I heard something today that I can’t stop thinking about.
Heartprint.
We all have fingerprints. We leave footprints. They’re physical evidence that we were here.
But what about a heartprint?
What do we leave behind that can’t be seen?
What do we leave on the hearts of the people and animals we encounter along the way?
Because our hearts carry all kinds of prints.
Some are beautiful. Some may have even left scars. Every person we love, every experience we walk through, every connection we make leaves something behind.
And maybe all of it helps us decide something really important:
What kind of heartprint do I want to leave?
I want mine to come from love.
From God.
From connection.
From noticing.
From making another person—or another living being—feel like they mattered because our paths crossed.
And then I started thinking about the things that make our hearts come alive.
What makes your heart sing?
What makes your heart smile?
What makes something inside of you jump up and down and say, THIS. This matters to me.
I think we’re supposed to pay attention to those things.
Maybe the things that make our hearts come alive aren’t random.
Maybe they’re clues.
The gifts, passions, people, animals, places, ideas and dreams that keep pulling at us may be pointing toward where we’re supposed to put our love into action.
I’ve experienced that before.
For many years, it happened for me behind a salon chair.
I loved being a hairdresser. There was passion there. Connection. Purpose. I cared about the person sitting in front of me. I listened to stories. I got to know people. I got to make someone feel seen and cared for.
My heart was in it.
And now, as I approach 60, I recognize that feeling again.
Only this time, it’s leading me somewhere completely different.
The container has changed. The heart hasn’t.
Today, that same heart drive, passion and love are pouring themselves into Finding Grace Sanctuary.
Animals.
Nature.
People.
Connection.
Creating a place where all of those things can come together.
And maybe that’s something we misunderstand about purpose.
We think we’re supposed to discover our one thing and do it forever.
But maybe purpose isn’t always one particular job, project or calling.
Maybe it’s something deeper that travels with us.
Maybe the expression changes while the heart behind it remains the same.
So perhaps the better question isn’t always:
What am I supposed to do with my life?
Maybe it’s:
What makes my heart sing?
Where does my love naturally want to go?
What am I being called to do with it?
And ultimately:
What kind of heartprint do I want to leave?
Because footprints eventually disappear.
Fingerprints fade from the things we’ve touched.
But a heartprint?
The love we leave in another person, an animal, a family, a community—that can keep traveling.
From one heart to another.
And maybe that’s what legacy really is.
Not simply leaving proof that we were here.
Leaving love because we were.
