of all the times my husband questioned whether the hearts I found really looked like hearts. There's no denying that the hearts weren't always perfectly shaped, but the most important aspect of them was that I could always "see" them. We'd argue over them and he'd eventually see what I saw, or we would get the girls to settle the argument and they'd always say, "heart!"
This Project wouldn't be the same without all of the amazing heart spotters. The Hart Ladies, Jill and Reta Hart, and their network of friends, who were spotting hearts long before this Project began. Christine Leakey, my dear friend, who turned me onto the idea of spotting hearts in the first place. Some of my best friends, Charlyn Wee, Liz Worth, Jodi Lewchuk, Chantal Richard, Maria Scala and Rafaela Faria. All of my friends, new and old, who sent me amazing hearts from absolutely everywhere. Thank you Elio Rea, Nicki Di-Bartolomeo Jones, Kathryn Boyd, Shannon Harris, Mena Portanova-Huestis, Nada Nisiri, Joanne McIntyre (and her adorable boys), Kelly Silva, Emily Aneziris, Emily Becker, Michael Miranda, Michael Meredith, Cathy Scoleri, Deana Oulianova, Terry Nason, Leah Logan, Carm Vacca, Dora Vacca, Vicky Andreacchio Goodridge, Kristina Hunt, James Eberhardt, Laetitia Connerotte, Lyndsey Richer, Elizabeth Macdonald Stark, Karen Kuhn and many, many others. Thank you all for supporting the Project and for promoting my posts and Facebook page. I'm looking at you Morley Shulman, Alici Homer, Elio Rea, Shannon Harris, Nicki Di-Bartolomeo Jones, Leslie Dawn Hayes, Kristian Clarke and Danila Vernon! I have to thank all of my family for their endless love, support and gigantic hearts (especially you, mamma!). Thanks to my nieces Josianne Rocca, Marisa Rocca and Amanda Ferrari for sending me some amazing hearts! Thanks to my big sis Gina Rocca for loving everything I do and for promoting the project even while she was on vacation in Italy. Thanks to my cousins Maria Albanese-Conrad, Mina Bastone, Julie and Jason Cohen, Tish Barber, Carmela Rotondo and Carmela Zentena. Thanks to my family overseas (in England and Italy) for their cheers! Thank you to all my Facebook page supporters! Thanks to the talented Deana Oulianova for helping me turn this project into some other dreams. And, all my love and thanks to my husband for being my best supporter, for loving and believing in me and for always encouraging me to be the best I can be even in the darkest times.
I believe my dad is the brightest light within me and I honour his life and memory with all of these HEARTS.
This isn't the end, this is the beginning of something beautiful! Heart Attack Blog will continue beyond the year so send me your hearts and stay tuned for some exciting events and creative side adventures from this Project.
And, lastly, thanks to Ben Stevenson, for wrapping it all up beautifully with today's perfect heart.
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